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"After software, the
most important tool to a hacker is probably his office. Big companies
think the function of office space is to express rank. But hackers
use their offices for more than that: they use their office as
a place to think in. And if you're a technology company, their
thoughts are your product. So making hackers work in a noisy,
distracting environment is like having a paint factory where the
air is full of soot." - Paul Graham
"Your business success will depend on the extent to which
programmers essentially live at your office. For this to be a
common choice, your office had better be nicer than the average
programmer's home. There are two ways to achieve this result.
One is to hire programmers who live in extremely shabby apartments.
The other is to create a nice office." - Philip
Greenspun
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K7's office is a manifestation of our philosophy. Our office is
more than a place to get work done. It inspires innovation and
catalyzes the thought process.
It also houses an advanced Threat Control Lab that monitors 24 by 7
worldwide outbreaks of threats such as viruses, spyware, vulnerabilities and
spam attacks.
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| Acknowledgement : The
office has been inspired by |
- Joel Spolsky's Bionic
Office
- Writings of Paul Graham & Philip Greenspun
- Googleplex pictures on the internet
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Plus we added our unique
security needs. And needs of our employees, customers and partners.
The office is egalitarian, out-of-the-box, secure and compares with
the best in the world. |
| The key features are |
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| Space |
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25,000 SFT space for 80+ people
averaging ~300 SFT per Person. Our architect still thinks we
are crazy to allocate so much space per person, but if we need
to attract the superstar programmers, we better provide superstar
accommodation.
- Each 12' by 13' cabin has
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Desk space to keep 5 computers and 10
power points at desk height to avoid crawling below the
workstation. The desk is placed against the wall so that
two developers can collaborate together and do pair programming.
- A couch for the programmer to take rest when they are tired.
- A window to look out and landscaping within to break the
monotony.
- A very large white board to write down ideas and discuss
with colleagues.
- Enough shelf space to personalize each cabin.
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Non hierarchical office with developers
and senior management all with cabins of the same size. People
ask us "How can you afford cabins for developers and management?"
Our answer is "Programmer productivity has a 1:10 variance
which means a great developer can write ten times as much code
as an average programmer. And this is for problems both can
solve. There is an entire class of programming problems the
average developer might never be able to solve."
Collaboration
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War-rooms have two walls covered with whiteboards
and two walls with soft boards. War rooms help project teams
brainstorm and use the room as central control while a product
is conceptualized and prototyped.
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Lots of meeting rooms to meet
up in. All meeting rooms and war rooms have audio conferencing
facilities.
- All cabins can be used for small meetings of up
to 5 people.
- Large conference cum training room with video conferencing
facilities.
Security
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Three physically separate networks
to protect our intellectual property and contain our virus samples
from being exposed to the external environment. These networks
have physically different connectors and software+hardware access
control devices eliminate the chances of even accidentally connecting
one to another.
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A best-in-class Threat
Control Lab to identify the latest emerging threats from around
the world round the clock. This will enable us to be the fastest
off-the-block to detect threats and update our security products.
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Fully secure Server rooms, Quarantine
and Zoo that have a second and third level of access control.
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Fully redundant power supply, UPS systems
and air conditioning. Fully redundant food supplies as well!
The building has a common cafeteria on the roof-top, just in
case we run out of food !
Recreation
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A cozy cook-to-order cafeteria and vending
machines within 100 feet of every employee (unabashed adulation
of Googleplex).
- Showers and locker rooms in the bathrooms. A place
to sleep if someone decides to stay overnight.
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A nicely appointed gym for the fitness
freaks. Ping-Pong, Foosball and other games for recreation.
- A quiet room in case you just want to read.
- A crèche (with attendants) in case you decide
to bring your children to work.
- A concierge service to take care your errands.
Like laundry, paying bills or arranging to pick up your guests
from the airport.
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