Organization Name: Igloo Software
Industry: Computers/Technology
Name of Contacts:
Dan Latendre, CEO
Andrew Dixon, SVP Sales & Marketing
Jessica Bruce, Sales Executive
Web References: facebook.com./igloo, linkedin.com/igloo, twitter.com/igloo, igloosoftware.com
Company Overview:
Igloo rose out of the tech hub in Kitchener Waterloo in 2008. A man by the name of Dan Latendre joined forces with a large tech genius, which most people know as the founder of BlackBerry, Jim Balsillie. They came together to create a software platform for CIGI in 2004. This software had such a strong impact internally at CIGI that Dan decided to branch out and create Igloo in 2008 and share his technology with the world. The company now employs over 100 people in the KW office and over 10,000 global collaboration sites in 80 countries with 2.4 million registered users.
We were born out of the Centre for International Governance Innovation. The name of the organization is as high minded as its goals. Igloo was born out of the desire to achieve something a little more down to earth: connect people in businesses, allow them to share information, and to work together more efficiently.
Igloo an Intranet Company:
Igloo’s software is based on the idea that connecting employees internally through an easy to use platform will not only allow more productivity, but also to allow for more internal collaboration. The software is based around a variety of apps such as blogs, file sharing, tasks, calendars, internal messaging and more. Employees using the platform are able to work directly with other employees via a cloud based sharing system of files and ideas.
Due to Igloo’s 100% cloud based offering, they are constantly taking client feedback and following industry trends to update their offering to stay on the cutting edge of technology. Their most current release titled “Viking” brought in a variety of new updates to the system. Mainly these updates focus on enhancements to their enterprise level file sharing capabilities, authentication methods and team workflows. Ensuring the company and software is always evolving to meet the fast paced world of technology is key in the success of this organization.
Internal Employee Engagement:
Not only does Igloo do a phenomenal job of bringing employee engagement to other companies through their software platform, but they also have a very strong internal employee engagement environment. Igloo strongly believes in “Dog Fooding” their technology. Igloo uses their software for all internal news, information sharing, project collaboration, and team resource sharing. By using their own platform in house it allows their employees to see first hand the experience they are delivering to their clients.
Igloo uses their social applications within their software for employees to voice their opinions, ideas, concerns etc. This promotes heavy online social collaboration between teams and across the organization as a whole. Because its an open social platform, it removes silos of information from being stuck in someones inbox and opens it up for broader visibility.
There are a variety of ways employees can engage with one another within Igloo. One way of doing this is done through posting a micro-blog update to the company or a specific group of users. This is a quick way to share links to interesting articles, videos or just your day to day thoughts. The company publishes more formal news updates through their blogging feature. This allows for employees to give their feedback or pose questions through the comment sections on the blog. As well as @mention individuals or teams to pull them into the conversation. Another way of giving feedback, proposing ideas or expressing issues is through Igloos social forums.
“Working at Igloo Software is great. The team is very welcoming and knowledgeable. Its a family like culture.”– Jessica Bruce
Igloo certainly believes in the work hard play hard mentality. The employees are known to put in the extra hours and go the extra mile to deliver on big projects. This type of hard work is counter balanced by a strong social environment in the office. Whether its daily Nerf Gun fights, beer Fridays, or internal competitions, this company definitely knows how to keep their employees engaged and having fun.
Technology companies have evolved into a whole new breed of workplace expectations. The offices now are infused with pops of color on the walls, areas for recreation activities like foosball or ping pong, and daily deliveries of snacks and beverages on the company dime. Employees looking to enter a tech company not only look for a solid career move, but also a good work life balance. They are taking the idea of internal employee engagement to an entirely new level and most of the time this level is the level of fun! Flex hours and mid day nerf gun fights allow employees to come into work excited to start the day and see what new fun activities are around the corner.
Simply checking out Igloos social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn show future possible employees a glimpse into the fun filled world that Igloo has created for its employees.
Submitted By: Michelle Gardiner
To contact the author of this entry please email at: michelle.gardiner1@gmail.com
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