account executive

technical support engineer

security analyst

sales support representative

senior software engineer

Fortra

If you would've asked me a few years ago, I would've told you my company was the best place to work! It was hard work and the pace of change was intense, but the people were fantastic, the culture was amazing, and everyone loved what they did, even when it was difficult. We accomplished a lot of great things and had fun doing it. That company is long gone, especially with the new leadership that came in 2024. Massive layoffs were done in January 2025 without regard to the knowledge walking out of the building, but based on political pettiness. If you were close to a certain leader who was on their way out, you may as well pack your bags because you are now considered an obstacle, even if you are a key SME. New leaders were put in place who did not care to learn or understand the business at all, but brought in their assumptions and new minions who would execute on their strategy, no matter how ridiculous, unproductive, or ill-informed. RIF after RIF after RIF has left most of the staff traumatized and under-supported. Almost all of the leaders who actually cared about people are gone, either due to being forced out or completely burned out.

I still talk to people who work there and they are miserable. Many have suggested that they will leave at the first opportunity, but feel trapped due to the job market. Beware when they say they are in an "exciting time of transformation." What they really mean is they have made a huge mess and they need people who aren't completely burned out to clean it up. I wish them the best, but you reap what you sow.

Fortra is a great place to gain work experience. The name carries some weight and there is plenty to learn if you are proactive and taking advantage of 1 on 1 meetings. I would not plan on staying here long term if you are young as there are many more lucrative opportunities available. 

The remote work aspect of the job is great, however you will not gain much experience in real professional situations. Training is very minimal as well, asking the right questions and finding the right folks in the organization who care to assist can be a struggle. 

While I do enjoy keeping things fair, the benefits and compensation are simply not up to par, therefore I do not have any good news to highlight. Current job listings are leaving this out for a reason. With that said, just save yourself the headache and look elsewhere. Unless of course you have absolutely (huge emphasis here) no other options, then why not throw your name in the hat. Odds are they'll take you and with some minor resilience you can likely stiff it out until you find something you enjoy.

For highly technical roles, the job will be stagnant.  Pay increases are next to nothing... maybe 1.5% if you're lucky.  And that's with raving reviews from your current management.  There's just no growth.  You're too important in your current role to be moved out of it, so there aren't any promotions.  They dribble out tiny -- seriously, embarrassing -- bonuses (ie 1%) and expect you to be grateful for it.  Day to day it's an ok place to work, but if you want any sort of technical career growth, look elsewhere.

Beware if they acquire your company.  There's a good chance your benefits will be worse, and more expensive.

HelpSystems is an IBM I-Series (ie. legacy AS/400) company.  Knowing that IBM-i is a dying breed, they are trying to grow into other areas by acquisition. Unfortunately, neither management nor the sales force has any clue how to sell or develop these kinds of solutions.

This is not a place where you will grow your career technologically or financially.

As a Program Manager, you basically are a Customer Success Manager and a Project Manager combined. Besides working with clients, there was opportunity to work on additional internal projects which was beneficial for growth. The culture was fine for the most part, no politics or high school or military barrack atmosphere's since it was remote work. The hardest part of the job was the product. Constantly there were issues with interoperability and a severe lack of integration with the other data protection software solutions. They also incorporated an inefficient escalation process with many redundancies. The most enjoyable part of the job was working with customers when they saw the value realized. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
There were some great people at the company. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Never knowing if you’ll have a job the next day. The disorganization internally was also very stressful.  

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I never felt like I was getting a straight story. The company treated acquired employees like 2nd class citizens and that you should be grateful to have a job.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I spent the days putting out one fire after another. And due to the disorganization, putting out fires required a great deal of effort and patience.

Enjoyed working on my team, with our Sales counterparts and SMEs. 

The company had a great culture and truly cared about their employees before all the acquisitions Fortra made. Once that happened, we grew to fast and leadership had overly ambitious goals that didn't materialize. Missing targets led to layoffs the past few years with the biggest one occurring this January. 

Leadership needs to look around the software industry and make better assessments of what is achievable long-term. RIF means only one thing, you read the room wrong and overall economic climate. Look in the mirror!

HelpSystems, overall is a good place to work. Smart leadership and a successful track record of YOY growth, both organically and through acquisition. 
However, offices in EP are tired, no work remotely policy and a sales salary structure that is close to 30% salary, 70% commission to hit OTE, where most other companies for account executives are closer to 50/50 split. Products are sold into niche markets (IBM i Power Systems), where HelpSystems has been the long time market leader. In other divisions, HelpSystems is struggling to make a mark in a more competitive field (AIX, Linux, Windows).

The people that work here are great. The CEO clearly communicates plans for the company. They offer monthly lunch meetings and pizza and pie days. They offer a great benefits package and incentives to keep healthy and active. They offer yoga in the training room twice a month. Everyone has their own office and is given a computer and standing desk. The base salary package isn't great but I was able to earn commission, which makes up roughly 50% of my annual compensation. Love my manager, she's a great motivator, and easy to talk to and work for.

Everything that I have been told by management is a lie.  They are only looking to keep people with a lot of empty promises.  There are no raises, promotions, etc.  given but they do give tens of thousand 'equity units' which are worthless.  Even if they ever pay out they are not paid out proportionally.  Someone who  has only a tenth of what you have can be paid more.  It's all political and depends on who management likes or dislikes.   

Fortra has a lot of good people employed there, but the reality is that this is a company of rolled up failures. 95% of the employees from the acquisitions are gone and fortra is just milking the renewals from those business units.  They say they have an integration strategy but the facts are that even if one exists, it has either been poorly implemented or the appetite for it just isn't there.  Other than 1-2 business units, this is just a place to collect an income until you find a better opportunity.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Account executive 3 salaries reported	$75,000 per year
Technical support engineer 7 salaries reported	$57,886 per year
Security analyst 7 salaries reported	$77,000 per year
Sales support representative 5 salaries reported	$67,600 per year
Senior software engineer 4 salaries reported	$109,250 per year

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