Reflecting on My Transformative First Year at Itential

Before beginning my Itential career as a graphic designer in November of 2020, I was a designer working as a contractor for the federal government. Up until that point in my career, my work consisted primarily of print and user interface design — there was little to no marketing to be done. Prior to that, my education and work experience centered solely on artistic design.

At the time of my hire, I couldn’t even tell you what a network was, let alone explain the need for network automation, and definitely not the nuances that make the Itential Automation Platform the leader in network and cloud automation technology. The jump from a government 9-5 to the tech industry was daunting, but I was up for the challenge. The growth and transformation I experienced over the past year started immediately and was made possible because of the people on my team, the formal learning opportunities I was provided, and the encouragement and freedom I was given to apply my new knowledge and skillsets.

This experience is what truly makes Itential a unique company with an incredible culture. I’d like to share a bit more about each of those things.

The People of Itential aka Itentialites

Itential is full of some of the smartest people I’ve ever come across who make a point to share their wealth of knowledge with anyone interested in this fascinating new tech landscape. My first few months provided me with an intense education experience. The crash-course I received gave me answers to everything from, “What is the network and automation?”  to “Why is compliance crucial and our product so important?”  I learned about our customers, their needs, their personas, and how to use my talents as a visual creator to speak to them directly. Each person I worked with was eager to share their expertise, and answer all my questions, regardless of how small or simple they seemed.

One of the most unique things about this learning experience was the fact that I wasn’t just getting insights from my own marketing team, but Itentialites across the organization ranging from product to professional services to the CTO himself, and even our wonderful group of women through the ItentiaLadies organization. The support and freedom to be curious allowed me to understand the role of my job well and represent Itential in a visually accurate way that clearly conveyed our value proposition.

The Value of Formal Learning Opportunities

After settling into my day-to-day tasks, I decided it was time to take on more challenges. At Itential, every Itentialite is given the freedom to drive their own career and I was ready to take control of mine. Since my first day, I have never felt reduced to a list of items on my job description. If I am drawn to a new area of my role that I feel would add value, then I am highly  encouraged to explore it. So, when I expressed interest in delving into the world of animation and video production, I was almost immediately given access to the online courses I needed to gain the skills necessary to master this new area of design that I knew would provide incredible value to both my personal résumé and Itential’s brand and storytelling. Through these courses, I was able to learn how to animate many new digital mediums such as marketing email headers, social media posts, and create engaging advertisements that would ensure our product ended up in front of those who would benefit from it most. I also expanded to edit audio and video for our live webinars and virtual events. And it doesn’t stop there as I continue to take advantage of these resources to acquire new skills for even more future projects. Next, I can’t wait to tackle more of our product demo videos.

Applying My New Knowledge & Skillset

In the last year, my new-found skills in animation and video production have allowed me to present our product in a visually engaging way that makes it easy for an engineer to understand the immediate value it can bring. As a marketing team, we ramped up animation and video production across our social channels, email communications, and assets on our website.

Just last month, I combined my skills to create a new demo of Itential’s Configuration Manager using animation and professional audio recordings. Because of these changes, we saw a 62.75% increase in unique pageviews in that month, compared to the previous. Seeing the direct correlation between my work and the business driving outcomes we have experienced this year is fulfilling in a way that makes me excited to come to work each day. In some (if not most) large companies, it’s easy to become a cog in the machine but at Itential, we never feel that way. We are encouraged to truly own our role, and to strive to add value wherever we see fit, regardless of our job title or tenure.

Reflecting over my first year, what made my transformation possible was the opportunity to accelerate my potential through Itential’s culture of learning. Our commitment to development through coaching, along with formal and on-the-job training, continues to support my growth.  I can honestly say that not a day goes by that I don’t learn something new, and I cannot wait to see what year two will hold for me, my team and my company.

If this sounds like the kind of culture you’d like to be a part of, check out our careers page to see all of Itential’s current job openings and find the right fit for you.