Global cloud provider's rapid expansion leads to new downtown Raleigh HQ

In a trend that began before the pandemic, but exploded by necessity, an increasingly remote workforce is likely here to stay. While there are benefits, accommodating employees in different locations also has challenges.

In fact, the need for RapidScale’s services has led to dramatic company growth. To accommodate that growth, the company’s regional headquarters is moving to downtown Raleigh to a bigger, more prominent office.

"Our thought was, that there’s always going to be a need for an office, and if we can take this opportunity to be forward thinking and build a design concept that allows for flex work, that we were going to do it, and we were going to take advantage of all the great technology to do so," said Barnes.

Businesses in the area will find that RapidScale’s services can help, no matter their industry, because more companies are relying on secure technology for improved productivity and efficiency. Traditionally, employees were protected by an office firewall but, as more employees have opted to work from home, a café, or a library, security threats have increased.

"Ultimately, security isn’t a one-size-fits-all or one-stop shop," said Barnes. "It’s a very layered approach, so I think working with service providers like RapidScale can give you that expertise and guide you to ensure that you are doing the best things to protect your employees, their information, as well as your corporate information."

Most security threats come from inadvertent employee actions, which is why RapidScale seeks to educate users on how to prevent breaches.

"It’s really locking down the endpoint and ensuring that we’re protecting folks from themselves," said Buchanan. "All that being said, the most common vulnerability is email. Education is so key to ensure your employees don’t click on a malicious link. So, we offer services to help them understand how to navigate successfully over email and the web in general and protect them from themselves."

"We’re an IT company in the service business," said Buchanan. "We are proficient in cloud technologies but, ultimately, when you have companies that look similar, quality service is key. We focus on the end-user experience."

Although information technology spending has slowed since an initial spike when companies rushed to securely set up remote workers, companies still need help with IT services.

"The biggest struggle at the moment [for organizations] is finding quality IT talent," said Barnes. "Companies like RapidScale can help businesses achieve IT goals, rather than having [to employ all] the talent themselves."

Migrating to the cloud means that companies can keep their IT teams small, thereby saving money while still securing data on employee devices.

"The great thing about cloud is that you don’t have to overbuy, or underbuy for that matter," said Buchanan. "You consume cloud technologies as the business needs dictate."