Sonus Networks Reviews

Pros

Good environment, flexible schedule, great domain and products

Cons

Lack of training
Lot of contractors

Advice to Senior Management

Reduce the number of contractors and take permanent employees

Pros

good work culture, flexible work hours

Cons

there are a lot of gaps between engineering and sales teams. New products are built by R&D. Sales team are ignorant about the new products right from the beginning of the product life cycle. Ultimately the products are scrapped as the sales team could not market them at all at the end. These communication gaps between sales and engineering have resulted in the closure of several products based on the cutting edge technology. Not the right place if you are looking for career growth.

Advice to Senior Management

We need to understand the business models of some competitors who are small players in the cutting edge technology yet capable of selling their products. We need to change our business model in order to see positive output from whatever work small or big that we do.

Pros

There was lots of opportunities to expand knowledge and skills.

Cons

Very few opportunities for upward mobility.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide more opportunities for people to grow in the company.

Pros

Sonus' story is a tail of two companies. I worked there for a number of years, trough good times and bad times, and at first it was a wonderful place to work. The management had a clear vision and everyone pulled together in the same direction. Even through industry down-turns and accounting debacles, the "can do" attitude of the employees never changed...until (see Cons)...

Cons

Eventually, Sonus did change. First the BOD brought in several people in Sr. management (specifically a COO and a VP of Eng.) that were only interested in lining their own pockets and building kingdoms. Then they compounded the issues by bring in a slash and burn CEO who ousted most of the experienced, senior people (granted higher pay) and replaced them with engineers in Bangalore. While I understand the effort to lower costs and I'm sure they hired some good people in India, the entire escapade was handled badly, resulting in a huge loss of expertise and the poorest moral in the industry.

Advice to Senior Management

I have high hopes for Mr. Dolan. I still have friends that work at Sonus and the indications are that he has the right attitude, but actions will speak louder than words. One encouraging sign was the speed with which he got rid of the COO, who was a yes-man crony of the previous CEO and universally disliked by the employees.

My advice...Be careful where you invest in R&D (lots of wasted money there over the years) and get rid of the other deadwood in Sr. Management (lots of waste there as well). Don't be scared to talk to the employees...not the management...the employees. I'm not sure how many are there that will still speak there mind, but they have a bird's eye view of what's wrong. It will be up to you to fix it.

Pros

Very good exposure to new technology and techniques.
Good opportunities and ample time given to learn & experiment in the relevant modules.
Not much interference from management in daily execution of work.
Senior folks (Technical leads, managers, directors) are technically very competent & willing to share their knowledge.
Willing to pay good money to hire new folks.

Free evening snacks & month end company sponsored lunches are a bonus.

Cons

Compensation is not uniform , folks with similar experience have a difference of 20-30% in annual salary.

Too many changes in higher management confuses me as an employee but does not have much effect on my work as such.

Advice to Senior Management

Work on the Cons section.

Pros

When I joined Sonus in 2005, I was the best decision I made. The company was having issues with SEC filings. However the engineers were top-notch. The technology was simulating. And managers were considerate. I learnt a lot from co-workers, and was able to have great work-life balance. I was given raises according to my performance, and never thought of leaving the place.

Cons

Come the recession of 2009, and the things went downhill very fast. The leadership changed, and outsourcing began in full swing. While I am not against the idea of finding the best talent in the world for the corporation, I was perplexed by the way the management got rid of old-timers. The SEC filing woes continued, and so did the rumors of takeover. I had bid the place farewell, although I am still in touch with the great people I met there.

Advice to Senior Management

The devil is in the details. If you get rid of the talented engineers who know the system, you cannot build the great product. Having warm bodies is not a way the industry leaders think about. It's too late to evaluate your strategy now. I hope next time you think more than your stock options.

Pros

Money is better than most shops. Easy commute.

Cons

It's an Indian company. At the Freehold location, we had a husband and wife tag team managers, which in any industry is a major no-no, and yes, they too, were Indian. The last layoff, everyone was either Indian or Chinese while the Indians got a free pass. If you want, you can learn, but not cutting edge technology. When it comes time to look for a job, you'll quickly find that the skills you picked up aren't marketable.

Advice to Senior Management

It's too late. Sell the company. You should have focused on quality, but you gutted engineering.

Pros

Has upside potential with stock options, if acquired as the market picks up.

Cons

Lack of managerial vision has created an unpleasant work environment.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on products that are sellable.

Pros

The pay is decent. The working hours are not too crazy. Flexible working hours.

Cons

The company is directionless. There is absolutely no leadship here.

Advice to Senior Management

Need to find a new direction for the company quickly.

Pros

good company, promotions available for driven people.

Cons

computers are locked and monitored so nothing private can be done

Advice to Senior Management

layoff methodology is bad for morale, to lay off people every month rather than just one big chunk and be done with it