For 30 years, InfoWest has been a leading Internet service specializing in providing reliable, cost-effective, high-speed Internet connections throughout Utah, select areas of Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado.
Randon Anderson, Fiber Operations Manager for InfoWest, gave us some insight into how and why they got started with VETRO and how they use it. Read more below!
Five Questions with InfoWest
1. Tell us how you got into the business of fiber internet?
Our objective is to provide the ultimate internet service, one customer at a time. InfoWest has been in the ISP business since 1994, starting with dial-up internet. Over the years, we’ve added coax, copper line DSL, and later wireless networks with hundreds of towers covering a large part of our region. In 2022 we acquired our local fiber provider partner, GoFiber to accelerate growth and shift our focus to building out with fiber. With rising bandwidth needs and growth in our rural as well as suburban areas, we see fiber as the key sustainable infrastructure. We are rapidly expanding our regional networks to not only better serve our residential customer base, but also many government, business and wholesale clients. We are also augmenting our extensive wireless networks with fiber backbones.
2. Tell us what’s new at InfoWest – what’s next?
We are currently building out two major city-wide fiber networks, as well as multiple subdivision and commercial area networks. We’ve increased our fiber-focused work force more than five-fold in the past year; acquired a HDD construction company; and have ramped up to build most of our network with in-house resources. Our customers are happy to be getting one, two and even ten-Gigabit services in areas where slower cable and DSL infrastructure has outlived its usefulness. With all our growth, multiple ongoing projects and all the complexities that go along with constructing networks in house, we rely on VETRO heavily. We are able to ensure productivity; set and stay on budgets and accurately document our networks for future expansion and maintenance needs.
3. What plans/projects did you have in motion when you started shopping for fiber management software?
We were working on mostly commercial business jobs at the time, and we would focus on one at a time. This was creating a slow workflow for us and we often felt like we were “flying blind.” Randy Cosby, our COO of InfoWest, brought over VETRO for us to check out. That was a game changer for us and we have not looked back!
4. Why did you choose VETRO?
We were using Google Earth as our main program to plan and document our fiber network, but as we started to ramp up work production and growth, we knew that this wouldn’t keep up. We needed a program that could do more. That’s when we found VETRO. VETRO allowed us to pre-engineer projects, bid out more plans, engineer middle mile networks, and create splice plans. It has helped us get a good grip on building multiple fiber networks across our coverage areas.
"VETRO allowed us to pre-engineer projects, bid out more plans, engineer middle mile networks, and create splice plans. It has helped us get a good grip on building multiple fiber networks across our coverage areas."
5. What is your favorite feature of VETRO FiberMap?
We usually pre-engineer all plans so we can fully understand what will be needed for any job. With VETRO, we easily calculate our material and labor costs to know what exactly our budget will be. This is one of my favorite functions! We used to grab a list of all the materials and create a spreadsheet, this would take hours to put together. VETRO compiles and presents us with a simple materials and cost documents based on our engineered plans. As we build out a project, the numbers instantly follow.
About VETRO, Inc.
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.
