After nearly eight years with Fortra, Donnie MacColl says the company makes acquisitions successful by putting a hug around the organizations it welcomes to the Fortra family. The senior director of technical services and GDPR data protection officer says he’s never been happier at work and enjoys his busy, diverse role.
The History of Halcyon Software
Halcyon was a U.K.-based provider of automated operations solutions that reduced the complexity and cost of monitoring critical business applications on IBM i, Linux, AIX, and VIOS. Donnie joined the company in 2003 as technical services director.
When Fortra acquired Halcyon in January 2015 the move diversified its portfolio. “Halcyon had cross-platform monitoring and automation, and it was quite big in the managed service provider space, an area where Fortra was looking to grow,” he recalls.
Donnie says the acquisition and integration went well due not only to the complementary nature of the solutions, but also because the Halcyon team already knew people at Fortra after years of friendly competition.
Post-Acquisition Quality, Focus, and Global Reach
Following the acquisition, Donnie says Halcyon’s quality processes and standards improved. “I hadn’t realized just how much juggling we were doing,” Donnie notes, pointing to the fact that Halcyon’s employees had all done “a bit of everything” to keep daily operations moving. He says in retrospect, this lack of focus hampered Halcyon’s ability to grow its core business. “The quality has improved with Fortra. Not just support, not just development, but sales too—it was everything.”
“My VP laughs, but I like to say that Fortra puts a hug around acquisitions. It actually gives them the opportunity to do what they should have been doing in the first place and helps them grow into all the right areas,” Donnie says. “The other thing Fortra does really well is give acquisitions a global presence with the comfort of a very structured company behind it.”
A Career Journey with New Opportunities
At the time Halcyon was acquired, Donnie already managed teams in the U.K. and Europe, as well as in Australia and the U.S. When he realized many of these groups were in locations where Fortra also had offices, he saw the chance to build larger teams with a common focus. “The CEO at the time gave me the opportunity and the autonomy to do that in a safe environment with coaching and backup,” he says.
The effort was successful, and today employees around the world think less in terms of time zones and more about their shared goal. “Working from home during the pandemic didn’t really affect us too much because we were already so used to working with people in other countries and time zones,” he says. “That was a totally unexpected benefit that proved that thinking as one team regardless of where we are really works.”
Today, Donnie is senior director of technical services and Fortra’s GDPR data protection officer—a hybrid role that keeps him on his toes. He continues to lead global teams and is heavily involved in security and compliance initiatives. Donnie is also part of Fortra’s acquisition efforts, something he truly enjoys. “I’ve got a really busy, diverse role,” he says. “I’ve never been happier at work.”
Fortra’s Approach to Career Exploration and Learning
Donnie says that without exception, everyone from Halcyon is now doing something different at Fortra. “Everybody has the ability to learn something new and do something better,” he says. “It means you never get bored. If you want to try something different, it’s actively encouraged.”
He also points out that Fortra is diverse and equitable, with opportunities for everyone. “When a company’s smaller, they may need to hire people who are already very experienced, so they can hit the ground running. Fortra has the luxury of hiring people who might be straight out of university or who may be looking for a career change.”
Culture: Better Together
Donnie describes Halcyon’s previous culture as welcoming and family oriented. “It sounds a bit corny, but people did really depend on each other,” he says, noting Fortra is very similar. “You’re encouraged to bring your authentic self to work every day. Also, everybody at Fortra genuinely wants to help. There are no silly questions. When I talk to people who are applying for roles and tell them about my experience, they ask, “What’s the catch?”
He’s also impressed with Fortra’s approach to community service. “We’re all encouraged to give back,” he says, noting all Fortra employees have paid time off each year for volunteering. He considers Fortra a very generous company, not just with benefits and compensation, but also with time. “I could ping [CEO] Kate Bolseth a note and say, ‘Kate, can I have a chat?’ and I know the answer would be yes. And that’s true of anybody.”
Donnie also appreciates the work-life balance. “It’s actively encouraged from the top down and not just a checkbox,” he says. “Everybody says if you’re on vacation, don't work. And they really mean that. You know people have your back while you’re away.”
The Future of Halcyon Within Fortra: 1 + 1 = 3
Fortra is known for bringing complementary solutions together, which it did with Halcyon. “It’s where one plus one generally does equal three,” Donnie says. “It’s taking a solution like Halcyon and joining it with Automate or some of our Powertech solutions. On their own they’re very good, but when you put them together, they’re much more powerful.”
As one of Fortra’s strategic monitoring automation solutions, Halcyon continues to be actively developed. “It’s ideally suited for the cloud-based initiative,” Donnie says. It’s also a key part of Fortra’s managed service provider offering today.
Donnie believes that being acquired was the best thing that could have happened for Halcyon. “The company was very, very good, but it couldn’t grow on its own,” he says. “Within Fortra it’s grown massively and continues to do so.”