A Global Team Deltek Perspective: Supporting Deltek's Cloud Operations Around the World

As part of the #TeamDeltek spotlight, we interviewed three members of Deltek’s Global Cloud team to better understand what it’s like working with this innovative, fast-paced, and growing organization.

To provide a global perspective, we chatted (virtually!) with Scott Wilburn, a Senior Director of Cloud Engineering in Herndon, Virginia; Dan Jarvis, a Director of Cloud Operations in Haute-Alpes, France; and Amir Joven, a Cloud Operations Manager, in Makati, Philippines. Each shared what it’s like supporting Deltek Project Nation around the world.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to talk to us about Deltek’s Global Cloud team. To get things started, can you tell us a little bit about your background and what brought you to Deltek?

Scott: I joined Deltek 14 years ago as Director of Operations at our U.S. headquarters in Herndon, Virginia. I was seeking out a more challenging role in a larger company, and I chose Deltek for several reasons, specifically the nature of the position, the challenges it presented, and most importantly, the people I would be working with. I’m so glad I decided to come here; not only have my responsibilities changed quite a bit over the years (across the engineering discipline), I have been truly fortunate to work with some incredible people throughout the years.

As Senior Director of Cloud Engineering, my teams and I represent multiple roles and responsibilities for product development and product deployment. We are uniquely positioned between these critically principal functions and are hyper-focused on transforming how we develop, deliver, and support Deltek products across Deltek Global Cloud by leveraging DevSecOps practices. 

Dan: I am a Cloud Operations Director responsible for the Professional Services SaaS application delivery for Deltek Vantagepoint, Vision, Maconomy and Ajera products. I am located in Europe and work remotely from the Haute-Alpes, France.

I initially started with Maconomy in 2008 as a technical consultant working out of the UK office. Then, when Deltek acquired Maconomy in 2010, I had the opportunity to work with some of the other Deltek products, with new customers and also to take on a project management role. In 2015, I saw a job opening in Deltek Cloud Operations for someone to lead the setup of a team to offer Maconomy as SaaS to our Enterprise customers. Since then, both my team and the cloud group has grown and changed significantly to support the ever-increasing number of customers implementing Deltek’s SaaS offerings. It’s very clear that there is more to come, and that makes for exciting times.

Amir: I’m from the Philippines and am one of the managers of the Global Cloud organization and lead the Cloud Infrastructure Delivery team in Makati. Prior to Deltek, Software Engineering had been where I focused the majority of my career. Over time I was introduced to the cloud and the technology behind it. I was fascinated with how powerful this new, modern and elegant approach of putting up infrastructure could be and how it resulted in a faster time to market.

In 2016, that experience brought me to Deltek as a Cloud Operations Manager. A recruiter called me up and said, “We have an opening in our cloud organization. Would you be interested?” I was beyond excited and replied, “Yes, would it be possible to start now?”

Sounds like you’ve really been able to grow and develop your careers at Deltek. What do you like best about being part of this fast-paced cloud organization?

Scott: What I enjoy most is the direct impact my team and I have on improving how Deltek delivers software and services faster in the cloud ─ integrating quality gates along the way and making software updates across our global cloud a much easier operation. Another incredibly exciting thing I have enjoyed about being part of this organization is working with the emerging cloud technologies. Deltek continues to leverage these technologies as we innovate our products and services and increase our competitive advantage.   

Dan: Deltek’s SaaS customer base continues to grow. To best support this growth, the Global Cloud team is continuously evolving the way we are structured, including our processes and the technology we use. Of course, there are challenges that come with change, and they can be tough at times, but we have a skilled team with focused leadership, which makes it really enjoyable!

Amir: It’s the challenges that I like best about being part of Deltek’s Cloud Infrastructure Delivery team. Almost every day, we face different types of problems to solve. I’m not saying that it’s easy, but through these experiences, I am able to learn and grow. I also like having a hand in delivering the next generation of cloud infrastructure!

That is exciting ─ especially with more and more companies moving their business operations to the cloud. With Deltek’s recent shift to company-wide remote work what has the biggest challenge been for you and the team?

Scott: The recent shift to a virtual workforce has been a relatively easy transition since we are all enabled to work remotely. For many, eliminating the time and cost spent communizing to and from Deltek has actually had a positive impact, providing employees more time with families and doing the things they enjoy outside of work. Before the pandemic, you would have found me in the Herndon office every day. But having operated in a 100% remote capacity, it’s hard to imagine working in an office setting 5-days a week in a post-COVID era.  

The current environment does, however, present a few challenges with work-life balance. I know many are struggling to disconnect from work at the end of the day when there is no clear physical separation. And while being 100% virtual is effective, it does require us all to work in new and different ways.

Dan: I was really impressed with how quickly the entire company switched to remote working and how well our business-as-usual activities have continued. This is a testament to Deltek's IT team and also how well everyone quickly adapted to a new normal.

I think the lack of true face-to-face with colleagues is probably the biggest challenge for the teams. There’s a great vibe to our Deltek offices, especially the Makati office where a lot of the Cloud team is based, so missing out on seeing everyone is difficult. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing my colleagues in person again soon and especially those who I’ve only ever met via video conference!

Amir: In the Philippines, one of the major challenges with remote work has been with internet connectivity, but luckily there are workarounds. While it has been a relatively easy adjustment, the most challenging part of shifting to 100% remote work is that our team is not able to meet face-to-face. I have several new hires who I haven’t met in person yet, so getting together would be great! Of course, we have tools such as Zoom, but for me, I like to meet with my team in person, hopefully, we will get back to that in 2021.

Learning to adapt is critical during these times. Despite the many challenges around us, the Cloud team continues to be one of the fastest-growing organizations at Deltek. Can you share why you think that is?

Scott: The Global Cloud team has a lot of new faces across the organization and there are a few reasons for this growth ─ including key investments in critical areas such as Security, DevSecOps, and Cloud Architecture that will support Global Cloud for many years to come.   

Many companies have increased their cloud-based services due to the COVID-19 pandemic and because of this we have seen an acceleration of customers taking a look at what Deltek Cloud has to offer. This influx has required additional investments in teams to support growth.

Dan: I believe this growth is mostly to support increased sales within the general climate of businesses wanting to move to SaaS suppliers for services. Our customers see that Deltek provides great cloud products that offer reliability and security with predictable costs and are realizing that by moving to the cloud, they’ll reduce their overall IT administration.

Amir: Our team continues to grow so that we can support our growing number of customers. Even during the pandemic, we continue to onboard new customers who need to move their business operations to the cloud.

We are also in the process of bringing our Cloud Infrastructure to the next level. There are several new technologies that we are implementing, and that’s one factor why we are growing.

Having the resources to support these needs will be key. Speaking of expanding teams, what do you tell potential candidates who are looking for a career in cloud operations? And why should they come work for Deltek?

Scott: Working in any role across the Global Cloud team offers many incredible opportunities for candidates interested in joining Deltek. In addition to growing their career, it’s the ability to work with emerging cloud technologies and modern cloud tools. Deltek is always seeking ways to improve how we deliver and support Deltek Cloud services and how we design, develop and secure them.

Dan: Interviewing candidates is something I really enjoy. As part of the process I always convey the fact that Deltek is made up of great people and supportive teams; that it’s a friendly and forward-looking company. Also, like with many jobs, the work at times can be hard, but in the end, it is always rewarding.

Amir: It is simple - If you want to experience delivering the best-in-class cloud services, come join us! 

Being part of a team that has such an impact on our business is certainly enticing. When you are not focused on supporting Deltek’s Global Cloud needs, how do you spend your free time?

Scott: During my free time, you will almost always find me outside with our kids ─ our daughter Avery is seven and our son Gavin is three. Unless it is raining, you will probably find us working in the garden, hiking in the woods, or riding around getting fresh air. After the kids go down, I enjoy tinkering around on different projects ─ like replacing computer components, recording some music, or flying a flight simulator. Sometimes, I just get bored and might rearrange my home office for the eighth time in 2020.

Dan: My wife and I adore the mountains and outdoor life. Two years ago we moved from the UK to France, and now I now work and live in the Écrins National Park in the French Alps. There are wall-to-wall mountains around us and we have hundreds of kilometers of trails right on our doorstep. My favorite pastime is probably snowboarding and we’re very close to a number of ski resorts, the prospect of being able to get out on my snowboard soon is wonderful.

Much of my spare time is spent with our young family, my daughter Eva is three and my son Louis is ten months. We walk in the forests and trails at least once daily and swim in the nearby Serre-Ponçon Lake in the summer. We are also working slowly on our garden, where we recently planted 1000 spring and summer bulbs that should hopefully look amazing next year.

Amir: I am really into music and enjoy playing the guitar. I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m good at it, but music truly is my passion ─ it just makes me feel good. About 12 years ago, I was in an underground band called Featherbrained. Although the band is no longer together, I still hang out with my old bandmates from time to time to jam. There are also times that I play music with my 18-year old daughter Iris, but she isn’t really into her dad’s rock or heavy metal music ─ she much rather play pop!

I also enjoy spending time with my 17-year old son Christopher when he’s not busy. Like me, my kids are currently at home learning virtually with their classmates. However, when we have free time together, we play good old Nintendo Wii.

You all seem to have such varied interests, that’s wonderful. When it comes to Deltek’s workplace culture, what is it that you like the most?

Scott: This is an easy question, and by far the one thing that has remained the most consistent throughout my 14 years with Deltek. Hands down, it is the commitment that #TeamDeltek has to its coworkers, partners and of course, our Deltek customers.  

Dan: There are so many things to like about Deltek’s culture, but I particularly appreciate the great family atmosphere that resonates throughout the company. Colleagues often go the extra mile to help each other and collectively find solutions. In addition, I really appreciate the company’s positive approach to Diversity & Inclusion, it makes me proud to work for a company like Deltek.

Amir: There are a lot of good things to say about Deltek’s culture, but I would have to say that the people we work with are the best part ─ they care about each other and how they contribute to the success of the organization. I also appreciate Deltek’s leadership team and how visible they are. Their commitment really shows, seeing them participating in webinars and discussing the things that matter most to our global organization.

Deltek’s culture definitely makes this a great place to work. To wrap things up, we like to ask all our #TeamDeltek interviewees this: Of Deltek’s ten company values, which one resonates most with you and why? 

Scott: While many of Deltek’s core values resonate with me both personally and professionally, the one value which I always find myself focused on living by in my day-to-day is Speed. Professionally speaking, being part of a start-up culture for a significant portion of my career, it is critical to be adaptive and agile and not get bogged down by process and ill-fitting tools and technologies.   

Dan: If I had to pick just one of Deltek’s values I think it would be Collaboration. It is an essential part of everything we do at Deltek and plays an integral role in many of the other values that help ensure our company’s success. I also feel that integrity is absolutely key and it’s always a focus for me; along with that quality comes the trust and dependability that colleagues and customers deserve.

Amir: When it comes to Deltek’s core values, there are several that really resonate with me, including Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion, Learning & Development. At Deltek, we focus on all three of these things all the time, and it is what makes our culture great. Our employees also strive to demonstrate integrity, transparency, accountability and everything those stand for ─ which is why it all comes back to having the right people.

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