/ Case Study

Altios Strengthens XMedius’ Expansion in New Markets

When XMedius decided to expand into Poland and Australia, the company turned to Altios for human resource services and business development advice.

Summary

XMedius global growth strategy involves expanding sales teams outside of its main offices. When the company decided to expand in Australia and Poland, the company turned to Altios for human resource services and business development advice.

Background

XMedius Solutions Inc., headquartered in Montreal, Canada, is a global leader in the field of secure enterprise communication solutions. With more than 20 million users and 50,000 installations worldwide, the company’s suite of solutions ensures secure and unified communication, as well as the exchange of sensitive and confidential data. XMedius serves a worldwide client base through its offices in Montreal, Paris and Seattle, and a global team of customer-focused employees. Major organisations in education, finance, government, healthcare, manufacturing, retail and finance rely on XMedius’ integrated and secure solutions to fulfil critical needs. As data security and compliance to government and industry regulatory requirements heighten, and as companies of all sizes and within a vast number of industries look to integrated solutions, XMedius is well-positioned in the global market.

Challenge

With an annual growth rate of six per cent, capturing the market share in the secure enterprise communications opportunity is essential for XMedius. Due to varying laws and regulations on data privacy and exchange, expansion into new markets requires a thorough understanding of policy and legislation on data exchange, in addition to economic viability. As part of its global growth strategy, the Canadian company determined it needed external consultancy in market viability and risk mitigation, and consequent setup of local sales teams. “Local policy and laws are a major concern for us due to the nature of our solutions,” said Jean Pierre Filion, Senior Vice President of Sales at XMedius. “For example, some countries do not have as strict of laws on data privacy and may allow information, such as healthcare records shared over email or other less secure channels. These countries would not be a primary target for XMedius as there would be less of an imperative for secure communications services,” commented Filion. The two-fold requirements of XMedius meant they would need a consultancy firm who had in-country capabilities in terms of setting up local sales teams, and who could guide the company in risk and market potential.

Solution

To further its global strategy, XMedius partnered with Altios due to the consultancy firm’s combined services in international expansion and setting up locally.

To determine potential new markets, XMedius worked with Altios in areas of risk mitigation and identification of potential markets.

“We knew we wanted to expand further in Europe, but we were not quite sure which market,” said Filion. “Working with Altios, we ultimately chose Poland.”

As a company focused on providing the best customer experience, it was important for XMedius to set up local sales teams as part of its international growth strategy.

When XMedius was ready to enter two new markets—Australia and Poland—the company looked to Altios to provide human resource services.

Altios advised XMedius on local employment regulations, tax structures and talent requirements. Working together, Altios handled the recruitment, hiring and management of regional sales teams.

Outsourcing of specific human resource needs meant XMedius could be operational quickly in both countries and, more importantly, hire the best talent by being competitive and offering employee benefits in line with each market.

In the past, we did everything ourselves. It was intensive and often a lengthy process due to the logistics of setting up a business structure in a new country. Now, the day-to-day activities of the job, interaction with management and employee evaluation are seamless. The sales manager is treated like any other member of our team.

Evelyne Morin

Vice President Human Resources, XMedius

Result

Of the 60 sales managers, 45 work in markets outside of XMedius’ central offices, either from their homes or on the road. This local sales approach continues to be a part of the company’s global expansion strategy.

Leveraging Altios’ local knowledge and network has strengthened XMedius’ international expansion by ensuring in-country sales teams are on the ground and operational quickly.

“What sets Altios apart is its ability to be agile and to act quickly due to a broad, worldwide presence. Many other providers would need to refer clients to local partners who can take more time and increase costs while reducing the quality of the service provided. Our ability to react quickly means we provide an integrated solution quickly, which is especially important for fast-moving technology companies such as XMedius,” said Isabelle Combe, Managing Director of Altios Canada.

XMedius

XMedius Solutions Inc. is a global leader in secure enterprise communication solutions. The company serves worldwide clients through offices in Montreal, Paris and Seattle, and a global sales team. International expansion is part of the company’s growth strategy.

Challenge

Varying data privacy requirements means expansion in new markets requires an understanding of local regulations to determine market viability.

Since XMedius wanted to expand further in Europe, it needed to determine the best country for its solutions.

To ensure high customer service, the company wanted to set up local sales teams in Poland and Australia.

Solution

Altios provided risk mitigation and market identification consultancy. As part of its European expansion, working with Altios, XMedius decided on Poland. Altios handled the recruitment, hiring, and management of regional sales managers for local teams in Poland and Australia.

Result

Altios human resource services enabled XMedius to be operational quickly in Poland and Australia. Altios’ continual management of local talent and advisory services means XMedius can focus on its global expansion efforts.

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