Net Optics, a privately-held maker of network security and management products, plans to hire as many as 30 engineers in the next six months as part of a rapid expansion of its business.
The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company, which now employs 102 people, plans to add more than 40 workers overall this year, including sales, marketing and operations personnel, CEO Bob Shaw said.
Net Optics is most interested in finding embedded software engineers, field application engineers and quality assurance pros with experience developing and supporting computer networking products, Shaw said.
The company's pitch to prospective candidates who work at bigger rivals such as Juniper Networks or Cisco Systems is the chance to have more of an impact on a company's operations, according to Shaw.
"Our people can leave here at the end of the day and say they made a difference" to Net Optics future, he said. "We want people who can see the big picture and offer a lot of input on the product."
Founded in 1996 by Eldad Matityahu and his wife Charlotte Matityahu in their Palo Alto, Calif., home, the company has been profitable for 60 straight quarters, according to Shaw. Eldad is now chairman of the company while Charlotte is Net Optics' CFO.
The company's annual sales are approximately $50 million and are growing in the double-digit range, Shaw said, and its customers include 85% of the Fortune 100 companies.
Net Optics sells software and equipment that monitors, troubleshoots and secures traffic on computer networks. It has recently invented a new type of technology and the product that uses it is seeing "extremely strong demand" among financial firms, telecom operators and government agencies who operate large data centers, Shaw said.
Its customers include AT&T, Verizon Communications and Goldman Sachs, he said.
Net Optics workers receive annual profit-sharing checks that typically are equal to between 6% and 8% of their total compensation, he said. The amount depends on the company's performance and the employee's contribution to it.
Company workers also are allowed to use the company's fleet of Mini Cooper automobiles to race at a local race track.
Write to John Shinal
