iTech4Web

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Editor-In-Chief of butwhytho.net

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We're an entertainment site that posts reviews, interviews and previews from video games, television, film, and comic books. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire iTech4Web to accomplish?

• Rebuild the caching and database stack to eliminate the slow page loads, broken CDN image URLs, and unindexable search queries the client inherited, so the site loads fast worldwide and survives traffic spikes without operator intervention.
• Harden the new environment against DDoS, bot abuse, and search-engine indexing failures, and document everything so the client (or any future developer) can operate and extend the server without depending on the original engineer.
• Migrate butwhytho.net from a managed cPanel host (WP Tango) to a self-hosted Plesk VPS before the contract termination deadline, with zero downtime and no loss of content, comments, or media across 17,000+ published posts and ~17 GB of uploads

SOLUTION

How did you find iTech4Web?

Referral

Why did you select iTech4Web over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from iTech4Web were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

We had a need to move our site in 72 hours, or lose all of our Data. Dima both coordinated with our former host and managed getting everything set up. In the process, he had to fix elements broken by the former host. 

Agreed Upon description:

Server-side migration of a high-traffic WordPress site (~17,000 posts, ~17 GB uploads, 200,000+ daily HTTPS hits) from WP Tango's cPanel to a Plesk VPS, with a full rebuild of caching, DB, and search infrastructure. Deliverables: - WP migration: file restore, DB import, WP-CLI search-replace (200,000+ rows), plugin cleanup, ~18,000 broken CDN URLs repaired. - Three-layer cache: Cloudflare edge (auto-purge), nginx proxy_cache (custom Plesk vhost template fixing a cookie-allowlist regex bug), Valkey object cache. - MariaDB tuning (buffer pool 128 MB → 8 GB, SSD I/O, slow log), PHP-FPM tuning, systemd timer for ACLs on cache dirs. - Full-text search via Relevanssi with nginx rate limiting on `?s=`. - DNS cutover to Cloudflare, Let's Encrypt SSL, ModSecurity WAF whitelisting, fix for WP Staging mu-plugin blocking indexing. - All configs in git with deploy and drift-detection scripts; ops wiki delivered for client ownership. 

Here were his key deliverables: 

• WordPress search latency dropped from 21–73 seconds to 0.55 seconds — up to 120× faster — by tuning MariaDB (InnoDB buffer pool 128 MB → 8 GB) and replacing the unindexed LIKE search with the Relevanssi indexed-search plugin (1.5 GB index across 17k posts).
• Average page TTFB improved from 800–1,500 ms to 20–50 ms on cached pages, via a three-layer cache (Cloudflare edge → nginx proxy_cache → Valkey object cache). Valkey object cache hit ratio measured at ~86% after warmup.
• Site successfully migrated and cut over to Cloudflare ahead of the hard termination deadline. Cloudflare edge now absorbs the majority of the 180,000–275,000 daily HTTPS requests, leaving the origin server consistently under 1.1 load average on 8 cores.
• Fixed an SEO-critical issue inherited from the previous host: every page was serving due to a leftover WP Staging mu-plugin. Disabling it restored full search-engine indexing across all 17,000+ pages within hours.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

WordPress search latency dropped from 21–73 seconds to 0.55 seconds — up to 120× faster — by tuning MariaDB (InnoDB buffer pool 128 MB → 8 GB) and replacing the unindexed LIKE search with the Relevanssi indexed-search plugin (1.5 GB index across 17k posts).

Average page TTFB improved from 800–1,500 ms to 20–50 ms on cached pages, via a three-layer cache (Cloudflare edge → nginx proxy_cache → Valkey object cache). Valkey object cache hit ratio measured at ~86% after warmup.

Site successfully migrated and cut over to Cloudflare ahead of the hard termination deadline. Cloudflare edge now absorbs the majority of the 180,000–275,000 daily HTTPS requests, leaving the origin server consistently under 1.1 load average on 8 cores.

Fixed an SEO-critical issue inherited from the previous host: every page was servingdue to a leftover WP Staging mu-plugin. Disabling it restored full search-engine indexing across all 17,000+ pages within hours.

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

Dima was always communicative if there was a delay. He also worked to hold our former developer accountable when they caused delays in the project. 

Dima always made himself readily available and never talked down to us throughout the process. Every choice made for the site was based on outcomes, and he would break down exactly how much would be spent. 

What was your primary form of communication with iTech4Web?

Virtual Meeting

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

iTech4Web's quality of service is the best I have ever experienced in my 9 years working with support.

Are there any areas for improvement or something iTech4Web could have done differently?

There was nothing that I would directly change. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of a consulting company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Coaching and Consulting to help people thrive and live their best life.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire iTech4Web to accomplish?

• Do multiple updates to Wordpress site (Core, theme, and numerous plug-ins) that hadn't been done in many years
• Address issue with Contact Page (it was no longer sending outbound emails)
• A few additional minor design changes to fix issues that had crept in post-migration
• Ensure consistency of design on multiple views (computer vs tablet vs phone)

SOLUTION

How did you find iTech4Web?

• Referral
• they are a trusted partner of IONOS

Why did you select iTech4Web over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from iTech4Web were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Context: The Site being updated was WordPress -(and is considered a large site by the new host IONOS)  due to the many pages, images and plug-ins (with sliders, carousels, etc.).

Updates had not been made to the site since it had been created in 2020  - so the Wordpress Core and the plug-ins/theme hadn't been kept up to speed.

When the migration to a new hosting provider was made further issues surfaced - including the Contact Page that had worked prior to the migration, no longer sending emails to the admin post the migration.

Additionally several other visual elements become a bit misaligned - in one or several views (i.e. was ok in computer view -but not ok in either tablet and /or phone view)... 

As work progressed, also noticed a design element or two had gone out of alignment - needing a but of coding.

Plus the footer icon for X (twitter) were hard-coded - requiring some coding be done.

Scope of work:

1) update wordpress site (core, theme, multiple plug-ins)

2) fix contact page to allow emails to flow 

3) fix broken design elements

4) code the 'x' icon in footer

5) test and create consisteny between the different views post migration and the updates

6) set up needs to ensure the owner is able to go into admin/dashboard to make the ongoing edits required after the updates to site theme/plug-ins are made (critical success factor)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Definite Success!

• the site is successfully live and looks and functions like before it became broken/before the updates were made -
• we've done a soft launch to 'new clients' with positive feedback
• it has full proper functionality
• the user experience has been re-created to the desired experience that had been the vision before updates lapsed and before the migration broke some elements
• the views across the key devices (computer, tablet, phone) have been re-created to effectively portray the desired brand look and feel - as they were before the migration and lack of updates broke the site.
• The owner has made the necessary edits to the site admin/dashboard ... and confidence in ability to do so on go forward basis

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

The management of the project was very professional. Detailed quoting process to ensure reasonable pricing was established for the work to be done  with a realistic timeline - this helped to manage expectations.

Work was performed on time and on budget - and scope creep was managed effectively in a constructive way to create a win-win.

Communication was easy and timely and they were very responsive and approachable. 

What was your primary form of communication with iTech4Web?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• Despite our being in different cities, the communication was highly effective, timely and responsive. It felt like distance/lack of in-person tmeeting time was not a barrier -
• It felt like we were 'one-team'.
• My questions and concerns were taken in a constructive manner that led to the highest standard of result I could have hoped for.
• They took care of me and followed through with keeping my best interests in mind while delivering on their business commitment to me.

Are there any areas for improvement or something iTech4Web could have done differently?

As they were open and responsive to all my needs, I have nothing to say here...

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of marketing for LA MALUK; we are a school and kindergarten. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTech4Web?

We’ve hired iTech4Web for website development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve provided them with documentation to start, and their team has been responsible for content creation and putting photos together on the site. 

What is the team composition?

We have one primary contact. 

How did you come to work with iTech4Web?

iTech4Web was a referral. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is user-friendly, and we’ve been very satisfied with the work from iTech4Web.

How did iTech4Web perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is highly responsive and supportive; the work has been delivered on time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve made it simple to understand the website. Their team completes work quickly and is easy to collaborate with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing we can come up with. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

iTech4Web is a great company to partner with. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Private practice psychologist As a private practice psychologist, I run my own business providing therapy services to clients. I am the owner and sole practitioner. I specialize in gestalt therapy and mindfulness-based therapy and work with individuals, couples, and families. I work independently and provide therapy services to clients online. My website was developed by iTech4Web and it's a crucial aspect of my business as it serves as an online portal for clients to learn about my services and qualifications and make initial contact.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire iTech4Web Inc, and what were your goals?

Open a new channel for getting clients previously relied on word-of-mouth I hired iTech4Web to design and develop my professional website. The goals for the website were to create an online presence for the business that effectively conveyed my services and qualifications, was user-friendly and visually appealing and provided a platform for clients to learn more about my practice.

I think the website is a critical aspect of the overall strategy to attract new clients as previously I only used social media channels and word-of-mouth.

SOLUTION

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

I had previously ordered website development from iTech4Web, I was satisfied with the work. Therefore, this time without a doubt, I again turned to iTech4Web.

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

The scope of involvement was the design and development of our website, including the creation of all its features and functionality, such as testimonials, a blog, and contact forms. They also provided search engine optimization services to improve our website's visibility on search engines. They were also responsible for updating the website's content, which was developed in collaboration with our team. iTech4Web provided ongoing maintenance and support to ensure that our website remained up-to-date and functional.

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

Full stack developer UI/UX designer Business analyst Project manager The team composition of the agency included a project manager, a web designer, and a web developer. They were a highly skilled and experienced team that understood the specific needs of our business as a private practice psychologist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pleasant and intuitive UI/UX SEO setup Quick notifications about new clients which boost the scheduling process The website has received positive feedback from existing clients, who have found it easy to navigate and informative. It has also helped to attract new clients, as it provides a professional and reliable online presence for me.

The website's search engine ranking has improved significantly since the agency's optimization services were implemented. This has led to an increase in website traffic and more potential clients finding our services through search engines. The contact forms with instant notification in my messenger have been a great convenience as it has helped us to streamline the scheduling and administration processes.

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

Good communication, regular demos and feedback request The team performed well. They assigned a dedicated project manager who served as the main point of contact throughout the project. The project manager communicated effectively keeping me informed of the progress and any issues that arose.

The project manager also effectively coordinated the work of the team members, including web designer and developer, to ensure that all aspects of the project were completed to my satisfaction. They also provided regular progress updates and demos of the website, which allowed me to provide feedback and make changes as needed.

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

Understand my specific needs, translate ideas into great design, open to changes and improvements What I found most impressive about them is their ability to understand my specific needs as a private practice psychologist and translate that into a visually appealing and user-friendly website.

They have a great team of designers and developers who were able to create a website that effectively conveyed our services and qualifications. Their attention to detail was remarkable and they were always willing to make changes and adjustments as needed.

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

In terms of areas they could improve, I would say that they could have provided more detailed information on the website analytics and data. However, I believe we can work on it in future milestones.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Great Album, a startup-company-slash-website designed to help people bring memories back to life and better share those experiences with others. A lot of sharing goes on today on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but these just become an ocean of sharing. The options on these platforms are also only limited to sharing with friends, with the public, or not sharing at all.

Great Album fills a gap present in most media-holding platforms like Google Photos, Flickr, or Dropbox. It allows families — especially those that have little time to organize their photos and videos for sharing — to organize their media based on who can get access or who they want to share it with. 

Our platform brings in photos from Google and Apple but leaves the originals there. We’re not trying to replace these media storage services; we’re simply creating a sort of social media site where people can classify photos based on the events. The social circle that these events were held with can then come into the album to share their own media and stories to build a biography that ultimately celebrates the life of an individual, a major milestone, or the impact one person has had on a variety of different people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTech4Web?

I have an existing primary development team, but we couldn’t do the Google Photos integration ourselves. That’s why we brought in iTech4Web.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

iTech4Web integrated Google Photos into our Drupal platform and helped us develop an API capable of importing 50,000 pictures or hundred-picture clusters based on an event that has taken place in a user’s life. Their team built a module that could identify those clusters, create albums, and sort media based on the major events they represent. 

As we were getting ready to launch the application, we brought them in again to completely revamp our entire DevOps process. My team didn’t always follow best practices, and there were a lot of problems under the hood. iTech4Web restructured the way we develop locally, push to testing environments, and deploy to production. 

What is the team composition?

I work very closely with Dima (CEO) and one of his developers. 

How did you come to work with iTech4Web?

I posted a job description on UpWork, to which a bunch of different individuals and companies responded. I went through a selection process and ultimately picked Dima because they had the Drupal and Google API framework expertise that we were looking for. 

How much have you invested with them?

At this point, we’ve invested around $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around March–April 2021. We continue to partner with them as they’ve become indispensable to the whole operation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve done a tremendous amount of cleanup in our DevOps processes, which in turn has made our website more stable and ready to scale. I think Dima is just a consummate professional, and I really appreciate the way he interacts with me and my team. He’s been patient at explaining to us why some of the things we’re doing might be bad, and he’s fixed a lot of our existing problems. It’s just been amazing.

How did iTech4Web perform from a project management standpoint?

Dima is a rockstar. He very thoroughly scopes the work and makes his team stick to the set timelines. I also like that he’s very upfront about what he can and cannot commit to, seeing as he has other projects on the side. 

They use Jira so that I have complete visibility on how much time they’re spending on each of those tasks. This also helps them come up with a proper breakdown for the invoices. They’ve almost always come under budget. We use Slack to talk between our global teams, and we’ve established a really good flow of communication through that tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expertise in Drupal has been clear stand-out to me. It’s why I chose to work with them in the first place. They’re also very knowledgeable when it comes to DevOps workflows. They know how to do the work and track it through the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I would recommend is for them to push sooner to be integrated with our Slack channel and Jira workspace. We spent 8–9 months talking through WhatsApp because I had reservations about bringing them into our channels. When we finally brought them in, however, our collaboration became five times better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You get what you give. The more open and honest you can be with Dima about what you need done, the more you get in return. The quicker you can get to a good level of collaboration, and the quicker you can work in the same environments, the quicker you will see value from your partnership.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own and run 2 business involved in Loyalty and Sponsorship

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire iTech4Web, and what were your goals?

I engaged with iTech4Web for two different projects. The first was to spec out and develop the user journey and designs for a fan engagement application, designed to enhance a fans experience and mine out user data. The goal was to bring the project to sub- MVP stage for the purposes of initial presentations to clients The second project was the development of a quick web-site to assist in the roll-out of a separate, tactical business initiative.

SOLUTION

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

We short listed potential vendors on Upwork and arranged zoom based interviews with each. The deciding factors were based on

1. Our confidence the vendor could deliver.
2. Their ability to understand the brief
3. Fluency in English
4. Experience
5. Costs

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

After the initial conversations, where the project requirements were briefed, we met with the broader team. iTech4Web clearly set-out their time-lines and key deliverables. All of which they met without fault. They used WordPress for the site and various design packages for the user journey screens of the app

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

3 people employees from iTech4Web were engaged in the project. The CEO, Client Services Director and Senior Designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The feedback we have received from the work iTech4Web completed for us has been superb and is leading to the development of significant business for our company

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

All communication was done via UpWork, with messages responded to almost immediately. Their management style was impressively authoritative, they were very proactive in moving the project through the timelines. They didn't sit back and wait. Truly an excellent team to work with

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

They were unwavering in their commitment to get the project done. What impressed me even more was their total honesty about their abilities - never over promising. Also, on one occasion, we over paid iTech, and it was unlikely that we would have ever noticed. However, iTech contacted us immediately to inform us of our mistake and refunded the payment instantly. impressive, not many companies would have acted so quickly.

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

in a word. No. iTech4Web were superb to work with & I look forward to dealing with them a lot more in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a b2b apparel and accesories marketplace that connects wholesalers with retailers all accross Argentina. I am a Business Analyst and Project Manager at this company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire iTech4Web, and what were your goals?

We hired this company to make some adjustments to our Apache Solr search engine configuration because of some issues that were not working properly and couldn't fix them. Also they suggested new functionalitites we could add and we asked them to implement them.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for Drupal 7 developers and we decided to choose this vendor because we got the impression that they had a good amount of knowledge on the subject matter.

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

I described my issue on the job posting and then we had a meeting to vheck on the details. Then, he gave me the code that we had to merge with our code in order to solve the issues and implement the functionalities. The technologies used where Drupal 7 and Apache Solr.

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

The full stack developer did all of the coordination and development that the job required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw that the search engine results were optimized and all of the new functionalities worked without any problems.

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

The task was not very complex, so with one meeting and constant messaging was enough to do the job. They delivered quickly.

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

The most impressive thing was that they had a lot of knowledge in Drupal 7.

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

We don't have any comments.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of SLIM

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We're an arts and culture organization for intersex people anywhere in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire iTech4Web to accomplish?

• Create a proper workflow for updating our Drupal 11 project
• Figure out why modules are currently broken
• Teach staff members how to maintain proper workflow

SOLUTION

How did you find iTech4Web?

Other

Why did you select iTech4Web over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Other

How many teammates from iTech4Web were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Upgrading within Drupal 11, diagnosing why modules are broken, and delivering a working site and clean workflow for managing updates in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Website works! It's so smooth and nice.

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

Yes. Dima was always ahead of schedule and communicative.

What was your primary form of communication with iTech4Web?

Virtual Meeting

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

Dima is the contractor gold standard... He set up a really tight and thorough infrastructure for us, built scripts so that I could easily automate what I needed to to DIY without him, and basically volunteered to speed run me through Becoming a Developer 101. Just did full updates by myself for the first time and am really excited. I have everything I need for success on the website end!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the COO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

An environmental consulting and engineering firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire iTech4Web to accomplish?

• Seamlessly convert photos into PDFs to be included in reports

SOLUTION

How did you find iTech4Web?

Referral

Why did you select iTech4Web over others?

Referred to me

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

• PDFify: a powerful tool designed to seamlessly convert your photos into PDFs, making them ready for inclusion in your reports.
• Customizable Descriptions: Simply name your photo files with the text you want displayed as the description under each image.
• Order Your Photos: Photos will be arranged alphabetically. If you prefer a specific order, start the file names with numbers (e.g., "01," "02," etc.) to sequence them exactly as you want them presented.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The beta version of the product

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

They delivered projects on time and addressed all our feedback promptly. They communicated through the entire process and were very easy to work with. 

What was your primary form of communication with iTech4Web?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their ability to execute our request and create a very easy-to-navigate UI. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something iTech4Web could have done differently?

No