In 2019, Forbes pointed out that “70% of companies either have a digital transformation strategy in place or are working on one”, but as businesses make investments to improve their technology, it is imperative that they seek to invest in their people too. In the famous words of Benjamin Franklin, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.“
As a business that operates in the ever-evolving tech industry, it is not surprising that innovation plays a huge part in our core values; what makes us different is that we carry our innovative culture through our technology, processes and our people. Overtime, we have created a working environment that stimulates and nurtures innovation, further explaining the attainment of our 37 awards and counting…
Inside Out
The history of our company dates back to 1998 – Managed Enterprise Technologies Limited, or MET, found its success operating as a managed service provider in the UK; however our CEO, Ian Vickers saw an opportunity to innovate and grow the business on a global scale… *centre stage METCLOUD*.
METCLOUD became the new forefront of the company in 2017, and we began making some significant internal changes to transform the business, quite literally from the inside – out. Navigating a rebrand in a 20+ year old company brings its own set of challenges, nonetheless with patience and positivity, our culture and values began to blossom in the right direction. A major revamp of the organisational structure and processes provided clearer communication and a greater understanding of our vision and values. When every member of the team – no matter what role or department – is working in positive synergy, you are destined for success.
The Only Way is Up!
With technology and the cyber threat landscape advancing at a rapid pace, it is vital that all members of our team are continually upskilling and developing their knowledge too. METCLOUD has a very proactive attitude towards training and development; we always encourage employees to look for areas of improvement in their role and skill sets and provide full support in expanding their professional qualifications or certifications.
Focusing on the progression of our people is a win:win scenario. Our team members feel appreciated, valued, and always have something to work towards. Simultaneously, the organisation is gaining knowledge and expertise, allowing us to become more innovative, more productive, and in turn more helpful to our customers.
Unfilled cybersecurity jobs are expected to reach 1.8 million by 2022, up 20% from 1.5 million in 2015, according to the Center for Cyber Safety and Education. You may have recently seen the Government’s CyberFirst campaign – ‘Rethink. Reskill. Reboot; the series of ads were trending on Twitter after receiving major backlash for promoting tech and cybersecurity jobs to people that currently work in other industries. Despite being labelled by many as “inappropriate” and “crass”, the general purpose of the campaign was to address the vast skill gap in cybersecurity and the growing threat of cyber attacks – a topic we should all concern ourselves with. By providing our employees with both general and specialist cyber awareness and information security training, we look forward to creating more opportunities and enhancing the talent available in the cybersecurity industry for years to come.
A Proud Moment
In May 2018, the South & City College Birmingham Awards honoured us with a title that we hold very close to our hearts – ‘Apprentice SME Employer of the Year’. The event highlighted and showcased young adults across the city for doing outstanding work as apprentices in all industries. METCLOUD truly is an advocate for apprenticeships and we never cease to be amazed by the incredible talent pool in Europe’s youngest city. Some of the key people in the METCLOUD team began their journey with our business as apprentices, and it has been remarkable to see them flourish and progress into senior roles within the company.
The unique skills, attitudes, and motivations that young people carry, improves our workforce diversity, company culture and provides different perspectives and insight. It also gives our existing employees the chance to grow through mentoring, training and inspiring the young people. Offering apprenticeships has helped us shape the company values by allowing us to continually innovate and stay one step ahead with fresh and new ideas.
The Icing on the Awards Cake
Since its inception, METCLOUD has gained significant recognition for our innovative approach to cloud, cybersecurity, and technology excellence. We have managed to collect over 37 awards in the last three years alone, but our “icing on the cake” moment has to be our win at the UK IT Industry Awards 2019; the largest technology awards of its kind, highlighting key individuals, projects, organisations and technologies. Ian Vickers attended the lavish awards ceremony in November 2019, hosted by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Computing. The event took place pre-covid, accommodating over 1,400 people in Battersea Evolution, London. Celebrity actress, Sally Phillips, announced METCLOUD as the WINNERS for the ‘Cloud Innovation Provider of the Year’ category. It was a very humbling and proud moment for the whole team – you can watch the winning announcement here.
“Everything you do makes a difference!”
Technology is shaping the future and cybersecurity is the glue that holds it all together, providing safety, security and peace of mind. As a company we are proud of everything we have accomplished in-industry so far and are excited to discover what the future holds. As we grow, we will continue to cultivate an innovative, supportive and encouraging culture amongst our team, as we believe this is the driving force behind our success. Each member of the team understands the impact of their hard work and is recognised for their individual strengths. A regular evaluation of our collective knowledge allows us to make room for new skills and/or new additions to the team!
As a growing company, we’re always on the lookout for ‘Unicorn’ employees that fit into our culture… flexible and intellectually curious, ability to wear many hats, think big and small. ‘Unicorn’ because, like the mythical creature, many question their existence, but we know they exist… because we have many already working at METCLOUD. If this is you and you want to work with other like-minded and talented people, then get in touch by email careers@metcloud.com. You can also check for specific roles we’re hiring on METCLOUD’s LinkedIn page.