All technology companies sell technology. Of course! Vectra has made it its goal to sell only solutions that are best in class, and to enable that, we reinvest more than 40% of our revenue to keep things that way. But I always ask for more.
I want Vectra to be known also for its values, for its vision, for its people and attitude, and for its passion for making the world a safer and fairer place. In short, for our culture.
To me, this emphasis on culture goes far beyond the normal company cheerleading or happy talk. I firmly believe it is a pillar of our company, something we can use to build all our products and services on -- a key differentiator and business driver for Vectra. And here are my top three reasons why.
First, Vectra is growing
We are presently the global cybersecurity leader for AI driven threat detection and response for the enterprise market. We celebrate this success together with our customers. Yet, as everyone knows, one of the first casualties of growth is, ironically, often the very culture that enabled that growth in the first place.
Vectra is writing a different story. We are committed to tending to and preserving our culture. No matter what our growth curve looks like, Vectra will not move away from the pledge to uphold our team spirit, humility, faith in people and mutual trust, and our readiness to empower people to make things happen. These are our core principles for how we operate that propel our growth, and we are in this for the long run.
Second, we need additional people as we grow -- and they must be our kind of people
Of course, we compete for the best and brightest minds, but we must also attract individuals with high emotional intelligence. Sadly, the world is full of great minds that fail to fulfill that promise, for whatever reason. I know some brilliant actors -- but they do not work for us, nor will they ever. It is paramount that our new hires be aligned with our culture.
We are hiring – right now! If you are interested in seeing our openings, take a look at our current job listings. There you will see quite a few jobs, so, yes, there is a sense of urgency to our call. But we will not permit such pressure to dilute our standards or weaken the Vectra culture.
Deep skills represent only the first step in what it takes to work here. We honor integrity; we reward teamwork; we get things done together; we don’t want drama. If we interview a smart candidate who cannot thrive in that culture -- our culture -- we wish them well at some other organization.
The bar at Vectra is high, high enough for everyone to see. If you’re already with us, on the inside, I’m sure you know how good it is to be here; if you’re on the outside and want in, I hope it reveals the demands we impose upon ourselves. The right candidates for joining our team will have no qualms about working hard to earn admission -- and will be equally willing, once aboard, to work hard, play hard, and have fun celebrating. As we all do.
Third, I want customers to know we are different
We have the best customers and the best partners. Look at the testimonials Vectra receives on YouTube and elsewhere. But our goal is to keep surprising and delighting them as our relationships continue to grow and prosper. And I want incoming customers to see that, because of our culture, Vectra’s people are unique and strive to serve them.
Sometimes customers find it difficult to distinguish one security solution from another (and we cannot assume everyone has 20/20 vision on or see our quantitative advantages with perfect clarity). We feel that expressing Vectra’s empathetic culture can project the difference between winning and losing a customer. I am quite honestly sometimes surprised at how many companies – both within and beyond the cybersecurity sector -- fail to stress the positive values we embody!
Perhaps they assume the superiority of their technology alone will sell their product. Yet, we all know that is not always the case; even best-in-class tech can benefit from the right presentation, the right people, the right support.
I want our customers to feel they are acquiring not only the best cybersecurity technology, but the best partners. Putting the customer first is a core value at Vectra. That is our priority, every day. The Vectra culture is the cornerstone of our success. Our products and business may evolve, but our culture remains steadfastly right where it is. That is something everyone – our customers, our partners, our team – can count on.