DataCert Reviews

Pros

I currently work at DataCert and have found it to be the best place I have ever worked. It is a fast growing, fast moving company that puts a premium on hard work, inventiveness and team work. Over the past 2 years DataCert has professionalized its work force and created a focus on the things every company should (growing positive earnings, training and career growth for employees, . . .) in addition to continuing its sales success -- DataCert grew more in 2008 than many of its competitors had grown in the past 5 years combined, and based on the deals I've heard about this year, 2009 is going to be event better than 2008.

I feel valued as an employee at DataCert, that my input is heard by top management, and that the company senior leadership has a good plan to continue to succeed.

Cons

Because DataCert is rolling out to 6 global customers this year, we have to develop products to comply with foreign laws, and that is challenging, to say the least. Also, helping implement a new internal ERP system is not the funnest part of my job (but should help in the future).

Advice to Senior Management

Please continue to maintain consistency in your vision and communication to employees.

Pros

Growing company with lots of room to move up.

Cons

Long hours, and unstructured. No work balance.

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate more with staff. Seems like a lot is happening secretley, and behind people's back.

Pros

- New management team is very focused on customer satisfaction
- Market-driven approach to product development
- Lots of opportunity for individuals to really impact the company's success and be recognized for their contributions
- Company now has solid and focused strategic plan for growth, thanks to new management team
- Very talented, hard-working colleagues
- Customer base to die for
- Company doing very well financially, even with difficult economic climate

Cons

- Location: Houston weather leaves a lot to be desired and commute to inner loop location is challenging
- Benefits could be better
- "Always on" culture

Advice to Senior Management

- Continue to stay focused on current strategic plans, which have great potential for success, and don't get distracted by side projects, just because they might be easy wins.

Pros

DataCert is a place where motivated, self-starters can thrive – there are always new projects on the horizon and I enjoy a lot of independence in how I manage my projects to completion, which I really appreciate. And, coming from a past job where I was 1 out of 200,000+ employees, it’s really cool that at a company like DataCert you can really see and feel how your personal contributions directly impact the company’s success and future.

Since joining DataCert about a year and a half ago, it’s been amazing to see the change that implementing a disciplined approach to product management/development has brought. Were there growing pains as the company culture changed? Sure. But we now have a top-notch Product Management team that is passionate about a market-driven approach to enhancing our products and has worked to foster strong communication with DataCert customers - both corporate clients and law firms. It’s exciting to see how, in partnership with our Development team, this approach has enabled us to deliver product enhancements over the past few months that differentiate us in the marketplace. Personally, I’m excited when I look at our product and our company’s roadmap for 2010 and beyond.

Cons

The workload can be challenging… over the past few months we’ve had a lot of exciting product enhancements and opportunities to educate the market about globalization of e-billing and supporting these projects has kept me probably busier than I have ever been at a job. However, my managers have been responsive when I’ve vocalized that my work/life balance is feeling “off” and they’ve helped me to re-prioritize.

Advice to Senior Management

You’ve got an exciting vision for the future of DataCert and it’s fun to be a part of beginning to execute these plans. Keep leading us in this positive direction and support us when we need additional resources on our team to help us get there.

Pros

DataCert has grown exponentially in the last year in its client base and law firm connections, and in order to adapt, it has had to become more of a professional and mature company with structured systems in place, rather than continue to operate as a small start-up company like it used to. It has become a very exciting place to work, with the company's vision and future openly communicated to all employees, and very much aligned with their customers' wants and needs. Management displays a clear open door policy and is great with receiving feedback from all employees. They are also good with recognizing talent in employees and giving larger and more challenging projects to keep the employees engaged. DataCert encourages continued learning to help with their success not only at DataCert, but in their overall career goals, which is something you don't see often in a lot of companies. Unsure as to the reasons for the more negative reviews below, as DataCert has been an overall positive working experience for myself.

Cons

The office has a weird set up that doesn't really encourage a lot of employee interaction, but it's more of a building issue.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't stray from your vision and keep the communication lines open between yourselves and the employees. Continue planning events that help with employee morale and team building.

Pros

Even though the majority of the people who were great to work for and with have left the company, there are still a couple of people there who are great to work with. Its a good place to learn customer service skills since you'll be dealing with few top Fortune 500 clients. Very strong client facing team which is responsible for the market status that DataCert enjoys.

Cons

The software is old, buggy, unmaintainable, low performing and not scalable. 90% of the domain experts have either left the company or have been laid off. The founder and CEO was ousted by the new CEO by making a few logistical changes and making false promises to the board. The company has not been the same since. The new CEO has no idea on how to run the company . He has made false promises to both employees and clients. The company has not made a sale in the last year. Many reference-able clients have fired DataCert for all the vaporware they were sold. The company has outsourced its core and new technologies instead of giving it to their local development team to cut costs and the quality of the product keeps hitting new lows.
   Law firms are overcharged and since they are unwillingly forced by DataCert clients to use the software. Law firms aren't provided with any value added services but the prices just keep on increasing.
  DataCert isn't the innovator and market leader it used to be. The nonexistent sales team and the lackluster senior management may just bring down DataCert. The new CEO doesn't care for the company except for selling a fractured company to the next unsuspecting investor.

Advice to Senior Management

Get back to basics. The domain experts that helped build the company should be invited back and the new CEO should be replaced. Provide better solutions for law firms and improve the product quality of existing products.

Pros

1. The company is open to change
2. Opinions are valued when they are given in good faith
3. There is transparency around financial results and employees have pride in recent turnaround
4. You get to work with impressive clients and smart employees

Cons

1. Houston sucks
2. Management change was disruptive but it seems to have leveled off
3. Too many cubicles and not enough offices
4. Hours can be very long

Advice to Senior Management

Force different groups to work together more instead of keeping them segregated and engaged in power struggles.

Pros

DataCert's client base and target market are top tier. Calling on F500 law departments is great experience.

Cons

The company has lost it's leadership position in the market and has been unable to deliver any real advances or innovation in it's software for several years. It's ability to help customers resolve issues and achieve the promises made during the sale is marginal at best. The acquisition of CorpraSoft was a huge distraction and many believe a mistake. It's competitors continue to encroach on DataCert's core ebilling capabilities. Many customers have simply given up and have either left for another vendor or plan to do so. Growth in new customers has slowed to a trickle and new business is primarily coming from sales to existing customers - hardly a basis for long term career or company success. The executive management team and sales leadership especially is very weak. Many of the people leading product strategy have little to no experience in the core market DataCert serves and are disconnected from it. This is not a place to work if you expect a vibrant, successful career experience.

Advice to Senior Management

Trim the non-performing executive level and VP overhead - these are the people that have failed to deliver results over the last two years. Figure out if the company has the capability to grow as an independent force and leader in the market and if so, hire people that can actually get the right product built and market it effectively. If that's just not possible, and it clearly has not been for the last several years, do the right thing for your shareholders and customers - cut expenses and headcount to the bone, package the company up and sell it.

Pros

DataCert has an all-star customer list, and has made some real financial impact on many of them. They were an early mover in their niche space, and have a revenue model that really should make it possible for customers to remain customers over the long haul. There is still a lot of potential good in the business model.

Cons

Things really began to fall apart for DataCert on the path to act ‘big company’. There have been some radical changes in management – courtesy of a board coup and new CEO –that did very little good for the corporate culture. Virtually all of the industry experts have left the organization, and the culture has shifted from entrepreneurial to something very politically driven.

Advice to Senior Management

DataCert has a great potential to generate revenues, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense as a stand-alone entity any longer. It really ought to be an operating division of a larger parent, one that has already figured out how to be a ‘big company’ and has the appropriate infrastructure in place. Management should really set their sights on finding the right acquirer.

Pros

If you do a good job you are able to work independently and free from too much micromanagement; particularly when management is too self-absorbed to pay attention to what the employees are doing anyway.

Cons

I had great hopes for Datacert at first. Very strange interview process, but it was fun in a way. Don't expect a professional interview or work environment.

The CEO was pushed out by the Board and they brought in a new guy to turn the company around. The new CEO is an engineer, and has no experience in this industry, so the business went from sales-driven to fear-driven after cutting nearly half of Datacert's workforce. All the competent salesmen left for greener pastures, leaving only the incompetent to help sell the outdated software and appease the pissed off clients. They haven't had a new product in over two years now and customers are leaving left and right. If you're not great at what you do, then this is the place for you. For those of you with self-respect, look elsewhere.

Advice to Senior Management

You are doing just fine if your goal is to run Datacert into the ground.