How long have you been with Datawatch?

Peter has been at Datawatch for 17 Years. He arrived at Datawatch during a transitional period in the company, giving him the opportunity to jump around various Datawatch departments, starting with programming. After becoming supervisor, he transferred to training and later special projects. Now he works as the Sales Support Manager.

What is your role within the company?

When describing his role at Datawatch, Peter mentioned that he usually explains it to people outside the industry by comparing his role to the backroom in a car dealership. While some of the sales team deals directly with the customer, Peter works on administrative and organizational challenges behind-the-scenes. He deliberates with sales representatives and our sales admin team to ensure that Datawatch’s inner workings are operating smoothly. This is done by making sure contracts are properly executed and compliant, scopes of work are met, and the legal basis for Datawatch contracts is in alignment with Datawatch’s mission.

What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?

When Peter first joined Datawatch, he rarely met people that had a knowledge of the industry or access control. Now, Peter finds that people are much more aware of the industry and the recognition of Datawatch itself. Conversely, Peter enjoys recognizing the brands and properties he works with during his commute or travels. Peter has grown with Datawatch and the industry, contributing and often leading this positive change and impact.

In his personal life, Peter is driven by his close, tight-knit group of friends. He enjoys spending time with them around his hometown, which provides plenty of activities and ways to get involved in the local community.

Could you describe a few of your hobbies?

One of Peter’s biggest hobbies is board games. He often plays in local groups around his town or gets together with his friend group for a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Additionally, Peter loves to spend time with his dog, Nico.

What are your best methods for dealing with obstacles or stress that come with your role?

Peter finds success dealing with stress by looking at the bigger picture. In a busy workplace, things will never be perfect, and challenges often come and go, so it is important to keep a broad and open perspective on these challenges. “Today is just today, and tomorrow is going to be something different.”

How has your impression or understanding of Datawatch changed over the past 17 years?

In the 17 years Peter has been with Datawatch, the size of the staff and the breadth of Datawatch’s services have doubled, if not tripled. Despite this massive growth, Peter explains that Datawatch still retains the pleasant aspects of family-run companies like a neighborly atmosphere and steadfast emphasis on customer service.  Peter is sometimes surprised to see new faces, as his experience with the company has enabled him to create relationships with most Datawatch employees.

What makes Datawatch special to you?

Peter credits much of Datawatch’s success in client relations to the company prerogative of “handling the outliers,” as many companies of Datawatch’s size follow strict regiments and rules, enabling for little adaptability for clients with unique needs. He says, “where Datawatch excels is in the fact that we’re not beholden to things fitting inside of the box.” Peter explains how Datawatch embraces customization, adaptation, and accommodation to clients’ typical or atypical needs.

Who are some of your biggest inspirations?

Peter’s biggest inspiration is one of his former teachers. This teacher taught Peter the basics of both philosophy and engineering, intersecting two fields that were not commonly linked. This fascinated Peter, spurring his love for philosophy and intersectionality in one’s life. Peter has grown to value the importance of the “renaissance man” or the “jack of all trades,” looking for knowledge in every place possible and leading a life of learning. “If I won the lottery tomorrow, the first thing I would do is go back to school.”

What is your best office memory?

One of Peter’s fondest memories with Datawatch was during a giant snowstorm during the earlier phase of his career. Datawatch’s monitoring services provide employees 24/7, causing some employees to take shelter from the storm in a hotel near the Datawatch office building. While hunkering down in the hotel’s restaurant, Peter got to know various employees from different departments very well, citing the event as a wonderful bonding or teambuilding moment. Although it was a stressful time, Peter admired his coworkers’ ability to get past the anxiety from the storm and make an active effort to grow closer as a team.