SunGard

The overview

SunGard is an IT company that provides a range of software and processing solutions, technology and infrastructure, disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software for clients. It has three business divisions:

• Availability services – avoids downtime and recovery costs by creating infrastructure that supports continuous usage
• Financial systems
• Public sector.

SunGard Availability Services and SunGard Financial Systems have bases in the UK, while SunGard Public Sector works with clients worldwide from its base in north America.

SunGard's history

SunGard was set up by the Sun Oil Company in 1978, when low oil prices saw many oil companies looking to diversify. The company now operates in over 70 countries and employs around 20,000 people, although its head office remains in the US. The company has traditionally operated an aggressive acquisition strategy and has made more than 160 acquisitions since 1986.

The company has recently sold its Higher Education division. Under the terms of the sale the Higher Education division will merge with technology firm Datatel. The deal is reported to be worth over $1.7bn.

A diverse client base

SunGard has a diverse client base in the financial services, business and technology, education, legal, retail and services sectors. Their clients include or have included:

• Business and technology: Accenture, Financial Times, Jive
• Education:British Medical Journal, University College Dublin, University of Leeds, London School of Economics, Pearson Education, Oxford University Press, University of Sheffield, TSL Education
• Finance: 3i, Bailie Gifford, BDO, Genesis, ICAP, Investec Bank
• Legal, retail and services: Centrica, Herbert Smith LLP, Irwin Mitchell LLP, Markel, Office Depot, Sainsbury’s, TNT Post group, Weightmans.

New business opportunities

• It has recently won UK contracts with a diverse range of clients including Toyota and Yorkshire Building Society.
• It has just released an ‘enterprise-class’ shared cloud in Europe.
• It is growing its business in India, with the addition of two new data recovery centres.

Rankings and awards

• SunGard Data Systems came 434 in the Forbes Fortune 500, Fortune Magazine’s ranking of American companies, in 2011.
• SunGard was named top vendor in Risk Magazine’s 2011 risk technology rankings.
• SunGard won ‘Software Provider of the Year’ at the Private Equity News Awards for Excellence in Private Equity Advisory Services Europe 2010.
• SunGard came 2nd in the 2009 FinTech 100 Ranking, a survey of the top 100 global application/service providers.

An alternative to a City career?

SunGard’s financial systems are responsible for processing more than five million trades a day and accounting for investment assets worth $25 trillion. Clients range from boutique firms to large banks. SunGard’s graduate scheme in financial systems are therefore marketed as an alternative to City firms for careers in the financial sector.

Salary and benefits

• A competitive salary
• 25 days’ holiday
• A sign-on bonus
• A discretionary annual bonus.
• A non-contributory pension scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Private medical and dental insurance
• Travel insurance
• An employee assistance programme (information, support and counselling)

Subsequent benefits packages, salaries and bonuses are dependent on your performance in appraisals.

Culture and values

SunGard lists its corporate values as:

• Achieving value for our customers and stakeholders (ie expanding and making a profit)
• Making wise choices, both in the short and long-term
• Taking pride in doing the right thing, and doing it well
• Trusting our people (and treating them well)

The company states that it prizes teamwork, personal accountability and creativity in its employees, and it seems to encourage a friendly atmosphere by having dress-down days and free breakfasts on Fridays.

Integration of new businesses

Over the years, SunGard has expanded primarily through acquisition, and is consequently reported to have a somewhat fragmented culture, made up of various different businesses with their own individual culture. However, the company has been working to centralise its operations in recent years, to help achieve greater consistency in working environments between its different units.

While some businesses are more formal than others, with a more strict dress code, a flat structure seems to be common to all of SunGard’s units, so staff shouldn’t feel intimidated by their more senior colleagues.

Use of technology

Like many IT companies SunGard practices what it preaches, embracing technology and attempting to keep pace with innovation – an obvious example is the blogging by senior staff on developments in the market and the impact that this is to have on the company’s work.

Former president and chief executive Cristóbal Conde said of this development: ‘technologies that allow people to see what others are doing, share information, collaborate, brag about their successes — that is what flattens the organization.'