Calix [NYSE: CALX], founded in 1999, is still “small enough to focus, (and) large enough to deliver,” according to Shane Eleniak, who heads the telecom company’s product line. Its clients include giants such as Verizon and CenturyLink, and partners include Swedish major Ericsson.

Calix’s mantra is disruption. “If we don’t disrupt (ourselves), somebody else will,” says Eleniak, pointing out ways in which Calix bids to differentiate itself and stay ahead amid the flaming competition. “CIOs are surprised, but we recognize the pace of innovation in today’s technology environment,” he adds.

Broadband delivery poses unique challenges. Telecom gear needs to be powerful, innovative, and truly adaptable. Sometimes it needs to be erected on a pole, sometimes in a nice business park. It needs to have a number of powering options to maintain 24/7 connectivity and it needs to be close to the subscriber, come rain, snow or sleet.

Calix is at the cutting edge of broadband delivery, and is a leader in the intersection at which access systems meet Software-Defined Network, or SDN. Growingly, it seeks to leverage its traditional strengths across data centers, as it adds more intelligence to its products. It is also at the forefront of NG-PON2, recently unveiling a new edge router, E9-2, which will soon power Verizon’s network, and the Calix Cloud.

“Still, business transformation is what consumers want,” asserts Eleniak as he outlines two focus areas for the company. Firstly, Calix wants to cut time to services, which traditionally takes up to two years. “We want to collapse that cycle,” says Eleniak, as Calix begins to face up to potential challenges from the entry into the telecom sector of giants such as Google (Gigabit Internet), Facebook (broadband delivery), and Amazon (Echo network device). “That is key to cutting time to revenue, time to service creation, and software distribution,” he adds.