Why I Left Google for IGEL

I’ve had the good fortune to work at some of the world’s most successful companies: Oracle, Microsoft, salesforce.com and most recently, Google. Each had their own unique culture and shared traits including customer focus, a long-term outlook, influence over markets, comprehensive hiring practices, attractive employee benefits, massive revenues, open communication and identifiable goals.

A business card from one of these companies carried a lot of clout and opened many doors for me in my career and the billions of dollars of capital these multinational companies have at their disposal is impressive. Conversely, large companies are often tied in with their legacy and become too process driven, stuck in their ways and unwilling to adapt to the evolving business climate.

I’ve also had a chance to work at two startups throughout my career and have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences there too. Young companies are agile, so they can adapt to change more easily. This is an asset in today’s rapidly changing business environment. Smaller companies are forced to do more with less too, so they become very creative in how they achieve their goals. On the flip side, young companies often get pulled in many directions and can lose their identity – when, for example, an early customer (one that’s especially big) asks you to do something custom for them or to go down a path you hadn’t planned on but find that saying “no” is difficult because of the promise of an impressive “logo” or a nice bit of early revenue.

Often, I’m asked which type of company I prefer. Most people tend to gravitate toward one or the other My answer is that I appreciate certain aspects of both. For this reason, I believe I have found a terrific fit in IGEL. It’s rare to find a tech company that’s been around for 30 years, yet is still so nimble; they know who they are, what they’re not and where they want to go. Coming to IGEL, I’m getting the best traits of both large and small.

I was attracted to IGEL for several reasons. First, I wanted to continue to nurture my experiences working with the three largest Cloud Service Providers. Second, I wanted to leverage my background in edge computing and virtual workspaces. Third, I wanted a great opportunity and with the approaching tidal wave of desktops and applications being delivered as services, IGEL is very well positioned for success in this regard. Last and most importantly I wanted to join a great team of professionals that are hardworking, collaborative, fun and driven to make our customers and partners successful. IGEL is that company and I look forward to my contribution in support of IGEL’s goals.