Co-founder and CEO Alex Brisbourne says that the main aim of the launch was to create an intermediary layer between traditional mobile operators and the leaders of innovation that were creating unique applications for the M2M market.
“The driving force for the formation of the business was the fact that the world had suddenly become an end-to-end IP connected environment,” he says.
“It was the start of so-called 2G and 3G networks and it meant that integration into applications, cost-points for devices and ubiquity globally was a future opportunity.”
KORE now supports around 1700 customers in North America, Europe and Asia with service platforms to accelerate the M2M marketplace. It has created a single service connectivity solution whereby a customer can buy a managed service, operated from a platform in which 15 carriers are integrated worldwide.
“We are one of the top 12 providers of M2M across the globe, and that includes carriers such as Vodafone and AT&T,” Brisbourne says.
Now with 250 employees worldwide, KORE claims to offer fully managed connectivity over both mobile and satellite networks and covering multiple technologies, including non-GSM services such as CDMA. Brisbourne says that it differentiates itself from competitors in the market with its service experience.
Brisbourne was previously a general manager at a GSM carrier in North America, and also recently left his position as chairman of the International M2M Council. He breaks down his role as chief executive of KORE into a number key areas.“We don’t just provide connectivity, we manage that connectivity between the customers’ application and the remote devices so that they can see how well those devices are working,” says Brisbourne.
“Being completely paranoiac all the time about what could happen in the outside world – over which I only have limited control – that would affect our business,” he jokes, when asked what his key responsibilities are. “But from that point of view it’s totally healthy paranoia.”
Brisbourne says that an important aspect of his role is dialogue with influences in the industry such as technical analysts, his own peers, the company’s carrier partners as well as KORE customers.
“As a CEO my task is to be able to chart where we need to be three or four years from now, and ensure that we’re putting into place the necessary technical, operational and organisational building blocks to meet the needs of the market and of our customers,” he says.
He also places great importance on being a thought leader within the industry; his philosophy being that if KORE makes the industry more vibrant and more visible, then it is a benefit for all.
“The depth of the lake gets deeper and everyone’s boat floats higher,” he says.
KORE has made four acquisitions over the course of the last three years, and Brisbourne includes looking at potential technology acquisitions as a very active part of his role.
The majority of his time, however, is spent on evaluating, mentoring and developing his staff, in particular, broadening the breadth and depth of his executive team.
“We’re in a relatively young industry space, so we have to develop and grow a lot of our own talent,” he says.
