ClickIT

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Alight is one of America’s fastest-growing companies, working with some of the nation’s biggest brands and most cutting-edge marketing agencies to help them take control of their marketing data, so they can produce richer business insights – faster. My position is Director of Platform Development, responsible for 4 development teams and devops.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ClickIT Smart Technologies?

We needed expertise in devops for our AWS cloud infrastructure. ClickIT provides us with a consulting resource on an ongoing basis. Our dev group really feels like Jonhatan is part of the team here at Alight.

What were your goals for this project?

To bring expertise and add extra capacity in devops to our team, with the goals of automating our builds and testing in Jenkins and improving and extending our AWS infrastructure.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We looked into multiple vendors who could provide devops services, interviewed ClickIT on the phone, and visited with their team on-site.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Jonhatan has taken on several projects in the past year, extending our build and deploy automation in Jenkins, organizing and securing our AWS infrastructure, and more. He also assisted in answering technical questions and troubleshooting on many occasions. In 2020, we are looking to tackle configuring our infrastructure via code using Terraform or CloudFormation - we anticipate Jonhatan playing a prominent role in that major project.

What was the team composition?

Just Jonhatan in a consulting role from ClickIT. On our side we have one engineer with responsibility to manage and plan devops projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

In a year we have gone from after-hours deployments that took an hour or more and involved dozens of steps, to regularly deploying multiple times per day in minutes with the push of a button. This saves us time and money and keeps our development team focused on what they do best. We've also increased the security of our AWS infrastructure and passed the first pen test our organization has conducted.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was almost all on our side, with a senior engineer responsible for planning and oversight of devops projects.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Jonathan has proven to be a valuable asset for our company, and is viewed by our company as part of the team. ClickIT is very responsive to our needs, getting back with answers to questions in a timely manner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Coworker.com. We're a global marketplace for coworking space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ClickIT Smart Technologies?

We were scaling fast and started having a lot of DevOps issues. We didn’t have anyone on our internal team that was specialized to manage that for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ClickIT manages our DevOps including AWS products, Fail2ban, and Cloudflare. Their main job right now is cleaning up our database, adding indexes, and strengthening the existing code.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with the CEO as well as two developers.

How did you come to work with ClickIT Smart Technologies?

We found them through Upwork. I had a call with their CEO and was impressed with his approach to DevOps as well as his demeanor and communication style. That’s why we ended up going with them. I explained what I was looking for in a developer and they had a good match for us. We started working with them via Upwork and now work together directly.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve had massive results in terms of improving the code we already had. For example, one of their developers reduced the time for a query that our in-house developers had built from 8 seconds to .1 seconds.

How did ClickIT Smart Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Basecamp, Trello, and Slack. They've been great at slotting into our existing communication structure rather than imposing theirs on us. They have great communication skills, including perfect English, and are very responsive at all times.

The best thing about working with them is that they feel like a part of our team. When I’ve used external agencies in the past, there was always an “us and them” dynamic. With ClickIT, they’re fully integrated into our team. We’re constantly on Slack together to talk about the projects. They’re fun—and just great people to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I really love is that ClickIT has our business interests in mind. A DevOps engineer we worked with before recommended high-tech solutions that were ahead of what we needed. ClickIT understands that we’re a startup. They make recommendations based on what they think is the most cost-effective solution and don’t push other things on us.

Their developers also have strong DevOps and full-stack development skills. They’re efficient and the code is clean. I can’t say enough good things about them. They're diamonds in the rough. I wasn't expecting to find such brilliant engineers to work with when I first hired them. I was blown away.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We started working together in mid-March and now it's December—and we've had no issues at all.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a concert promotion company. We sell tickets online for massive cultural, sports, and music events in the northern area of Mexico.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ClickIT?

They designed and developed our platform, which included an online payment system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a Node.js and Bootstrap application on the Google Cloud Platform.

What is the team composition?

There consisted of about five people and a team leader.

How did you come to work with ClickIT?

I know the owner personally, but they had been referred to us before.

How much have you invested in them?

The project was developed in two stages. The first one cost around 103,000 Mexican Pesos (approximately $5,405 USD) and it increased after that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2016 and ended the collaboration around September. The project lasted about three months in total.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform has helped us increase our sales by 70%. While we have encountered some minor issues such as duplicated tickets and other inconsistencies, they managed to fix them quickly. If I had to grade them, I’d give them an 8 out of 10.

How did Click IT perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always available, open to any questions, and willing to help.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They met our expectations. We had a good working relationship, but there was nothing exceptional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I couldn’t mention anything. Everything has been okay.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your company and what you do there.

We are a digital and print newspaper in Saltillo, Mexico. I am a digital integrator, so I have direct contact with ClickIT Smart Technologies as they build our site.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ClickIT Smart Technologies?

We contacted them for new implementations for our site. They made corrections and helped us manage our code and infrastructure, which is hosted through Amazon Web Services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They use SMS, Drupal, Amazon Web Service technologies, RDS, Aurora Databases, S-2, and S-3, along with some JavaScript and PHP. They configured different servers, modules, and general code.

What is the team composition?

We contract with one developer. In addition, I am in contact with the project manager, the CEO, and the account manager.

How did you come to work with click it?

Since they are located in the same city as our company, they attracted our attention when we had different technology projects. We’re based in a medium-sized city, so it is hard to find services as professional as the ones they provide. We sometimes have to find companies on other cities, but we were impressed with their portfolio and professionalism. We contacted them and have been working together for three years.

How much have you invested in them?

Until now, we have spent about 250,000—300,000 pesos ($10,600—$16,00 USD) on different projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still working with them. Although we hire other providers for different projects, we work with them most on our main site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have integrated different features on our website, mainly focused on stabilization, optimization, and speed. We’ve also reduced our infrastructure service costs. There are still some things we have to do with them.

How did ClickIT Smart Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They accommodated us well. We had some meetings and got to know them personally. In general, their project management was good. We are good with timelines, and they communicated with us through various channels. We've been using Slack to communicate with them and haven't had any problems. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are well-organized, they always keep us informed, and they are good at clearly explaining what we don't understand.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have been very comfortable working with them, so I would say our experience has been very good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the managing partner of a small advertising and communications firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ClickIT Smart Technologies?

We needed help with development for various projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have used WordPress plugins such as Events Planner, as well as transactional software for payment processing.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Alfonso Valdés [CEO, ClickIT], who was my point man.

How did you come to work with ClickIT Smart Technologies?

I was looking to outsource and found them through a site. I had interviewed more than five firms. After receiving a small probationary assignment, and Alfonso and ClickIT did the best job.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in September of 2016, and the work is ongoing on other collaborations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients are very happy with the product delivered. Their work has allowed us to grow and control costs as we expand.

How did ClickIT Smart Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They adapt to my project management systems and have been very responsible. They understood the importance of deadlines and were committed to them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They work quickly and know what they are doing. Alfonso is friendly and sensitive to medium-sized businesses.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a 35-year-old retail agency focused on the California, Arizona, and Nevada region, and we have an e-commerce presence as well. I’m the VP of Finance Operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ClickIT?

We’re a diverse company with different technologies. Our tech department hosts the sales point, enterprise resource planning, accounting, and all similar systems. We also have an e-commerce platform on Magento and online payments on SQL. These are based on different technologies because of the years they were created.

We decided to integrate payments and e-commerce in one platform, developing it in .NET. We looked for internal resources in our mid-sized department, but resources were already assigned to other application projects. We needed someone with .NET experience and Agile technologies to help us with this project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ClickIT helped us convert the payment system to .NET. They had to migrate or transform both the payment platform and the backend. It was a complex task because we had to integrate all of it with processors and banks.

Client payments are similar to credits. The frontend needed to convey this and our teams needed to be able to visualize it in the backend as well. The app also included emails and text functionalities, which they helped us integrate using Emersys and Trumpia.

What is the team composition?

Around 5 developers.

How did you come to work with ClickIT?

We looked for different providers and development services to outsource the work. We tried India but time zones were a problem.

I asked around among my friends and contacts in my hometown in Mexico, and I received a reference for them. Many of my contacts own systems agencies and one directed me to ClickIT, so I contacted them.

We looked at them and their projects. They’re a young group of engineers in Mexico. It took 4–5 months to make a decision internally and after looking at all bids, we started with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We contacted them in August 2015, we signed the contract in November 2015, and they finished in May 2016. We hired an internal resource to manage and adjust it depending on our requirements and needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a very important project for us, because this application processes 25% of the company’s payments. The application was a win-win.

How did ClickIT perform from a project management standpoint?

One of their engineers communicated with me on project management. We had weekly meetings to discuss advancements. They were really fast, and we were able to quickly start testing the application. They understood the requirements well. We had a sense of urgency and they had our support.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The notifications feature within the solution was their idea. They were very proactive and stayed ahead of the project. They were motivated to provide a good solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a bit of a language barrier, as sometimes staff members other than me didn’t understand their pronunciation. There were no real issues with this, thanks to the documentation and the fact that I’m bilingual, but this would be an area for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a software-as-a-service [SaaS]-based publishing and collaboration platform that’s been in business for 5 ½ years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ClickIT?

We needed help with platform development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ClickIT provided infrastructure support. We were initially on AWS [Amazon Web Services], but they migrated us to Azure 2 years ago. They provide ongoing support and implementation for all of our IT needs regarding infrastructure.

They assigned developers who used Java at various stages of backend-related work to support projects that we were working on.

What is the team dynamic?

There have been a handful of developers over the course of the years.

How did you come to work with ClickIT?

We chose them because of their expertise. I’ve had a long-term relationship with them, and they’ve always been very responsive to our needs. There have been several times when we’ve needed immediate support, and they’ve jumped in every time to make sure we’re staying on track.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this specific project in February 2017, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve taken us to market, and their results have been good. I have nothing but positive things to say about their service.

How did ClickIT perform from a project management standpoint?

We use different project management tools that are all involved with and integrated into our systems. We usually communicate via Skype or Slack. They’ve been very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I don’t have a comparison, because we’ve used them from day one. Our experience has been really good, so I continue to use and recommend them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I don’t have any complaints.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Engineering of Plutoshift AI

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

AI solutions for the industrial sector, providing historical and predictive insights into efficiency, sustainability, and operational resilience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ClickIT DevOps & Software Development to accomplish?

• Application Development

SOLUTION

How did you find ClickIT DevOps & Software Development?

Referral

Why did you select ClickIT DevOps & Software Development over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from ClickIT DevOps & Software Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The goal was to completely rebuild the outdated Django backend and React frontend, and retrofit and update existing ML models, which we didn't know anything about. The engineers were involved in planning, architecture, implementation, and process improvement from the very beginning. Additionally, the backend engineer was able to effectively collaborate with the team regarding the ML functionality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Functional API's, an updated and fully functional frontend, and functional ML models.

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

Engineers were involved in planning from the beginning and provided deliverables in a timely manner.

What was your primary form of communication with ClickIT DevOps & Software Development?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their engineers were effective, polite, and communicative. Great culture fit.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ClickIT DevOps & Software Development could have done differently?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CoS of a research company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Clinical Research for Parkinson's Disease

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ClickIT DevOps & Software Development to accomplish?

• custom software development

SOLUTION

How did you find ClickIT DevOps & Software Development?

YouTeam

Why did you select ClickIT DevOps & Software Development over others?

• Referred to me
• Other

How many teammates from ClickIT DevOps & Software Development were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

• Build and Operate AWS infrastructure to power our platforms
• build, maintain, improve software delivery pipelines

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

working software

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

yes, responsive

What was your primary form of communication with ClickIT DevOps & Software Development?

Virtual Meeting

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

We're impressed with their responsiveness.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ClickIT DevOps & Software Development could have done differently?

more thorough in analysis and application of solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive of CUDDLY

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Platform for animal fundraising for non-profits.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ClickIT DevOps & Software Development to accomplish?

• Staff Augmentation

SOLUTION

How did you find ClickIT DevOps & Software Development?

I inherited the relationship

Why did you select ClickIT DevOps & Software Development over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from ClickIT DevOps & Software Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The team was responsible for the ongoing development of new features. We were rebuilding our development pipelines and our administration dashboard.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team is held to timelines that are fairly aggressive. They always deliver with quality and on time.

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

Project management is handled by our company.

What was your primary form of communication with ClickIT DevOps & Software Development?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their ability to just get it done without complaint and with quality. They are always volunteering to do more.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ClickIT DevOps & Software Development could have done differently?

At this point in time, no.