BlakYaks is celebrating its fourth anniversary this month, and what a wonderful ride it's been! Most companies can take pride in expansion, and in our case, it really does hold true.

What was once a small office with a team of five has now grown to over 50 talented individuals within just four years. As we've gone along, we've built long-term relationships with customers that have been with us since the beginning, evidence of the quality we deliver, professionally and personally (thank you!).

To witness both BlakYaks and our Yaks grow, but still maintain the essence of innovation and teamwork, makes us really proud, and looking back at this milestone we wanted to share four valuable principles that have guided us along the way. But rather than just telling you ourselves, we asked some of our team for their thoughts on some of these principles.

#1. Quality and excellence define us

At BlakYaks, excellence is more than a goal, it's an essential part of our DNA. Whether we are building Azure platforms, implementing Infrastructure as Code or executing large-scale transformation programs, quality is at the centre of everything we do.

We achieve quality in our work by combining technical expertise, proven methodologies and a strong commitment to best practices. Our engineers follow rigorous design principles, with tools like Azure DevOps providing automated testing, continuous integration and deployment pipelines for stable and predictable releases. We are huge advocates of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to provide consistency between environments, reducing human error and enabling repeatable and scalable solutions.

Team collaboration and knowledge-sharing are key components of our quality-driven approach, so that every solution we deliver is robust, secure and industry-standard compliant. This disciplined approach allows us to deliver scalable cloud solutions that meet our customers' evolving needs.

"At BlakYaks, quality is at the heart of everything we do - from Azure platform design and Infrastructure as Code to project delivery, sales, marketing, and business operations. Our dedication to high standards ensures that every customer & market interaction reflects the expertise and care we bring. I hope our customers consistently recognise this mark of quality whenever they work with The Yaks." Dirk

"Last year we took a huge ‘step forward,’ with clients engaging our team to deliver larger and more complex transformation projects. They love our agility and the clarity we provide to support their adoption of cloud native, containerisation and AI." Andy

BlakYaks is committed to maintaining these high standards across all aspects of our work. From technical excellence to customer interactions, we ensure that our expertise shines through in every engagement.

#2. Collaboration and transparency drive success

One of BlakYaks’ greatest strengths is its ability to function as a close-knit, highly collaborative team. Transparency has been key to our growth, ensuring that everyone understands the goals of the business and their role in helping to achieve them.

Even as a remote-friendly company, we have cultivated a culture where communication flows freely and support is always within reach.

Regular check-ins, open dialogue and knowledge sharing keep our teams connected while our flexible working approach not only fosters productivity but also promotes a healthy work-life balance, allowing our team to perform at their best while maintaining personal well-being.

"BlakYaks has been very transparent in its goals and trajectory as a company and how it intends to grow since the start. In my opinion, whilst hitting all the goals we’ve set out to do, we’ve managed to keep all teams and departments quite close-knit and collaborating extremely well. Even being a remote worker, I still feel I can reach out to anyone on the team and they will make time for me with a quick chat, just like you would working in an office." Gert

"It’s great to see the integration and collaboration between us all. All team members are approachable, and we help each other if required—this is especially noticeable during their time in the office." Paul

This openness and accessibility allow every team member to contribute meaningfully, ensuring that ideas flow freely and innovation thrives.

#3. Growth is about people, not just business

At BlakYaks we don’t just measure our growth in revenue, client wins or head count, but more importantly it’s about the development of our team

Every Yak has access to dedicated training budgets for certifications in cloud related technologies (e.g.Azure, Terraform, Kubernetes) and we support their practical learning by involving our team in complex, real-world projects under the guidance of experienced engineers.

This approach ensures that all of our professional services and support colleagues continuously expand their expertise while applying proven best practices.

"2024 was all about growth for BlakYaks - we delivered 30%+ more revenue, hired new colleagues across all teams, launched our innovative Accelerator Pack portfolio and extended our SpecOps service to support clients outside of the UK. But most importantly, we remained committed to developing the business (and our people) in the right way." Andy

"Over the course of 2024, I have seen the younger members go from strength to strength and are now tackling technical tasks with ease. It’s really impressive to see colleagues' skills develop through the company’s drive for training and certification." Paul G.

"Our department heads, AKA ‘The Council Of Wizards’, don’t just manage; they lead from the front, sharing their deep technical knowledge and helping others grow." Herschel

"Looking back over the past year, I am thrilled with what the team has accomplished. The growth we've seen, both as a team and as individuals within it, has been inspiring. Watching people step up, take on new responsibilities, and thrive in their roles has been particularly rewarding. Seeing some flourish in secondments and earning great customer feedback only reinforces the talent and dedication within this team. This is a team that grows, adapts, and continues to deliver quality support to our customers." Neil

We set to continue investing in our people, ensuring that as BlakYaks grows, they grow alongside it.

#4. A supportive culture fosters innovation

BlakYaks thrives on the back of knowledge-sharing, leadership by example and a common passion for continual improvement. We encourage this healthy culture through regular team and one-on-one check-ins, and open forums where ideas can be shared freely. Our Friday Waterhole sessions are a great example where team members get together to discuss emerging technologies, challenges and share insights.

We actively encourage cross-role and cross-department collaboration to ensure that every member of the team, whether new joiners or senior leads, are empowered to contribute, feel supported by their colleagues and can innovate together.

"What makes me truly proud to be part of BlakYaks is witnessing our incredible journey—growing not just as an organisation but as a strong, united team. We teach, we learn, and we tackle new challenges together every day, making the journey as rewarding as the destination." Roberta

"The way our younger colleagues bring fresh skills and energy is amazing, and it keeps pushing us all forward. There’s a genuine sense of camaraderie here—everyone is approachable, no matter their role or seniority. It’s great to be in an environment where people support and learn from each other every day, for example during our Friday Waterhole sessions. This past year has been especially rewarding, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together next." Herschel

This culture of support, knowledge-sharing and mutual growth makes BlakYaks a unique and inspiring place to work.

On to our fifth year!

BlakYaks has built a business that values quality, collaboration and growth - not just in commercial success, but also in people. This milestone is even more special as it marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for BlakYaks. Now, as part of Proact, we have even greater opportunities to expand our impact, leverage wider expertise and continue delivering excellence to our customers.

Looking to the future, we'll continue to push boundaries, embracing innovation and keeping our principles front and centre to face new challenges as we continue to grow and develop further as a team.

Thank you to all the people who have been along for the ride with us, this accomplishment has only happened thanks to your support, hard work and belief in what we set out to do.

To these four incredible years, and many more to come!