This Is the Auvik Way

When Alex Hoff, David Yach, and I founded Auvik, we had a vision to build something great. No, not even great—phenomenal.

We knew that our corporate culture would be a make-or-break element in our success. Either our people and our philosophy would push us to fantastic heights. Or our culture would bog us down in politics and inefficiencies.

The second path wasn’t even an option.

So from the start, we took great care. We thought long and hard about what had worked for us in our various companies in the past, and what hadn’t. David came from BlackBerry and brought some principles from that environment. I came from HP—the HP Way influenced us heavily. Then came PixStream and the PixStream Way. After PixStream, I co-founded Sandvine and Alex joined the team there. Sandvine had a way. So all of those elements, that had been tested and refined in the real world over a decade or more, were thrown into the Auvik pot for consideration.

We borrowed what was good, we cut what we didn’t think would work for us, and we put our unique Auvik stamp on the whole thing. The result is the Auvik Way, a set of seven operational principles that guide us in our quest to make the best darn piece of networking software the world has ever seen.

These principles aren’t some fuzzy and meaningless mission statement. They aren’t empty platitudes.

The rules of the Auvik Way hang on our walls. Every single team member knows them by heart. They’re how we judge our successes and failures.

I share them with you now as a pledge of what you can expect from the Auvik team. Whether you become an employee, use our product, invest in us, or simply track our journey, they are our promises to you. This is the Auvik Way.

Wow our customers.

Create unexpected, but fantastic, experiences. Exceed expectations.

Be agile.

Fail fast, learn from mistakes, take smart risks. 3/4 is better than 1/1.

Commit.

Once you commit to something, it’s your responsibility.
(Create a ticket. Get the ticket done.)

Shit happens.

Honesty, transparency, ownership: It might not be our fault, but it’s our problem.

Honesty, transparency, ownership: It might not be our fault, but it’s our problem.

Kindergarten rules apply.

Share. Play fair. Show and tell. Don’t hit. Wash your hands. Don’t eat purple snow. Don’t back down from a double-dog dare.

No assholes.

’nuff said.

Awesome or bust.

Winner takes all. We’re building a great company that will deliver for our customers for years to come. Failure is not an option.