Why I Joined Cribl: The Mission, The People, and The Products

Ever since I became part of Cribl, the one question I’ve been asked repeatedly is “Why Cribl?” Now, I could dive into a lengthy conversation or write a 3,000-word message to answer that, but in the spirit of 2023’s reading habits, I’ll keep it concise. When evaluating a company, I hone in on three crucial aspects: The Mission, The Team, and The Products. Cribl checked every box.

The Mission

A company’s mission is more than just a statement on the website. Cribl’s mission, which revolves around alleviating the pain points and challenges of IT and Security professionals in managing the data, deeply resonated with me. Having spent considerable time unlocking the value of data in my previous roles, I appreciate the significance of this mission. Cribl’s CEO and Co-Founder Clint Sharp often emphasizes that the data strategy of the past decade won’t suffice for the next. Data is expanding at an unprecedented rate, and simply dumping it all into a consolidated location for your analysis tool is no longer practical. It’s too costly, too complex, and results in unusable data. The key is to have the flexibility to manage your IT and security data within your existing systems, tailored to the specific use cases that matter most to you. It’s all about choice – your data, your choice!

Furthermore, Cribl’s founders are committed to building a generational company, and I’m genuinely excited to join them on this remarkable journey.

The Team

The bedrock of every successful company is its team. I’ve closely followed Cribl for the past four years and have always been amazed at the products and solutions they provide to customers. However, software is fundamentally a people business, and the collective talent here, spanning every discipline, truly stands out. The energy and momentum are palpable and infectious. Cribl’s culture strikes a harmonious balance between irreverence and seriousness, valuing intellectual rigor and robust software delivery while also embracing the pursuit of greatness together and rapid experimentation. At Cribl, the team is united by a shared purpose: delivering value to our customers. It sounds so simple, but so many companies get distracted and lose sight of this core focus.

The Products

With a compelling mission backed by a talented team, the next step is delivering products that cater to our customers’ needs. One of my favorite customer feedback quotes is, “Cribl gets me.” This succinct statement underscores our commitment to offering innovative solutions that empower customers to manage their data as they see fit. We don’t control or restrict access to your data; instead, we enable you to make informed decisions that best serve your team.

From a product development perspective, customer pain points guide us. Features aren’t introduced simply to keep our engineers occupied. My first 100 days at Cribl involved speaking with 100 customers. Engagement is a two-way street, and everyone, from our executives to our newest hires, interacts with our customers to understand their goals and challenges. This customer connectedness and empathy lead to better prioritization decisions.

What’s Next?

Simply put, our product roadmap is incredible. Cribl Search, our latest product, addresses significant challenges for our customers, enabling them to search their data regardless of its location, compression, or encryption. While I can’t reveal too much, we’re watching trends around machine learning and other cutting-edge technologies aimed to enhance user experience and derive more insights from data. There’s a lot more that I wish I’d love to share, but for now, I’ll simply say this: the next few years at Cribl promise to be tremendously exciting from a product innovation perspective. Come along for the ride!