Metaswitch Networks

The overview

Metaswitch Networks is a global company involved in communication technology systems, which is headquartered in the UK. It provides technological know-how that allows service providers to move away from traditional telephone networks, where calls are transmitted as a continuous call down a fixed line in a network, to systems where data, video images and telephone calls are broken into discrete packets and routed around networks according to traffic. This system (VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol) is basically the same as that used for moving data on the internet and allows service providers to run their networks in a more efficient and robust way.

The company employs approximately 700 people worldwide and last year had a turnover of £100 million. In the UK, the head office is in Enfield, to the north of London, but they also have smaller offices in Edinburgh and Chester.

Customers of Metaswitch’s voice-over-internet-protocol networks include AT&T, Cable & Wireless and BT.

Products and services

As well as VoIP, the company provides a range of other products and services, including:

• SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) infrastructure, which supports voice and video communications.
• Network management systems.
• Support services, including training and professional services.
• Fourth-generation (4G) communications products including CommPortal, a cross-platform user interface, and Thrutu, a cloud-based sharing application.

Customers include household names such as AT&T, BT, Cable & Wireless, Cisco, Fujitsu and Motorola.

Rankings and awards

• Ranked number 10 in The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for 2011. It has figured in this listing now for many years.
• Received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2010. The Queen’s Awards are given to outstanding British businesses and the company has won four in its history.
• Winner of Computer Weekly’s Best Places to Work in IT 2009 in the IT software and hardware suppliers category. It has won awards now in four different categories from this publication.

Salary and benefits

Starting salary: £30,000

For the first 9 months, salaries are reviewed quarterly (ie every 3 months). After this, salary reviews are held every 9 months.

Holiday and perks

• 20 days holiday (rising to 25 days after first year)
• Discretionary bonus
• Subsidised gym, tennis and golf club membership
• Life assurance
• Company-contributed pension scheme
• Private healthcare
• Share options

Culture and values

Metaswitch Networks is unusual among IT companies in that it does not specifically target graduates with IT qualifications. Instead it seeks to identify graduates who have excellent problem-solving skills, regardless of their degree, then provides them with the IT training they need. Its employees are therefore perhaps more diverse in their interests than those at other employers in the IT sector.

Founded by ex-IBM staff

The company was founded in 1981 by a small group of former employees of IBM. The founders went on to establish the Employee Benefit Trust to own the company on behalf of all employees. It took its first external investment in 2008, from Francisco Partners and Sequoia. There have been some rumours suggesting that in future the company may be floated on the stock exchange.

It is quite usual for employees to work past the allotted 37.5 hour week, although it is rare for employees to work on into the night.