Welcome to the second half of 2024! As we enter H2, we took some time with some of 1E’s leadership team to reflect on key moments from H1, think about the lessons learned, and look forward to H2. Hear from Mark Banfield (CEO), Ian van Reenen (CTO), Stephen Tarleton (CMO), Marie Palmer (CCO), Iveta Cabajova (CFO & CCO), Shon Turner (CSO), and our newest C-suite member, Laura Smith (CPO).
What are your highlights from the first half of 2024?
Mark Banfield: That’s a tough question as there have already been so many amazing moments in 2024! I’ll give you my top 3: For starters, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) chose 1E as their vendor in H1, breaking new ground in federal government for us. We were also part of the largest DEX deployment ever, partnering with HP on the first consumer DEX service. Finally, a very special highlight for me was joining Team 1E in the 2024 Bournemouth Pier to Pier 1.4-mile open-water swim in the English Channel!
Iveta Cabajova: The start of 2024 has been incredibly exciting for me after joining team 1E. I attended the company and sales kick-off event in Austin in January and managed to meet most of our employees across the globe soon after. We've made tremendous progress in terms of our Financial and Operational performance, which makes me very proud. But nothing compares to the dedication, creativity, and hard work of our people. I now understand what it means when people say “True 1E‘er” – I feel privileged to be one.
Ian van Reenen: 2024 will be known as the year we completed our transition to the Intelligent DEX company. We instrument our customers' environments and use AI to surface any friction. This means we can fix issues fast and forever and provide validation through improved device compliance, reduced operational costs, and the delivery of superior user experience.
Stephen Tarleton: We launched our first AI-centric research report earlier this year—which is hugely exciting! Not only did we get to partner with YouGov on this, but we were also able to dive into the future of what AI means for IT operations. Outside of work, with two kids “leaving the nest” in the next couple of years, the family and I have traveled more than normal to get quality time and check out colleges. I also completed a major milestone in June–I finished a marathon in every state in the US. And it only took me 26 years!
Marie Palmer: The number one highlight from H1 for me must be the Customer Advisory Bureau in NYC in May. We’ve held a few of these over the last couple of years, but 2024 felt like a corner had been turned in terms of the quality and number of customers attending. The feedback we had and enthusiasm for 1E was brilliant. To top it off, we had the CSMs and CSAs in town for QBR after the event. It was so powerful to have everyone in a room connecting and sharing ideas.
Shon Turner: The first half of the year has been extremely satisfying for many reasons. A few that jump out are the continued momentum that we created in the back half of 2023–that's been tremendous. We’ve had 3 record quarters in a row, which is quite impressive as we are still battling financial headwinds. And last, but not least, my annual trip to the PNW with the family topped off H1 in a great way.
If you could go back to Jan 1st and do H1 all over again, what would you change/what advice would you give?
Ian: The plan is good; stick to the plan. Sometimes it will be difficult. At all times it will require attention, but at no time should it be forgotten.
Shon: I wouldn’t necessarily change anything. We made tweaks in the second half of 2023 and I think we're just hitting our stride. Personally, I’d double down on talking to partners in the VAR ecosystem. I believe these relationships will be key to our acceleration in H2 2024 and 2025.
Stephen: Spend more time talking with people, virtual, or in person. My most productive and impactful time in the first half of the year was when engaging with others, whether it be in-person Customer Advisory Boards, internal Sales Kickoffs, or just internal planning sessions on Teams. You learn the most when listening to others.
Marie: Ruthless prioritization. It’s a conversation we have often at ELT and is always relevant. We are in the fortunate position to be busier than ever as a business, with a phenomenal number of customers and interest in 1E. At times like this, we need to keep laser-focused on achieving our key goals and avoid distraction.
Iveta: I would have spent more time with 1E colleagues explaining the rationale behind some of key financial and operational priorities. It’s all about context.
Mark: We set out a very comprehensive plan and we have stuck to it diligently. It's important we consistently hold ourselves and our performance accountable to this plan. However, it’s important to also remain agile, making adjustments and adaptations along the way. We often talk about our key operational principles: Cause and effect, effective use of resources, data-driven decisions, and benchmarking. These are vital tools that help us operate and ensure we are making the right adjustments and decisions.
What are you most looking forward to in H2 at 1E?
Say hello to Laura Smith, our newly appointed Chief People Officer (CPO)! She joined us to share her thoughts on H2.
Laura: I’m looking forward to exploring how we continue evolving our own DEX—this is, without a doubt, a key focus. We’ve experienced major transformation as a business over the last three years, and the organization is now at a really exciting phase in our journey. We’ll be helping the organization unleash further potential through our workforce, making sure that we take feedback from our employees to enable them to thrive.
Marie: We’ve learned a great deal about our customers and their journey to SaaS in the latter part of 2023 and H1 2024. I’m looking forward to putting our experience to good use and making strides toward being a truly SaaS organization with the majority of customers on the Elastic SaaS platform. It'll be a truly transformative experience for them and revolutionize our delivery and support methods.
Shon: I’m looking forward to scaling out the team and prepping for a big 2025. We have big milestones to hit this year, and I’m not skipping that step, but balancing delivering 2024 and building for 2025 are critical and exciting.
I’m most looking forward to the next stage of our growth. This includes market validation coming to 1E. I'm especially excited about the release of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for DEX later this year. I hope we can use that as the next big milestone on our journey.
Stephen: One of the best parts of a marketing job is talking with customers. You can better understand how we've been able to help them solve their pain points and achieve increases in business performance. At 1E, we're truly making a positive impact on some of the greatest companies in the world. I'm looking forward to telling more of those stories.
Mark: We’re witnessing an exciting evolution in the DEX space right now. The market is rapidly changing to meet the needs and expectations of the modern workplace. New technology is solving real, top-of-mind business challenges as well as addressing macro business issues. At 1E, we're committed to continue innovating to improve digital experiences, and truly transform the way we work. I’m most looking forward to seeing that innovation continue and the role 1E will play in shaping the future of the DEX market.
Ian: We've had to make some tough decisions this year to accelerate our goals. When you’re WIP, those decisions can be a hard carry. I’m looking forward to hitting goals like increased SaaS utilization, significant company growth, and Intelligent Insights for everyone so that we can end the year celebrating as a team. After all, there’s only 1E in DEX.
