Azati Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president of GeoLytics. We build and sell demographic data and products for our clients. We have a solid customer base that buys our data for research. We have 10 different product lines and we release products yearly that are built on the most recent data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Azati Software?

We needed e-commerce web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began our relationship with Azati when we launched our business. They built our first website and helped us design and develop our e-commerce website. For every product and product line, we have different versions. We have desktop versions allowing users to buy the CD-ROM or a USB flash drive, or users can work online through the browser.

We republish data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. This data is free to the public, but it is difficult to use. If a company wants to work with it, they need to hire programmers. We downloaded this data and created software apps, so with a few clicks of the mouse, a user can have the data on their screen and there is no need to write a programming script to manipulate the data.

We give them the project specifications, and they deliver the results. We aren’t too involved in the way they implement the project. We are constantly adding new features, and they also take care of maintenance to the website. We are currently in the process of releasing the most recent demographic estimate and projections for 2018.

What is the team composition?

We work with several people from their team. We are in contact with their technical team, and when there are new features that need to be discussed, we talk to the project manager and developers to find a solution together.

How did you come to work with Azati Software?

Our partner found them when we first started the company.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in 1995 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of the work is excellent with no errors. We are always satisfied with the quality. If a correction is required, they take care of it almost immediately.

How did Azati Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a great job. They are very responsible, and everything is always delivered on time.

We use email, phone calls, and occasionally Skype to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their most impressive attribute is their high level of knowledge in their field. They have a lot of experience in building web-based apps. We are working with real professionals. If we have a question, they always provide us with answers. We don’t need anyone else; they are exactly who we need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They are always improving things. I am very satisfied with their work, and I hope this level of satisfaction will always be there while we are working together.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more specific details you can give about your project, the better it will be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Aptagen develops synthetic antibodies called aptamers. They are used in diagnostic applications and as drug discovery tools as well.

I’m the president and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Azati?

We wanted someone to help us reduce the time needed for our software to analyze a fairly large data set.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had given them a Linux script that we run on bash in Ubuntu in the Windows shell. They took an algorithm we provided to them from a scientific paper that was published. They were able to refine that algorithm such that the processing time was greatly reduced.

We basically handed them our software, gave them a brief rundown of how it worked, along with some documentation. They were able to fairly quickly determine the best ways to optimize it. There was a little bit of back and forth to make sure it was running properly on their side, but for the most part, we weren’t required to give a lot of background information. Our main objective and their deliverable was to reexamine the software with the code and figure out how to trim down the processing time.

We were so impressed with their turnaround time and customer service, we decided to start a new project with them.

What is the team dynamic?

Our primary contact was Andrew [CTO, Azati Software]. He was the person we coordinated the project with. We also heard from one of his team members, Sergey [Senior Business Analyst, Azati Software]. He was the one that was able to explain the analysis when Andrew might have been away at the time. Sergey was a secondary source of contact.

How did you come to work with Azati?

They reached out to us on LinkedIn. They struck up a conversation about any needs or concerns that we had. I mentioned our need and they were able to accomplish the task.

How much have you invested with them?

I prefer to keep this confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September of 2017. The original project was completed the beginning of October 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The process of developing synthetic antibodies and aptamers involves analyzing large data. The old process took 2,640 minutes. Azati was able to reduce that down to 30 minutes, which is phenomenal.

How did Azati perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very on top of communication. Each response period was less than 24 hours. There was a slight hiccup on our end where some of our computer resources were tied up. They followed up once every week or so to make sure that the project was still in front of us on our side and in our minds, in case any problems came up that they had to help us with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a group of mathematicians, physicists, and engineers. Their in-depth knowledge and technical ability to take a problem and solve it is in this particular area were impressive. They really know their craft.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were on top of things from the beginning in terms of testing and getting additional information from us. They were very direct in terms of communication. Maybe as a business, they may want to include a flyer or brochure of what they do as promotional material. When they first reached out to me, I wasn’t quite sure what services they provided. If we had some of that information upfront, it would have been helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Venstar Exchange is a reseller of foreign exchange services to a British company. For example, if you need to exchange and send funds abroad, then you can do this through a bank, or through us. We strive to provide the better service and rates. I am the manager for every aspect of IT within the company, from website design to database management, CRM customization, and phone issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Azati Software?

We needed customization for our SugarCRM instance, from a company which was familiar with the platform, and which we could ask for help whenever I was out of my depths. I’m a jack of all trades, master of none, so I needed specialists who could jump in to answer questions and take over projects I couldn’t handle.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our CRM needed to be customized considerably. We needed new modules with very specific tasks around foreign exchange transactions. In particular, we needed a module which kept track of all the beneficiaries our clients needed to pay. We needed a custom form on which clients could submit beneficiary information, store this in our CRM, and then allow the client to select which beneficiaries they wanted to direct the funds to from each transaction. 

The transactions and beneficiary modules needed to be custom-made in SugarCRM, and linked with all other modules: the accounts, contacts, leads and so on. Azati Software helped us enormously in creating that, pretty much building the transactions module from scratch.

We have a development instance of our CRM saved on an Amazon EC2 server that Azati Software has access to and can work on whatever they need to. I check the work and, as soon as I understand what they’ve done and how it works, I move it across to our live instance.

They are also excellent at troubleshooting bugs. When faced with a bug I know that I can either tear my hair out, or call Azati.

How did you come to work with Azati Software?

I am married to the best friend of the wife of one of Azati Software’s staff. He is more involved with web design, but we found out that the company also specialize in SugarCRM, among other things. I’ve dealt with the two specialists in the company for our area.

How much have you invested with Azati Software?

I don’t know off the top of my head, but many thousands over the years. The question is more how many more thousands have they saved us!.​​​​​​

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Azati Software in 2011. We have had multiple jobs for them over the years, both small tasks and larger ones, like the creation of our CRM modules.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

They understood what we needed, had very good communication, and, if something was unclear, Azati Software asked us questions and didn’t make presumptions. They produced a high level of work which fit our needs. The comments made in the code made it very simple for me to later understand what was done and why, as well as to make my own tweaks, if need-be.

The amount of time which Azati Software’s work has saved our company, as well as me, has been fantastic. We typically look at what we need, and at what can be automated, and get Azati Software to do the work. What might take me three or four days to figure out how to do, Azati Software can do in a couple of hours because of their existing knowledge. I know that, if I have a question, their team will have an answer, or they will figure it out a lot faster than I could. I perform most of the programming for our company, but I’m nowhere near as skilled as Azati Software, and I have too many other things to do, whereas they know their stuff, and will get the job done invariably cheaper.

How did Azati Software perform from a project management standpoint?

This is hard to answer, as I haven’t really had experience working with Azati Software on projects involving multiple people. I tend to work directly with my favorite programmer at Azati who I since know personally.

What did you find most impressive about Azati Software?

I’ve recommended Azati Software on multiple occasions, to anyone looking for their types of services. We have also used a smaller company in India, which was even cheaper, but, given their quality of work and English language skills, I’ve preferred to deal with Azati Software. They may be more expensive, but the quality of work and communication stand out.

I need to have my needs understood, which is critical when talking with programmers who have a different native language.

Are there any areas Azati Software could improve?

They could knock their prices down, but this is subjective and I would say it even if they were cheaper. Overall, I’ve been extremely happy with Azati Software, and have recommended them regularly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The company is SequenceBase Corporation. We produce a database of worldwide genetic patented genes. Users are generally from drug development companies, biotech companies, etc. I’m president and CEO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Azati Software?

We needed a comprehensive website and portal to use as part of our ongoing business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Azati developed our website, which is a research portal. They put together data from 20 to 25 different sources. They put it in a form where users would be able to read and manipulate it very readily. In addition to that, in order to search genetic sequences, there’s an algorithm that’s used. They were able to develop additional algorithms that work very fast and more accurately than what we had before. Our users seem to love it. When a potential customer comes to the site, we can put together a trial and show them what we offer. They can try it out and will hopefully sign up for a subscription. Once they have the subscription, they’re able to search genetic sequences and see if they’ve been patented anywhere in the world. They can export the report, manipulate it, add additional generic profiles to it, and then enhance the report or whatever they want. This is a difficult subject dealing with bioinformatics, or more specifically genetics, DNA, nucleotides, and proteins, and not many people know this area of expertise. I was happy with Azati because they were able to step up to the plate and put everything together for me in a pretty good fashion.

How did you come to work with Azati Software?

I had a previous business called Patent Value Predictor that they developed a web portal for. For that one, we had an algorithm that would put a value on a patent based on certain parameters. We were pleased with the work they did for that portal and, when I started SequenceBase, I knew who to turn to. I knew I could give them a complex project that very few people would have a background in and they would be able to create a knowledge base and move forward fairly quickly. I found them easy to work with.

How much have you invested with Azati Software?

We have spent between $200,000 and $300,000 over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2012 or 2013, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have customers and we’re profitable, so that’s my bottom line. Our users love the portal which is the reason we’ve been successful. Our web portal is workflow-oriented. They create a project and have certain steps they follow. Azati was able to make a web portal that follows the way any research scientist or attorney would work without any prior training. We don’t offer much in the way of customer support because it’s self-supporting. There’s a user manual as well. I don’t have a lot of time to handle a lot of customer inquiries. Wherever a customer might run into a problem, there’s a question mark and they just click that and there’s content-sensitive help that gives them the answer to the question. My goal was to have very little support needed from me, and Azati was able to accomplish that. Customers like it because they don’t have to learn a new way to work in order to fit their workflow into our web portal.

How did Azati Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really easy to work with. I don’t have a lot of time to manage, so I only want to see the end result and they’re able to produce that with very little input on my part. Everything was delivered on time and within budget.

What did you find most impressive about Azati Software?

They have the ability to learn a fairly complex subject very quickly. Bioinformatics is not an easy topic and there’s not very many people around. If they couldn’t have learned it, they couldn’t produce the end product. There’s very few people that have coding experience and are able to develop a web portal that would have a bioinformatics background. We continue to move forward as they enhance the product.

Are there any areas Azati Software could improve?

I’ve never had a problem.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the SVP of Operations & Technology at an Insurance Holdings. We have 11 businesses across the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Azati Software, and what were your goals?

We used Azati to complete a project developing an AR solution. It had been partially developed inhouse and they completed it for us. We then also used them for other miscellaneous smaller application development projects.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I had worked with Azati at my previous job and knew they had a good leader with solid developers. They are good at what they do and have a good rate in the market.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

They developed the application in PHP and used SQL, SQL servers. We managed the project using Monday.com

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had a team leader (company VP), a project manager and 3 developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our Accounting team is using the AR application to do invoicing and cash applicaiton for 2 businesses

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We used Monday.com to manage the project and used Teams for meetings.

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

They are good and accountable. They will work with us to resolve issues.

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

Some of the team's English is challenging but the team leaders are always able to step in and help.