Business at OpenSky is booming — as in a sonic boom.
At a time when many companies are facing cutbacks and financial uncertainty, the Tolland-based consulting services firm is experiencing dramatic growth and earning a laundry list of accolades along the way.
OpenSky provides information technology expertise to help global organizations reduce IT costs, protect information assets and accelerate the adoption of strategic technologies. Its expertise spans infrastructure; IT risk management and security; governance, risk and compliance; and technical business consulting.
The firm has posted a meteoric 18,221 percent growth since opening in 2007 — evolving from a small start-up run out of its founders’ basements to a company boasting 78 full-time employees, an extensive network of independent consultants, and 2010 revenues of more than $15 million.
“We are distinguished from others by our extensive technology expertise combined with deep industry experience,” said Roger Levasseur, president and CEO. “Our consultants have an average of 12 years of experience in information technology in industries ranging from healthcare to education.”
A key differentiator for OpenSky is that it doesn’t sell hardware or software, allowing it to provide objective solutions for its clients without the pressure to push specific companies and products.
In the past four years, the firm has delivered on more than 175 successful projects to numerous Fortune 500 clients, including:
• A three-year business investment security strategy that justified a significant increase in the corporate security budget for a Fortune 100 insurance company;
• The design, implementation and project management of a nationwide wireless network deployment for a national education provider;
• A network design and implementation for a new data center for a healthcare ASP; and
• Information discovery, documentation and process reviews, and remediation solutions for a global financial software provider.
The Connecticut Tech Council and Marcum LLP recently named OpenSky the fastest-growing tech company in the state. Also, Computer Reseller News placed the firm seventh on its 2011 Fast Growth 100 companies list.
“OpenSky’s results in our program were incredibly impressive,” said Matthew Nemerson, Connecticut Tech Council president and CEO, in a statement announcing the award. “We strive to recognize the achievements of technology companies in the state, and OpenSky’s standout growth demonstrates that they’re contributing significantly to the Connecticut tech landscape by generating revenue, creating jobs and demonstrating that companies can thrive here.”
Making the OpenSky story all the more impressive is that despite the fact that IT hiring is up across the country, tech jobs in the state have lagged behind with most of the new hires being lower salary, entry-level positions filled by recent college grads.
“Young professionals stopped going after IT careers because there were no jobs,” Levasseur said, attributing this to 2000’s tech bubble burst. “Fast forward to 2011 and we lost more than a decade of talented people entering into the field.”
Levasseur emphasized his company’s dedication to turning that trend around in the state — music to the ears of the states’ out-of-work IT professionals.
“Connecticut is our home turf,” he said. “We have a large concentration of customers in the state and we plan to hire aggressively in Connecticut for the remainder of this year and throughout 2012.”
“OpenSky is in the business of selling high quality professional services and that is only possible through the efforts of high quality people,” said Brian Molinari, national practice lead, Infrastructure Services. “OpenSky has a culture of continuous self-improvement that is pervasive throughout the organization.”
“Managers provide continual feedback to all employees and are committed to maintaining an environment that fosters professional development for all employees. The culture of the company allows for managers to reward employees on the spot, to reinforce high quality and high performance.”
Some of those rewards include: a compensation philosophy that rewards people for their own individual contributions and the overall success of OpenSky; constant outreach to employees; quarterly functions that inform employees of the firm’s progress as well as to provide an opportunity to have some fun and bond as a team; and “Night on the Town” spot bonuses recognizing extraordinary efforts.
OpenSky is actively expanding its presence, recently adding one of two planned California offices to the headquarters in Tolland and several locations across the U.S.
“Our growth strategy is to be opportunistic, whether it be a new services offering within a practice, a completely new practice, or a new geography, we evaluate the pros and cons, if we decide it is a go, we put all of our energy behind it,” Levasseur said. “So far, it has worked out for the best.”
Levasseur is optimistic about Connecticut’s IT future.
“IT technologies will continue to evolve, and the way businesses consume and manage those technologies will likely experience significant change as well,” he said. “What won’t change, however, is the need for qualified individuals to help businesses understand how to piece together technology strategies to best support business processes.”
“If the state, educational institutions and businesses can figure out how to make young professionals aware of the opportunities, provide them with incentives to get into the field and then to stay in Connecticut, the future of IT should be bright.”
