GTL Recaps Record Milestones in 2014

Industry leader introduces updated brand and new products, experiences all-time record metrics

Reston, Virginia –February 6, 2015 – Global Tel*Link (GTL), the leading provider of integrated technology solutions for corrections, announced today that the company had a record year in 2014. In February of 2014, GTL launched its new brand, with a focus on vision, value, and trust, as well as on the importance of approaching customer needs from the perspective of pairing cutting-edge technology with market-leading support and service. GTL’s brand and employees are singularly focused on delivering technology and solutions for both legacy and emerging markets while striving to address the full range of challenges facing corrections today.

“2014 was a year of tremendous accomplishments for GTL, and we are proud of all of the strides we took during the year. We plan to build on the success of 2014 in the coming year to continue to meet our customers’ expanding technology needs,” said Brian Oliver, CEO of GTL.

Over the course of the year, GTL experienced milestones across its entire correctional technology portfolio which are further detailed below. In addition to these accomplishments, GTL invested in nearly 20% more full-time employees to ensure the company continues to meet its customers’ growing requirements.

  • In 2014 GTL saw growth in the field of Inmate Telephone Systems (ITS) marked by the completion of approximately 215 million calls totaling nearly 3 billion minutes, with these figures reflecting an all-time high for GTL. The company deployed Continuous Voice Biometric software to over 300,000 inmates and deployed voice biometric enrollments to inmates in over 250 correctional facilities. Additionally, GTL developed and deployed Called Party IQ, which is the first intelligence tool to provide real-time recognition of situations where inmates illicitly attempt to make calls for the purpose of having them bridged to a third number by the called party, thereby resulting in a conference between multiple inmates in multiple facilities.

  • In the field of investigative support, GTL helped to save countless hours of investigators’ time over the course of the year through the use of its proprietary Report Builder. For example, GTL technology assisted a large county to promptly and efficiently identify suspects, utilize calls to build a case, and solve a triple homicide. Additionally, Called Party IQ detected, identified, and displayed where co-defendants were conversing regarding their shared crime, thus providing key evidence for prosecutors. GTL hired Chris Pickering, who has over 25 years of law enforcement experience, as its new Intelligence Tools Team Lead. Pickering served as the State of Missouri Homeland Security Coordinator for three years, and prior to that served as Inspector General of the State of Missouri Department of Corrections. Chris joined a team that also includes Mitch Volkart – a former Deputy Inspector General at Missouri DOC with 15 years of law enforcement experience – who is GTL’s Product Manager for Intelligence Tools and Cell Phone Control and Forensics.

  • GTL’s payment services group also had a record-breaking year. GTL was proud to announce its acquisition of TouchPay Holdings, LLC. Our customers entrust us with handling financial transactions on their behalf using proper and secure protocols, while complying with the latest state and federal regulations including money laundering compliance.

    • Our dedication to security and compliance is evident throughout our business: GTL is PCI compliant, has comprehensive OFAC and AML/BSA policies in place, and is fully compliant with federal (FinCEN) and state regulations. Additionally, GTL is authorized for money transmission in 48 states, with the remaining two state authorizations expected by the end of 2015.

    As evidence of our robust payment services infrastructure and a commitment to safe and secure transactions, we completed nearly 16M credit card transactions valued at $484M. Both figures are all-time high values for the company.

  • 2014 was also a record year for GTL’s video visitation services and products. GTL successfully completed the acquisition of Renovo Software. The acquisition of Renovo Software will combine GTL’s first-in-class services with Renovo’s market-leading video visitation platform, VisManager™; Renovo’s Video Scheduler™, a universal video scheduling and automation platform used in many of the world’s largest video conferencing networks; and Renovo’s substantial thought capital and intellectual property.

    • Unmatched in flexibility and product maturity, the platform has seen tremendous success with service to over 135 facilities. The system now manages over 8,800 visitation stations and over 2.5 million visits per year.

  • In 2014, GTL experienced record growth in sales of its Offender Management System (OMS) solution. OMS sales grew 315% year over year including a top 20 state DOC and a top 20 county facility. With these new customers, GTL bolstered its leading customer profile with one in every 4 inmates managed by GTL OMS. Additionally, GTL made an investment in key resources including additional staff designers, programmers, and quality assurance specialists to improve the lifecycle management of OMS.

  • In the realm of services to inmates’ friends and family, 2014 also saw impressive gains for GTL. For the more than 60% of online visitors accessing the company’s website from a tablet or smartphone, a new mobile version of the ConnectNetwork.com website was launched in December. A downloadable mobile app was developed and is available for both Android and iOS devices at no cost to consumers nationwide.

  • With the deployment of GTL’s corrections-grade, secure tablets, 2014 saw a number of firsts for GTL and the entire market. GTL was the first to release streaming music, to deploy tablets to an entire pod of inmates, to deploy wireless calling, and to detect unauthorized Wi-Fi networks in a correctional facility via GTL access points.

Taken together, these achievements showcase GTL’s unique position as the leading provider of integrated technology solutions for corrections. Additionally, the company’s far-reaching success in 2014 demonstrates its commitment to the new brand, highlighting its vision of truly integrated solutions and service.

Looking ahead, GTL is uniquely poised to increase its emphasis on technology solutions for customers and increase value of services for inmate friends and family members. For more information about GTL, please visit www.gtl.net.

###

About Global Tel*Link
GTL is the leading provider of integrated correctional technology solutions, delivering financial value, security, and ease of operation to our customers through visionary products and solutions at the forefront of corrections innovation. As a trusted correctional industry leader, GTL provides service to approximately fifty percent of inmates nationwide, including service to 32 state departments of corrections, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 32 of the largest city/county facilities. GTL is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with more than 10 regional offices across the country. To find out more about GTL, please visit our website www.gtl.net.

Press Release Contact
Kristin Nugent
McNeil, Gray & Rice

phone: 617-367-0100 x148
email: [email protected]

Press Release Contact Click Here to download a PDF version

Industry Publications

Feature Articles

The July/August 2015 print edition of Corrections Today included a story submitted by the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) about an automated process and system that was put in place to automate inmate requests to staff. The article explains how the request system that was deployed by GTL for SCDC ultimately led to a request fulfillment rate of 97.6%. The digital reprint is available below.
Corrections Today July/August 2015 (.pdf)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The March/April 2015 print edition of Correctional News included a feature story that covered GTL’s position in the market, the full breadth of our portfolio, and how we can deliver whole solutions to our customers. The digital reprint is available below.
March / April 2015 (.pdf)