Nebula

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of proxeedo IT Solutions GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

proxeedo is providing nearshoring IT Services with a strong focus on Data Engineering, Data Science and Full-Stack development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• highly qualified and reliable developers
• cost-reducing (compared to onsite colleagues)
• sustainable partnership

SOLUTION

How did you find Nebula?

Online Search

Why did you select Nebula over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Nebula were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

There are a lot of different requirements in our clients environment distributed on several projects. Part of all projects was e. g. cloud development (GCP), implementing of microservices, development of algorithms and machine learning models, implementation of real-time data pipelines and many more. Nebula has provided the right candidates based on the clients requirements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

scaling of the time size, extending contracts, entering more clients, building up a reliable and trustworthy partnership

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

All my requirements are fulfilled directly and on time. Nebula is supportive and reachable. In case of any new requirement, adjustment or concern I can directly reach out to Nebula to find the best possible solution for me and our common clients. 

Even during smaller crisis (e. g. layoffs due to budget cuts) our relationship is still full of respect and Nebula is flexible to give a fair response and a way to deal with any challenge. In terms of project organization within the clients projects, all colleagues/developers/engineers are supportive and helping each other to keep the quality and therefor the client satisfation high.

What was your primary form of communication with Nebula?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I really appreciate, our collaboration is characterized by trust, reliability, and transparency. It is always a pleasure to meet with the guys to speak and think over a wide variety of topics. Since we share a common vision and same values, we can align our strategy to fulfill our common clients needs and requirements. We can use our synergies to keep our both companies growing. 

The management of Nebula is communicative and reliable and they always strive to find a quick solution in the sense of me and/or our common clients. The management (and of course the guys within the projects) have a broad technical and professional knowledge and support me and my clients in finding the right people for our projects.

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

I'm really satisfied and happy with the current situation. A challenge could be the communication loop within the daily work between developer, client, Nebula and proxeedo. Whilst we are aligning on management level, there might be a lack of insights or information about what is happening between developer and client in the project. 

Since we are working with individuals, there might be a different understanding of communication. (However, this is a general challenge when working with remote people and without deep insights into the project)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The International Antidepressant Withdrawal Project was created in 2011 by people from several countries to provide essential health information and support in five different languages. In addition to written information and videos, a discussion forum was staffed that provided daily feedback on health problems and coping with severe distress. It was the only such discussion forum for Polish and Dutch speakers. It is now an archive of valuable accumulated data and first-hand experiences related to this specific health problem. I am a Co-Founder and the Administrator.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Nebula Cloud Solutions?

We hired them to migrate our legacy software (website and forum) to the cloud and optimize them to increase performance.

SOLUTION

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

I was referred to them by Linode because Nebula could handle some unique features of the migration and the price was reasonable for this smaller project.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

At first, we had an initial meeting where we discussed the requirements of the project. After that, the team from Nebula started the migration and migrated everything to the cloud. They provided us with a staging link (not the production) to the migrated software so we could check that everything was working as intended. After our confirmation, they switched the production domain to work on the new cloud infrastructure.

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

Unknown. I personally only worked directly with the Managing Partner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The migrated site worked perfectly, including a large discussion forum. Some functions were even improved over the old version of the site. Traffic to the site immediately increased substantially. This was totally surprising, and not even something I had expected.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had one international phone call followed by frequent emails to discuss details. Communication with them was prompt, responsive to all my concerns, very courteous, very clear, and straightforward. We were able to solve any problems and complete the migration quickly and smoothly.

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

Managing Partner Ilija Ivanovski is a diligent, sincere person to work with. Nebula Cloud Solutions cared about the client's satisfaction and was creative and willing to go the extra mile.

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

No. I will definitely go back to Nebula as I develop any future projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Gordian Sistemi DOO (LLC) is a company registered in 2015 as a result of previous ventures with the goal of creating project CARRIE as a new innovative product. The combined resources, knowledge, and experience of its founders and first-team members were aligned with the team goal of creating a revolutionary product for the long-term care sector. I am the General Manager of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Nebula Cloud Solutions, and what were your goals?

1. Custom development of the user and admin interface of the management software.
2. Communication between the sensor devices and the server.
3. Provide cloud infrastructure for our server.

SOLUTION

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

We knew the founders of Nebula for some time and collaborated on smaller projects as freelancers. We knew that they have the skills and dedication for our project.

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

1. Continuously improving and updating embedded software for sensor modules responsible for crucial parameters like body positioning and heart rate. Fixing all the bugs and problems during the process.
2. Deployment of new version after consulting with care coordinator in 3 sequences, in coordination with care expert team T4.2
3.  Improvement of learning algorithms after the use of real data for recognizing the patterns - sleeping, sitting, walking, etc.
4. Updating and debugging the scripts for AI using ROS (Robotic Operating System) platform.
5. Connect and mine the database containing real data from the test sites.
6. Expand the analytic scripts for complex multiple data streams analytics. Create scripts for customizable data analysis.
7. Internal testing and bug fix UI/ UX development
   1. Improving the UI application based on the remarks and feedback from the testing sides
   2. Improving the customizable UI structure and developing the Role Concept to cover the internal employment structure in different organizations from various regions.
8. Developing and deploying the Android, IOS, and WApp applications for covering all current platforms
9. Fixing the bugs and problems of existing software after installing the system in selected 8 LTC facilities.
10. Monitoring the system after the initial start in a real-life environment.
11. Develop the embedded software and code the communication functions for HUB and SDK module.
12. Expand the database structure to support the new module and storing the data. 
13. Test the functionality and stability of the entire system and lifespan and tolerances of new hardware components and testing how the system is supporting the 3rd party sensors which are already in use in testing sides.
14. Documentation on physical connectivity, communication protocols and software development kit tools will be published.
15. Development of an API module and create first connections with software applications already in use at the test sites. API will be well documented to enable developing scripts for interoperability with other software.

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

4 people:

1. project manager/cloud engineer.
2. embedded developer
3. Front end developer
4. Backend developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We finish phase one of our projects, and by end of the year we will finish phase two and then launch the product

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

The communication was impeccable, we used all standard electronic communication, and in-person meetings, and brainstorming. We felt as they are part of our team, and stopped looking at them as outsourcing providers.

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

They are agile and go the extra mile to propose improvements. Their best practices, and ability to choose suitable technologies for the client's needs were impressive.

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

It looks like they work 24/7, so often I will get a message with a question or result at any time of the day, they need to relax a bit.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Cash Flow Management PDOO Skopje

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a digital platform that mediates factoring.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Full development of a digital platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Nebula?

Referral

Why did you select Nebula over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Nebula were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Objective: The primary objective of this project was to design, develop, and deploy a cloud-native application hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), utilizing a serverless architecture while integrating with a legacy government system using a SOAP API. 

Scope Overview: The scope encompassed a comprehensive development cycle, covering architecture design, integration with the legacy system, frontend and backend development, user security with AWS Cognito, data encryption, testing, documentation, and training. 

• Key Deliverables: Serverless Architecture and AWS Services Setup: 

- Design a serverless architecture using AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, Amazon S3, Amazon DynamoDB, and AWS Step Functions. 

- Set up AWS infrastructure, including Lambda functions, API Gateway endpoints, S3 buckets, DynamoDB tables, and Step Functions workflows. 

• Integration with Legacy Government System (SOAP API): 

- Develop a SOAP API client to facilitate seamless communication with the legacy government system. 

- Implement data transformation and mapping between SOAP XML and application data structures. 

- Manage secure authentication and authorization for API communication. 

• AWS Cognito Integration for User Security: 

- Integrate AWS Cognito to provide user registration, authentication, and authorization functionalities. 

- Implement secure token-based authentication for application users. 

- Configure user roles and permissions using AWS Cognito groups. 

• Frontend and User Interface Development: 

- Design and develop user-friendly web interfaces for sellers and buyers. 

- Create seller and buyer dashboards for managing transactions, listings, and account settings. 

- Implement user registration and password reset flows using AWS Cognito components. 

• Backend Development and Functionality: 

- Develop AWS Lambda functions to handle various application functionalities. 

- Implement API endpoints for listing and purchasing receivables, leveraging API Gateway. 

- Set up database interactions using DynamoDB for storing transaction history, user profiles, and related data. 

• Data Security and Encryption: 

- Implement encryption mechanisms to secure sensitive data at rest and in transit. 

- Utilize AWS KMS for key management and encryption services. 

• Testing and Quality Assurance: 

- Conduct unit testing for Lambda functions and API endpoints. 

- Perform integration testing to ensure seamless interaction between application components. 

- Carry out security testing to identify vulnerabilities and address potential risks. 

• Documentation: 

- Provide comprehensive architecture documentation explaining the serverless setup, SOAP API integration, and AWS Cognito configuration. 

- Document user flows, including registration, authentication, and account management. 

- Create guides for sellers and buyers on using the application and understanding security features. 

• Deployment and Monitoring: 

- Deploy the application on AWS using Lambda and API Gateway. 

- Set up Amazon CloudWatch for monitoring application performance, logging, and error tracking. 

• Training and Knowledge Transfer: 

- Conduct training sessions for stakeholders on using the application, security features, and integration mechanisms. 

- Transfer knowledge about maintenance, troubleshooting, and ongoing updates. 

Summary: 

This project's scope encompassed the development of a feature-rich cloud-native application hosted on AWS, integrating with a legacy government system using SOAP API, and leveraging AWS Cognito for secure user authentication and authorization. 

The deliverables included serverless architecture design, SOAP API integration, AWS Cognito configuration, frontend and backend development, security measures, thorough testing, detailed documentation, and training materials. The successful execution of this project demonstrated expertise in modern cloud technologies, legacy system integration, user security, and comprehensive solution development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Successful cloud-native application deployment on AWS. 
• Reliable integration with legacy system via SOAP API. 
• Effective and compliant user authentication and authorization with AWS Cognito. 
• Scalable serverless architecture supporting varying workloads. 
• Accurate data transfer rates and error handling for SOAP API. 
• User engagement metrics: listings, purchases, dashboard usage. 
• Timely API responses and efficient transaction processing. 
• Sensitive data encryption and secure storage validation. 
• Comprehensive testing coverage and rapid bug resolution. 
• Complete documentation and positive user adoption of guides. 
• High application uptime and availability. 
• Positive user and stakeholder feedback on usability and satisfaction.

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

The project management approach was well-structured and efficient. They assigned a dedicated project manager who played a central role as the main point of contact. 

This project manager helped ensure that the project's objectives were aligned with the technical capabilities, and they facilitated the process of reaching the desired solution within the designated budget. Overall, the project management approach appears to have contributed to the successful delivery of the project, meeting objectives on time and ensuring a smooth collaboration between your team and theirs.

What was your primary form of communication with Nebula?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What stood out most were their transparency, professionalism, deep knowledge, punctuality, and the involvement of young and talented individuals.

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

Incorporating more interactive user feedback sessions could have enhanced user-centric design.