Ambo Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and CTO of Allegra. We’re a German company in the technology sector, developing software for project management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AMBO Software?

We’re a rather small team so, a few years ago, we decided to outsource our development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We are a rather small team so AMBO Software handles most of the software development. They have also done system design and have contributed to ideas that came up in the process. Most of the development is done in Java, JavaScript, and JavaScript frameworks. Their team has also contributed to the development of a cross-platform iOS and Android app.

What is the team composition?

We started out with one person about 14 years ago, but up to four people have supported us. Currently, we’re working with two people from their team. We mostly work with the developers directly.

How did you come to work with AMBO Software?

We met the owner of AMBO Software at an exhibition. We got in contact and decided to give them a try, and we’ve been quite happy to continue working together. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in 2004 and have an ongoing relationship. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The functionality of our platform has evolved quite a bit because of their work. We’ve received positive feedback from our users who receive customer support from AMBO Software. According to comments, their team has been superb and satisfies our users. The quality of their work has been quite satisfactory. 

How did AMBO Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re in contact with them every day. We have our own project management tool, and we use GoToMeeting for screen-sharing and to give information. We use Skype and Slack for daily communication. 

From a technology standpoint, they keep up well. They function not only as programmers but also as system designers. Overall, they’ve been very helpful and take on a lot of responsibility.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the main reasons I work with them is because of the people on their team. They have outstanding reliability and friendliness, especially with how they treat our customers. Their CEO has been quite helpful in getting the right people. Though there were a few changes in the team over the years, the fluctuation rate has been very l, and they provide useful, skilled people. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I can really think of. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think if your mindset matches the mindset of the people at AMBO Software, then the collaboration should go well. We’ve been lucky that we’ve had support from a team that’s very engaged with the development. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CTO of a software company based in the principality of Lichtenstein.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AMBO Software?

As a software engineer, I lead our in-house development team. We needed more resources who could help our staff to develop a new web-based product.

Having worked in software development for my entire career, I’ve seen many companies with primitive software architecture whose servers crashed during a sudden influx of users. The team we hired needed to build an architecture that could handle any amount of traffic.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My previous partner and I had begun to develop our Meteor.js single-page application (SPA). Only 0.5% of all web apps are SPAs; all others are based on traditional technologies, such as MPAs (multi-page applications). We’d gotten the product to an advanced state by the time AMBO Software came on board.

I provided the team with documentation and a project plan to follow. Since neither our company nor project was large-scale, we didn’t need excessively detailed requirements. Our first task was to establish a professional development procedure for learning the required technology our app uses, which was new both to me and to their team.

As we moved into the development phase, AMBO Software helped us build both the server-side and client-facing components of the web application. Using the React.JS rendering engine, they developed a reactive application that is infinitely scalable.

The complex platform runs a significant number of background processes on the server for time and event triggers. We focused on ensuring the architecture could manage a high volume of users when it went live. As with most businesses, changes occurred that required us to modify certain portions as we went along.

What is team composition?

We worked with two developers during the first year of our collaboration. I’ve also been in touch with their CTO, but his assistance isn’t needed for this project.

Due to budget constraints on our side, we’ve temporarily reduced the team size to one person. We plan to re-engage the other developer once we start generating revenue, if not more.

How did you come to work with AMBO Software?

I’d met their CEO 20 years ago when we were both working as freelance software engineers in Germany. We crossed paths professionally a few times since then. When he moved back to Romania to start a software company, I decided to contract his company.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about €80,000 (approximately $89,500 USD) at the moment. We expect the project to run for 3–5 years and the cost will become significant at this pace. I’m sure I will want to hold on to my current developer and hope to expand the team, but I don’t have projections for the total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with AMBO in March 2018, and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I’m very satisfied with AMBO Software. They’re down-to-earth. I absolutely love to talk about things at face value, and that’s working awesomely with them.

How did AMBO Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re using three tools for communication: Google Docs for written notes and task scheduling, Skype, and TeamViewer. I speak with them directly on a daily basis, We’re keeping things as simple as possible.

Based on my experience as a software engineer, I know how developers work and think. One of the things I appreciate most is their development's team no-nonsense approach—everything is professional and to the point.

What did you find most impressive about them?

AMBO Software is reliable and professional. They're really savvy in mathematics.

Compared to the many vendors I’ve worked with throughout the last 30 years, AMBO Software has a particularly high-density of math-savvy people. Every software engineer will have some understanding of mathematics, but the daily work isn’t usually about that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no constructive feedback at this time. The work I’ve seen so far has been pretty good, but we can always aim higher. Our project is relatively small, though, so my perspective is too limited for judgement.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I don’t have any advice.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the General Manager of base4IT GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

base4IT is the inventor of the Non-Profit-Manager (NPM). The NPN is a modular software solution helping Non-Profit-Organisations to manage their daily business. The solutions is available as an modular enterprise solution or as an out of the box solutions for smaller organisations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ambo Software to accomplish?

• New Web GUI
• New backend layer serving the new GUI with the existing database

SOLUTION

How did you find Ambo Software?

Referral

Why did you select Ambo Software over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Ambo Software were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Ambo needs to develop the new GUI with very little support from us

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

A new functional client based on an existing database

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We have an own projekt management tool which is used from both parties for the project

What was your primary form of communication with Ambo Software?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We've received awesome work from very nice people

Are there any areas for improvement or something Ambo Software could have done differently?

No