What is change? Simply defined, change is to make or become different.

In the past couple of years there have been momentous changes within the networking world. Companies are consolidating portfolios, fighting for market share, and innovating at a rapid pace. Of course, with any change there is always the unintended consequences of fear. With all the changes that have been taking place at Extreme Networks this past year you would expect to see a lot of fearful faces in our offices, but that is the furthest thing from the truth. The difference I see here at Extreme Networks is that when we make changes as an organization we make positive changes. What’s the difference between a change and a positive change you ask? A positive change is making something better vs. just making something different.

As I reflect on my experience at SKO this past July I can truly say that every change that we are going through at Extreme has been a positive one. The alignment and vision from our E-staff has never been stronger. Their energy and conviction towards the success of our company is contagious. As I listened to our leadership team talk about the future of Extreme Networks you could hear the excitement in their voices, see it in their body language, and feel the energy in the air. We were also located on the Las Vegas Strip at the lovely Aria Resort which can absolutely get a bunch of sales people a little extra fired up.

A strong message that resonates with me as we move forward into FY18 is FOCUS.

When I listened to our SME’s discuss converging product lines you could see that every decision to bring on Avaya, Brocade, and Zebra was made with the focused intentions of making our portfolio not only just more robust, but to make it stronger with our customers’ needs in mind. Seeing Avaya and Zebra come together under the Extreme umbrella this past year has been nothing short of exciting. As our Salem office fills up with new employees you realize that this is real. What we’ve been talking about for the past year is happening and we are right in the middle of it. Coming from an SDR standpoint, this only looks like opportunity. The Sales Development Representative team could not be more fired up and pumped for the opportunities ahead. You can hear it on the phones and you can see it in the team’s energy. People want to talk to us! A year ago, there were prospects that would not have taken a call from Extreme, despite all of our marketing efforts, because they didn’t know us. Fast forward a year later and much more industry buzz surrounding the company because of our growth, the same prospects that didn’t recognize the Extreme name now want to talk to us. Through countless cold calls, emailing efforts, and Marketing/Demand Gen Campaigns we are starting to see a positive shift in the markets opinion of Extreme Networks.

Bringing on Zebra, Avaya and Brocade is only strengthening our vision and building on the history of Extreme Networks. People are focused, driven, and ready to hit the ground running. I couldn’t be more excited to see what unfolds in FY18! 

 

Let’s GO!