Micro Focus Reviews

Pros

Micro Focus has two businesses, the mainframe and the Borland businesses. The mainframe business brings a signifant amount of revenue and because of this, we've been able to reinvest in innovation. The business has a renewed focus on the Borland brand and has created a business unit to manage Borland. This part is exciting because previously the Borland products were a bit neglected. I am happy that we're pushing Borland forward and are making innovation a priority.

Cons

Previous mis-steps were a drag - it's getting better now but need to not repeat. Innovation was left in the past and there wasn't an interest in driving forward new technologies - now that the new exec team has made their changes, these cons don't really exist anymore. Obviously, like any other company, Micro Focus has it's share of issues but overall, compared to a year ago, the good outweighs the bad. Micro Focus, for it's customers, is big enough to matter yet small enough to care.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep a laser focus on people, customers, and vision.

Pros

Has a monopoly in their market
some long term people

Cons

Change CEO's every 18 months and then set sail in a different direction
Outdated products

Advice to Senior Management

Advice to the board - stop changing CEO's and stop being so worried about each quarters numbers. If you simply picked a direction and stuck with it you would be much further ahead

Pros

Management allowed development teams to work towards goals without too much interference.

Cons

Management at Microfocus should have stuck with mainframe, as they really have no clue about ALM. I sometimes wonder if they used a Ouija Board to determine what to acquire (and why), because they never seemed to have any coherent vision, or did they ever have the ability to execute properly on integrating the acquisitions from a sales or strategy perspective. There really seemed to be no vision behind the acquisitions of Borland and Compuware, and the Newbury crowd never figured out how to develop a vision that was in touch with reality.

I'm not sure what opportunity they are poised to leverage with the Borland tools. They are months and years behind most of their competitors due to decisions that management made derailing any potential for progress since June 2009. And sure, while they still have a core development team they've lost just anyone associated with them who had a clue (virtually everyone of consequence from a leadership perspective) over the past year -- from those they carelessly RIFFed to save money, to Product Managers, Product Owners, and the Chief Scientist who have bailed since then.

Chief villains: the CTO and the Executive Chairman. And they're still there, so abandon all hope.

Advice to Senior Management

Kevin Losemore: Maybe it's time to look at the real culprits, chief among them yourself and the CTO.

Pros

Some extremely talented people.
A small number of great products.
The market opportunity.

Cons

Totally screwed up sales model and the sales leadership has no clue how to fix it.
Too many geography, region and country models.
You do not get any impression of one company, is Newbury really the centre of the universe?
Can do acquisitions but have no clue about integration.
HR........

Advice to Senior Management

Do not pretend to listen get feedback then do nothing........

Pros

work-life balance opportunities are OK

Cons

most turbulent and unsettled workforce and management structure I've ever seen.....farcical

Advice to Senior Management

settle it down

Pros

Nice team members and collaboration in an Agile Environment

Cons

It seems management doesn't have a clear plan of where the company is heading. CEOs keep resigning as they seem to notice a big hole in a sinking ship.

Advice to Senior Management

On March 4 2011, Micro Focus has lost significant intellectual property as it laid off tens of IT professionals. Recovering such talent, I think will take years

Pros

Micro Focus provides a comfortable working enviornment but there is no culture. The pay and benefits are OK.

Cons

No clear direction or job security which makes some employees become too desperate to keep their jobs. Very clique'ish teams and managers.

Advice to Senior Management

Better training, listen and actually care. Allow others to grow without fear that they will one day take your position.

Pros

Decent work / life balance while your job lasts. The benefits aren't bad and if you have seniority you'll get a decent severance when they RIF you

Cons

No strategy, no sales execution, no commitment. This company had no idea why it wanted to be in automated software testing.

Advice to Senior Management

More focus on sales and sales support execution. You are in dire need of strategic and visionary leadership. Also, cut out the hollow praises. It all rings profoundly disingenuous when you RIF 80% of the location afterward.

Pros

work life balance, time off, telecommuting.

Cons

Massive layoffs, lack of growth opportunities

Advice to Senior Management

invest in the prodcuts

Pros

With a lot of people leaving it is a good place for advancement.
There are still some very talented people that have a lot to offer the industry.

Cons

Way too many broken processes.
Management is exhaustingly slow to make necessary changes.
There is absolutely nothing inovative going on here.

Advice to Senior Management

You need to invest time and money into your products and processes in order to be an effective competitor.