In Good Company

I am interning as a software engineer for Stratus Solutions. Like with Jepson, even though I am a part of Stratus Solutions, I struggle to explain what they actually do. From my understanding, they provide cloud technology and infrastructure to various clients, public and private sector. This cloud infrastructure enables clients to efficiently operate without needing to fully understand how the cloud system works. “Cloud” simply means it happens over the internet, without the client needing to own any fancy computers.

Stratus Solutions was founded in 2008 and has grown to include 90 employees. At the beginning of 2019, the company was acquired by Applied Insight. During this acquisition, many senior members of Stratus Solutions ascended to management of Applied Insight. Applied Insight also works with cloud computing, and while the companies are still distinct, often both companies work on the same project because of the overlap.

Since Coronavirus, Stratus Solutions operates mostly remotely. Some projects are Top Secret, which means people must be physically at the headquarters to securely work on them. Communication thus takes place electronically through our company app. Meetings are all conducted through it, and it’s very useful to ask anyone a quick question. Even the CEO is always available to chat (or so I’m told).

Weekly yoga and exercise classes are held on the app by people from HR. I haven’t been to any of them yet (they are at 7am), but they seem to be popular. The company is invested in community and wants people to feel connected even during the coronavirus. In addition, there are many different message boards where people casually talk about their weekends and their home office set ups. People are extremely supportive of each other.

The most amusing part of the company is their use of a rewards platform called Bonus.ly. Every month, we get $20 (referred to as points) to give out as recognition or kudos to anyone in the company. The app invites you to include a Gif in your publicly displayed message. At the end of the month, you can cash out your points for gift cards to various organizations, donations to worthy causes (they recently added the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU), or even cash. It’s pretty funny seeing grown adults sending each other Office gifs, but it just goes to show how relaxed and community oriented the company is.

Overall, the company has created a very inclusive and welcoming environment. I feel like I am a real part of the company, and I am excited f0r coronavirus to end so I can actually interact with these people in person.