Splunk's Commitment to the Armed Forces Community

In 2016 Splunk made a 100 Million Dollar Pledge; a philanthropic programme to bring technology to the world. This programme was supporting the Splunk Global Impact initiative which provided training and capabilities to benefit those who may otherwise struggle.

Splunk is committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace environment. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) incorporated in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) programme are an essential component of our culture of belonging. The Veteran ERG was established in early 2018 as part of this.  

This ERG exists to support veterans, reservists, spouses and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAV). Our work also includes providing assistance to our partner companies, who may hire military veterans but perhaps do not have the knowledge or experience to support military service leavers. This community was created to provide camaraderie, mutual support, and guidance to enable a sense of belonging.

The Splunk Veteran ERG in the UK

In 2018, our Veteran ERG in the UK had:

• 8 veterans (with representatives of all 3 services), 
• 1 military spouse and 
• a couple of veterans at partner companies who we saw as part of our community.  

Splunk appreciates the value of veterans in the workforce and we understand that military service leavers are often challenged with finding their next role when transitioning from the military to civilian jobs. This is why Splunk has supported the programme TechVets since 2018, with significant free training as well as financial investment and support. In the same year, we also signed the Armed Forces Covenant and marked the event at a ceremony held at the RAF Club. We were joined by two partners, Somerford Associates and Riversafe, and were fortunate to have Lt Gen Ivan Hooper as our guest of honour.

_{Right to Left - Ben Emslie (Splunk), Lt Gen Ivan Hooper, Suid Adeyanju (Riversafe) & Andy Davies (Somerford Associates) at the signing of the Armed Forces Covenant.}

Subsequently, as Splunk has grown our Veteran ERG has evolved with it. At one point the UK had 30 veterans, 2 reservists, 2 spouses and 1 CFAV. Offering over 400 years worth of collective military experience. Our group has had veterans from all services, with all ranks from sailor, soldier, aviator to Brigadier. Within Splunk these individuals have held roles across all levels, from individual contributor to Group Vice President, spread across all areas - from Sales to HR, IT to Security, Professional Services to Strategic Advisory.

Many of our ERG members along with other volunteers from Splunk lead the way at London Poppy Day each year at London Bridge station. Joined by groups of volunteers and service personnel, we have raised more than £250,000 for the Royal British Legion over the last 8 years.

Globally, Splunk has operated a number of recruitment programmes aligned to service leavers and has contributed significantly to the training of veterans, reservists and spouses. Splunk is committed to supporting those who serve or have served, which includes military spouses, who support our serving personnel often with many sacrifices.

Recognition for Our Support of the Armed Forces Community

In 2023, Splunk was presented with Silver status in the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). A recognition we are very proud of.

_{Ty Sanderson and Gordon Morrison of Splunk receiving the Silver ERS award in 2023}

At Splunk we continue to drive inclusive behaviour and our veterans are very much part of that. Following our recent acquisition by Cisco, we are seeing that our values are the same and have already started to align closely with the Cisco veteran community.  Additionally, we are widening our reach to hire from the military spouse community via Forces Families Jobs, and building stronger connections with the Career Transition Partnership.

Splunk is incredibly proud to have been recognised for the Gold ERS award announced this week. As part of our continued effort to highlight the value of veterans, reservists, military spouses and CFAVs to industry, we will be posting a number of blogs over the next few months incorporating videos and interviews with different members of our ERG. This will lead into November, our time of particular remembrance, as well as our continued participation in London Poppy Day.

- Ty Sanderson