If "Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast," how full are you if you have both?
Pros
Disclaimer: I love my company, my role, and my team. + Leadership. President/CTO Husein Sharaf is a unicorn. Possessing the optimal combination of technical expertise, business savvy, emotional intelligence, vision, and fun, these defining characteristics trickle down through the entire organization. + Growth. This company is on fire! Ranked both nationally and regionally on the Inc. 5000, Cloudforce has posted astounding YoY growth again and again. This rising tide lifts all boats. In my relatively short tenure, I've seen a steady stream of teammates and technologists receive promotions, pay increases, and even new assignments better aligned to their passion or aspiration. + Glee. This is a fun place to work (isn't winning always fun?). While there is the requisite ping pong table and fridge full of beer (plus three taps coming to the under construction office in the National Harbor - two beers taps and one for nitro infused cold brew coffee!), how fun is anything with people that you don't enjoy? This couldn't be any further from the truth at Cloudforce. The company hires brilliant technologists who are genuine, kind, and a blast to be around. Combine these delightful people with company outings like paintball and go karting (plus monthly charitable events) and you've got a recipe for success. + Focus. Cloudforce serves great clients, but only those that align with its organizational vision and expertise. Its work is hyper-focused on the bleeding edge of the Microsoft cloud in Azure and M365. This specialization makes for endlessly interesting and high-leverage projects with companies ranging from regional SMBs to Fortune 500 firms. If you're looking for a role in which you'll grow your expertise in Azure, this may be the place. + Class. The same attention to detail that is applied to elegant technical solutions is applied to everything internal at Cloudforce as well. Team hoodies? North Face. Coffee? Espresso. Laptops? High-spec Microsoft Surfaces. Holiday party? Dust off your tux. It's the kind of operation for whom you're just proud to work. Remember the last company polo that you buried at the bottom of your closet? I wear one of mine with pride every day.
Cons
(Potential) Cons: + No place for laggards. If you're looking for a firm in which you can coast, blend in with the scenery, and do the least possible work for your paycheck, this isn't it. You'd look pretty silly alongside the hardworking and genius tech ninjas on all sides. + Cloudforce is still maturing. You won't find the redundancy of positions or assignments that you might at a larger company. Some of its processes are still coming into focus. Cloudforce is flying the plane as its seats are being installed. But the company proudly assures that its clients receive all for which they've contracted (and more!). And its rapid growth assures that everyone wears more than one hat to inject some variety into their day. + The company hasn't embraced a fully remote workplace. A large part of the collegial and family atmosphere at Cloudforce comes from its hybrid work policy, seamlessly blending in-office and remote work. Digital culture via remote meetings, though valuable, is certainly a dilution of the real thing. So... if you're dogmatically committed to working 100% from your man cave or she shed versus the National Harbor, this may not be the right company for you.
