From the desk of Will Mitchell, CEO
There is a world of difference between a Geographic Information System, G.I.S. for short, and a Fiber Management System, or FMS. They live in the same neighborhood, and an FMS “is” a form of GIS, but a GIS is not an FMS.
As someone who earned an advanced degree in ‘horizontal’ GIS, and forged a career helping organizations adopt and implement GIS software, I gained a lot of perspective on this tech. And that perspective helped form the basis of a deeply vertical philosophy when building mapping solutions. So we proceeded to create almost an anti-GIS when designing the VETRO FiberMap FMS.
Vertical software, applications designed to solve a particular problem set and to model a specific set of real-world things, can be built with precision and focus. As such they can take much of the challenging set up and general difficulty out of the picture and deliver a laser-like instrument to get a job done.
GIS software is built to map anything, like other general office and productivity applications are built to write anything, present anything, spreadsheet anything. FMS software is built to map, model, and manage fiber optic networks. And if you are managing a fiber network you just don’t need all the generic stuff. What you do need is more than a map, you need a system of record that reflects, and makes actionable, the assets and relationships inside the network.
The goal from the start was to get inside the physical network and bring it to life in a highly accessible visual manner, underpinned by a network connectivity data model. We wanted to take the methods of wireline telecom mapping on from the outside looking in, squeezing the complexity out and getting deep into the documentation needed to support a new way of managing fiber.
Over the past 8 years developing the VETRO FMS platform, we’ve done our best to reach out a hand and build data bridges to and from GIS-land, and even sweep in many GIS oriented features and capabilities in our own way. All while prioritizing the needs of the telecom engineer and the fiber network operator. This has successfully enabled thousands of fiber-interested users to design and manage networks without needing to know GIS!
A shift to simplicity and specificity is what industries expect as we digitize everything. Our job at VETRO is to remain steadfast in our goal of delivering a focused, vertical FMS that is easy to adopt and use.
About Will Mitchell
Will’s deep experience in GIS system design, deployment and operations, as well as his technical and applied business experience, enables him to deliver high-value geospatial business insight and product vision. As the CEO of VETRO, Will leads a diverse technical team delivering a transformational and category-expanding fiber management software platform. Will holds a Master of Science degree in Geographic and Cartographic Science from George Mason University and a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Will’s mission is for VETRO to become the best broadband network mapping platform in the world, enabling competitive network operators to modernize the internet at the infrastructure level. Will leads the team that is building the digital home of the physical internet.
About VETRO
At VETRO, we believe visualizing data unlocks hidden potential, radically simplifying the way businesses operate and digitizing the future of connectivity. We focus on empowering network operators with unparalleled clarity and control over their fiber networks, enabling them to move faster, better, and more efficiently than ever before. Our revolutionary platform isn’t just software – it’s the physical network asset system of record, offering unprecedented visibility and control from strategic planning to daily operations. We empower our customers to bridge the digital divide at a rapid pace, unlock unforeseen opportunities, and squeeze the maximum value from their networks. Let’s illuminate the unseen, digitize the way we connect, and shape the future of connectivity, together.
