Oktana Paraguay is Certified as a Great Place to Work®

We are privileged to announce that Oktana Paraguay has been certified as a Great Place to Work® with a score of 93/100. 

Congratulations, team, for all the effort you’ve put into creating a happy and inspiring work environment! 

Oktana Paraguay is Certified as a Great Place to Work

Founded in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 2018 we opened a second office in Asunción, Paraguay. We have since expanded into other countries including Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and the U.S. – many of the lessons that enable us to successfully grow have been learned as we continue to mature in Paraguay. We are so proud!

Great Place to Work® certification is the most definitive ‘Employer-of-Choice’ recognition organizations aspireto achieve, considered the‘Gold Standard’ in identifying and recognizing great workplace culture. More than 12 million surveys are completed each year across 10,000+ organizations in 60+ countries. 

 

The survey investigates three employee relationships with:

  1. The leaders of the organization
  2. Their work
  3. Their colleagues

 

These relationships translate into five dimensions: Credibility, justice, respect, pride, and camaraderie.

Next steps: We’ll review all survey feedback to identify action items to continue to improve the Oktana experience across all offices. We will also adjust our internal survey, sent twice annually, to include aspects of this survey.

Be part of the team! See our latest Oktana Paraguay job openings for developers, testers, business analysts, and designers in Asunción, Paraguay.

 

Oktana is Growing: 200 Developers

  • The first half of 2019 has been a period defined by growth and expansion for Oktana.

200 Developers

We are thrilled to report we’ve officially reached a headcount of over 200 developers, testers and designers worldwide. As our family grows, our available skills grow which is exciting for all of our partners.

Introducing, Paraguay

Our company was founded in Montevideo, Uruguay. Like any technology company, we’re always on the hunt for great talent, encouraging our team to learn new skills to provide additional value to our partners. With that in mind, we expanded into neighboring Paraguay in late 2018, opening an office in the capital, Asunción. Over the past six months, we’ve been able to bring on new team members in Paraguay in a wide variety of roles. The team has become an essential part of the Oktana family.

Why Paraguay? The population is young and entrepreneurial. There has been increased investment by the government in science and technology and several accelerators and other programs have launched to help fuel entrepreneurship. For us, this is the right environment to find developers eager to work on big projects and expand their knowledge.

 

Asunción, Paraguay

Fun Facts about Paraguay

  • Population: 7,000,000+
  • Slightly smaller than the state of California
  • Literacy rate is 94% (vs. 86% in the United States)
  • World’s fourth-largest exporter of electricity
  • Host of Guinness Book of World Records world’s largest barbecue, attended by approximately 30,000 people

Next Stop: Peru

With offices in New York, San Francisco, Montevideo, and now Asunción, where are we headed next? After the successful expansion into Asunción, we looked for other cities to grow into and found Lima. So, we’re excited to announce our office in Lima, Peru is open and ready for business.

Why Peru? The capital, Lima, has a population of over nine million people, making it one of the largest cities in South America. Because the majority of our customers are based in the United States, it’s important for us to ensure our team schedules align with US timezones and work hours to enable collaboration. Like Paraguay, Peru’s workday naturally overlaps with the US workday. Peru is a growing and stable country, so we’re confident it’s a place we will be able to continue to grow.

 

Lima, Peru

Fun Facts about Peru

  • Population: 30,000,000+
  • Nearly twice the size of Texas
  • Founded in 1551, National University of San Marcos is the oldest in the Americas
  • Incan Empire was larger than imperial Rome at its peak
  • Home to both the world’s highest sand dune and deepest canyon

Company Culture

As we continue to expand, it’s important to ensure our Oktana family feels connected regardless of location so we’re increasingly focused on building our company culture and communication between offices. As the year progresses, we may reach out to you, as our partners, to share your story so each developer is able to better understand the projects keeping their colleagues up at night.

MuleSoft & Informatica Certification

With a growing team, we’ve also expanded on our certification game. We believe in continuous learning, so our developers are always training and working on new certifications. We recently stepped outside of core Salesforce certifications to explore other options that fit our team, including MuleSoft and Informatica certifications.

Hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about us. Our team has worked with different organizations and their projects. We are Salesforce platform experts and offer custom development to help you build your platform and solve the right problems. If you want to know more about our work, go check out our latest success stories.

Salesforce Silver Consulting Partner

Everyone at Oktana is thrilled to announce that we are officially a Salesforce Silver Consulting Partner. We’ve all be working extremely hard to grow as a team to reach this milestone and are extremely proud of how far we’ve come together. We want to thank all of our incredible partners for working with us as we’ve grown as a company. They’ve been essential to this growth and we look forward to continuing to work with them and new partners as we head towards what’s next.

“Becoming a Salesforce Silver Consulting Partner is something we have been working very hard at Oktana and we’re excited about this new achievement. Our new distinction will open new opportunities in new sectors and industries. We’re excited to see how this impacts 2019 and beyond.” – Jaime Solari, President of Oktana

Thank you all again and stay tuned to see what everyone at Oktana has in the works.

Paraguay Joins The Fold

You may have seen hints on our social channels lately but now we’re finally ready to give you a closer look at the plans for our new office and why we’re excited to be adding another country into our fold.

As you may know, we have three offices at the moment in New York, San Francisco, and Montevideo, but everyone here at Oktana is very excited about the opening of our new office in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay. If you didn’t know, Paraguay is one of only two landlocked countries in South America. It shares borders with Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia. Paraguay is a growing market for software development, and we’re excited to join in on the ground floor.

Asunción, Paraguay

Currently, our office in Montevideo acts as our primary location for all delivery related functions. As we’ve grown we’ve come to recognize that there is an opportunity for us to take our experiences in building the team in Uruguay and apply them elsewhere.  

One of the things we’re most proud of as a company is how we hire and help train our new and upcoming talent. Our belief is that when we bring people in and teach them how to work within the Salesforce platform from the beginning they are able to truly master it without getting stuck on preconceived notions of how things should be working. This is a core tenant of our company culture and it’s something we will be continuing to do as our new team in Paraguay joins us.

Our New Team Members!

We’re currently in the process of moving into our new offices and hiring people but 9 people have already started working. Our Paraguay team is currently sharing a co-working space in Asunción and plan to inaugurate the new offices before the end of the year. We’re thrilled to bring this new country on board and are even more excited to continue growing the team. Right now we’re looking for Web Developers and Quality Assurance specialists to join us so if you happen to be in Asunción and are interested in joining our team, check our open position. 

 

The New Office

At Oktana we value our people and our culture as a company above everything. We’ll be working hard to carry our culture over to the new office and the new team. We strive to make all of our offices to feel like they’re part of one big community. 

 

The team in Uruguay drinks their Mate hot, in Paraguay, they drink it cold, and in New York, they might not even know what Mate is but that’s ok because even with some differences we’re still all part of one team working together. Even if we’re not all in one office or even one country, or even drinking the same tea at different temperatures, we still feel connected.

Tok is Rising on the Chatter Horizon

Enterprise collaboration is one of the major catalysts in building a successful workplace environment, one where employees are engaged, where they’re meeting KPIs, and where they’re achieving consistent success towards their business goals. Constant connectivity enables team members to break down the barriers between departments and locations so they can seamlessly collaborate on projects. As in most industries, Salesforce decided to jump on board with their very own instant messaging product, Chatter

Tok and Chatter

Salesforce Chatter is an enterprise collaboration platform which is used as a company intranet or employee directory. It became a popular option for Salesforce users because it is heavily integrated with all of Salesforce’s clouds, objects, and features. Using Chatter, employees can tag, follow and share cases, opportunities, leads and much more to constantly keep updated on their tasks in real time.

What if we told you there was a way to make Chatter even more functional than ever? Well, we’ve got just the thing to enhance your experience; our product, Tok!

 

Tok Interface

Tok completely elevates Chatter to the next level by enabling users to maximize Chatter capabilities with an easy-to-use messenger application that includes interfaces for desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. What’s even more awesome about Tok is that users don’t even need to log into their Org to communicate with their colleagues.

“Finally, someone is making Chatter do what it always should’ve done!!! From the first day, I started using salesforce over 6 years ago I always felt that Chatter could and should be so much more. Everyone I know has to find another company-wide instant messaging platform because Chatter is so inept as a real-time communication platform. “Michael Irving, Business Development Specialist, InTech Together, Inc.

What else? Team members can send cool and customized messages by adding attachments or files like images, GIFs, videos, etc. Tok is also super intuitive where users can drag and drop items from their desktop directly into the platform for simple sharing amongst colleagues.

We certainly can’t forget about Tok’s coolest features: the TokBot! The TokBot automates commands on Tok as well as on the Salesforce platform. You can create polls and surveys in Tok and share them in Groups on the Tok interface. Also from within Tok, you can list views, create new contacts, leads, opportunities and much more. Since Tok is fully integrated with Salesforce, all of this info will automatically be stored in your Salesforce Org.

 

TokBot

Enterprise collaboration is a tool that will never go unnoticed because of the impact it has on team member engagement, and that’s why Chatter has stood the test of time on the Salesforce platform. But if you want to extend your Chatter capabilities seriously and on a killer UI, Tok is the solution!

 

Tok 30 day trial

TrailheaDX or Dreamforce: Which is better for Developers?

trailheaDX 2018

As a platform development services company, we value hard work, dedication, passion and really honing in on the complexities of building out these environments. This means that our developers are thoroughly examining the structure of these platforms from a very granular level and building a foundation that will thoroughly support the development process. Oktana’s talented team of developers and designers truly embody these core qualities, however, we know that collaboration and eagerness to share and learn are what also makes us grow as a company.

 

TrailheaDX vs. Dreamforce

This starts with attending conferences and events that serve as a sounding board for like-minded technology professionals to bounce ideas around and come up with innovative and tech-forward strategies for development services. One such event is TrailheadDX; a Salesforce conference that welcomes tech companies from all over the world to attend and share best practices for the tech industry, especially with regard to the Salesforce platform.

We recently had the pleasure of attending this year’s TrailheaDX conference in San Francisco for the first time ever! We were pleasantly surprised by the conference, specifically with how much it focuses more on platform development, which is what we here at Oktana marvel in. On a much smaller scale than Dreamforce, TrailheaDX allows companies like ours to really shine and network with individuals who share these similar interests.

TrailheaDX provides a more intimate approach to presenting subject matter panels for topics like automation processes, cloud environment optimization, omnichannel customer environments and panels for just overall improving platform efficiency. Furthermore, since its a smaller venue there’s more face time with product managers, engineering team leads and industry professionals to really share and discuss industry trends. This is also a big plus because you have direct access to decision makers which can expedite future partnerships.

With keynote speeches from Salesforce Chairman & CEO, Marc Benioff, to Star Wars actor, Mark Hamill, we found that TrailheaDX still carried the same weight and star power as Dreamforce, but it caters more to developers which was especially exciting for Oktana. We think it’s tailored specifically for developers and that if you’re a high-level developer you’ll definitely benefit from attending the conference, so we encourage those who specialize in platform development to attend TrailheaDX as well as Dreamforce!

Join us at TrailheaDX!

trailheaDX 2018

Calling out all tech enthusiasts and professionals! We are excited to announce that Oktana will be at the 2018 TrailheaDX conference, meeting and engaging with industry professionals to explore new trends on the Salesforce platform. We here at Oktana are always looking for opportunities to improve our craft, expand our presence with our partners and customers, learn more about technology trends and ultimately to collaborate with the best and the brightest in our industry. TrailheaDX is the perfect outlet for us to network, share and receive best practices and just overall have a good time in the process.

 

Salesforce’s TrailheaDX encourages companies of all sizes and tech-minded individuals to “blaze their trail” to learn, connect, have fun and give back. It’s a 2-day conference where companies can get everything they need to build and develop customer applications that people can really engage with. Salesforce product experts share the best tips and strategies for developers such as clicks, programming languages and coding, hosting services, certifications, and much more! The conference also encourages attendees to share stories amongst other developers, admins, and companies from all over the globe. TrailheaDX wants those who attend to embark on a quest to win prizes and help celebrate the Ohana with an enormous party! TDX will be hosting 150+ technical sessions, trails for both developers and admins, and the opportunity to get hands-on with the latest Salesforce product updates.

 

We couldn’t be more ecstatic to attend TrailheaDX this year to showcase all of the amazing things we’ve accomplished in 2017 and all of the innovative projects we’re working on in 2018! We’re blazing a trail full of amazing projects and can’t wait to present some of them this year. We’re super stoked to attend this year and see what all of the amazing Salesforce partners have been up to, hope to see you there!

 

TrailheaDX: 2017 Salesforce Developer Conference

Honoring Women’s History Month: Women in Technology

Women’s History Month is an important cornerstone in our society, as it embraces the positive contributions women all over the world have made and continue to make throughout history. However, although we have institutions like this in place, the fight for a more inclusive and diverse society is not over, especially for women in technology.

 

Women in technology

As a global company with office locations in the U.S. and Latin America, we recognize the importance of tackling gender injustices that still affect us. For example, the average woman in America makes 78 cents for every dollar a man makes. Similarly, women represent 45.4% of the workforce in Uruguay, where our main office is based. Women are steadily increasing in the global workforce but there are industries that haven’t made enough of an effort to establish a more well-rounded workplace environment.

The tech industry is one such industry that historically hasn’t been very progressive in terms of gender equality and we see much disparity that still continues to dominate the field today. A 2016 U.S. study showed that female employees in America made up less than one-fifth of the technology industry. What more? Women were also reported as having been paid only 79% of the median value of what their male counterparts had been compensated. Studies also show that in Latin America, gender stereotypes continue to stigmatize women joining the tech force.

Although we see these trends occurring in the workforce, perhaps the root of these issues begin with the educational systems within our nations. Many young women in universities decide against studying a field within technology. Take for example how in America, only 18% of Computer Science college graduates are women. Furthermore, Latin American culture perpetuates the belief that careers in technology are more male-oriented, which is why women in Latin America decide not to study technology fields in college.

These statistics are clear indications that it’s now more important than ever that we stay laser-focused on our goal to achieve universal gender equality and to never let our efforts waver in the process. Amidst these obstacles, more organizations and movements are formed every day to generate equal rights for women.

 

Girls in Tech (global non-profit organization)

Girls in Tech is a global non-profit that was formed to engage, educate and empower women to study and pursue careers in technology. Girls Who Code is another organization with the mission of closing the gender gap for women in technology and encouraging and fostering their involvement in the industry. Forming groups like these and integrating curriculums in schools early on will instill a more solid foundation for women to spark an interest and ultimately build a career in technology.

 

At Oktana, we seek out the brightest minds and the most innovative spirits to join our team, creating a family of outstanding dreamers regardless of gender. This is also why we choose to partner with others that share our same measure of ethical standards. Salesforce is a great example that holds true to the values we represent by also recognizing women as equals in their workforce.

To place our stamp on the women in technology movement, we’re hosting an open house event in our Uruguay office for women in universities to see first hand what it’s like to work for a technology company. The goal of this event is to showcase the talented and passionate women in our company as well as present the possibilities and advantages that come along with pursuing a career in our field.

We need to persevere and continue to break down the perpetuating barriers of gender stereotyping. This is why our company promotes values of self-expression, individuality, and inclusiveness – making our Oktana team members ambassadors for gender equality. We still have a long way to go but as long as we keep our morals intact, we’re confident that we’ll build a brighter future that encompasses unity, collaboration, and ethicality. Today, we celebrate Women’s History Month to commemorate the journey on which women have fought for justice and to support the onward path for women to make their mark, especially women in technology.

At Oktana, our team is growing fast, check our current open positions!

The 4 Core Values of Our Company

At Oktana, we are committed to upholding a high level of professionalism while also maintaining a productive and collaborative work environment for our employees. We recognize the importance of lifting up our employees to inspire passion and motivation in their craft and this is why we’ve established a set of core values to better align our focus.

Here are some of the Core Values that keep us on the right track:

  1. Expertise. We can architect, build and connect any system with Salesforce. We continuously train to expand our knowledge of Salesforce technologies, languages and frameworks to enable your innovation.
  2. Collaboration. We are Agile, flexible and easy to work with. Our customers are repeat customers with an average partnership of 4+ years.
  3. Trust. We are SOC 2 certified and maintain a rigorous compliance program to ensure data security. We code and implement with Salesforce best practices in mind.
  4. Equality: Our mission is to bring economic opportunity to help grow communities while delivering exceptional work. We have expanded within growing communities throughout the U.S. and Latin America. 

Our core values truly make our team more solidified in our approach to fostering a diverse and inspiring environment. We are excited about future endeavors as we’re confident that these core values will guide us onto the right path for a more communicative and socially active platform for our team members to engage in. We hope our values inspire innovation and inclusivity in your workplace.

Our team is constantly growing, check out our career opportunities and enjoy the benefits of working with us.