Pernix Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a strategy and business operations director at a business school. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Pernix Solutions?

We are always looking to offer the newest learning technologies, one of which is simulation. Simulations are great because they allow people to experiment with situations that they might encounter in real life, in a controlled environment. They also consolidate the information and learning that people receive in the classroom.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pernix Solutions helped us in the development of a business simulation, specifically simulation of organizational change. They have been fully responsible for all of the technical details.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 3–4 people.

How did you come to work with Pernix Solutions?

The members of Pernix have participated in some of our educational programs. They’re interested in new education technologies, so we decided to start collaborating with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

This first project was about three years ago. We continue collaborating with them, as this tool is in constant evolution.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have used this technology for several executive training programs. We’ve trained about 500 people each year over the last three years, so the impact has been great.

How did Pernix Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very timely, and their communications are fluid. We communicate via email, personal meetings, and WhatsApp. They have always been available for any comments or updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have been important allies for us on this project. We went to them with a goal, and they contributed ideas and great insight, not just on the technical side but on the conceptualization of the project. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I am honestly very happy with their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager of a coupon redemption company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pernix Solutions?

We were trying to develop a new programming system that’d allow our clients to access their data over the web. Essentially, we needed a company to come in and help us develop the solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Pernix Solutions team built the system for us. The solution’s programming was in an older language but they came in and worked with it to make the new system work and interact with our newer system; even though the languages aren’t the same between the systems.

What is the team composition?

The team composition has fluctuated based on the project stage. We primarily work with Jose (Software Crafter). He’s our project lead as well as helps us maintain the system and additional programming. Carlos (CEO) often jumped in to help with additional resources from time to time when the need was there.

How did you come to work with Pernix Solutions?
Pernix Solutions was recommended to us by the programmers who built our original system. We had an engagement with a different vendor at first, but they didn’t complete the project for us. We were very discouraged, over budget, and way over time for delivery. Our team talked to our original programmers for guidance and one of them recommended we talk with Carlos. Everything fell into place from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $25,000–$50,000. They offer rates that are competitive and reasonable for us. We invested $35 an hour for the contracted work and $50 an hour for additional programming. Right now, we’re paying about $50 an hour for maintenance.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since 2018, and our partnership is ongoing. The initial project has wrapped up. It’s been online for a while now. We’re working another project right now, but due to COVID-19, we’re restricted and have had to pause it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system seems to be working very well. Our business is very unique in the way that it works and the programming needed to run it. It’s essential to understand our business to some degree.

Jose learned that process over a period of time. It’s difficult for a programmer to come in and build a system that works unless they understand what it’s supposed to be doing and how the process works. It took a little bit of time, but Jose learned everything and now he’s a valuable asset in addressing any bugs or problems we run into with our system or legacy systems.

How did Pernix Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style is very effective. They use an internal project management tool, but I’m not involved with it. The Pernix Solutions team is very responsive. When we have issues, they address and resolve them quickly. What’s more, Carlos is fair about issues we run into regarding financial matters or if something may or may not have been done right.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Carlos has been working with us and allowing Jose to jump in and take care of requests.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As with any programming company, there are issues with delivering a project on time. It’s not Pernix Solutions’ fault because most programming projects go over their timeline. They did well and their timing was good. It was expected that we’d go over. Some of that was due to us too. We started asking for additional features or things came up that they weren’t aware of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run a small company called Dynamoid. We specialize in all kinds of development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pernix Solutions?

I mostly work with them on web development projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did full-stack web development for us. They work with a variety of different tech services and stacks. We’ve worked with React projects and iOS development. Machine learning and language processing work was also provided.

What is the team composition?

We currently have 4–5 team members.

How did you come to work with Pernix Solutions?

We got in contact with them through an ex-business partner who had worked with them before. The timezone is very close.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s around $20,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work started in 2018 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We can do much more with the larger team of developers. We’re able to do twice the work. They’re very capable.

How did Pernix Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They listen to what you want and are very responsive. They use Trello and we have a Slack channel. The communication has been successful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They care about their products. If they’re given the opportunity, they come up with product-focused solutions. They helped define features and give us great ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If you are very detailed and consistent, you get more back from them. Some of the team has better English skills than other parts.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT solutions architect at Reahard. We provide training for professionals in the automotive industry. We have a software product that facilitates recording video in the business office at auto dealerships for compliance and training purposes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pernix Solutions?

We’re in the process of upgrading our camera software to a whole new version, but there were bugs in our existing version. When we were trying to find a vendor to do the upgrade, Pernix surfaced and was willing to take on some of the maintenance tasks and fix those bugs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The program is .NET and C#, so I’m out of my wheelhouse being a browser-based LAMP stack person. Right now, they’re helping us create the new release in conjunction with a 3rd-party. Pernix is doing all of the technical stuff. It’s going to dramatically improve the software.

What is the team composition?

There were only a couple of people on that phase, but I’ve met more when they began the project they currently working on. Jose (CTO) is the team lead on the current project.

How did you come to work with Pernix Solutions?

A firm out of Chicago originally introduced us to Pernix. When they told the story of their company and why they were in Costa Rica, it was a good story. I liked what I heard from a human standpoint. What it really came down to though was that we needed a vendor with a specific skillset. We talked to them and were impressed by the phone conversation so we got down to business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve paid between $30,000–$50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been delivering as expected — that’s the number one thing. Software projects are notoriously difficult to estimate, and we didn’t work agilely so there’s timing flexibility, but they’ve been really good at consistently meeting deliverables.

How did Pernix Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a stand-up and check-ins every day. They’re both professional and approachable, as well as friendly. When we started with them, we shared a Trello board and used Slack. Those were very comfortable for me.

They’ve been good about communicating with us as well. You expect to have some complaints about people, but we‘ve worked with a lot of vendors over the years and Pernix has been a big win. I have no complaints. I’ll be sad when this project ends and I don’t get to work with them anymore.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re pleasurable to work with from a personality standpoint. I’ve learned some things from them as well.

With the new product, we’re having to integrate with a big corporate vendor. They have an old, outdated software package, and they don’t seem to have people that know anything about it. Since the beginning of this project, we’ve struggled to get meaningful technical information out of this company.

This has directly impacted what Pernix is trying to do. It’s frustrating and worrisome, but I’ve been pleased with how unflappable Jose has been. He’s properly concerned, but he doesn’t get worked up about it. He’s taken these difficulties in stride. They’ve dealt with adversity outside of our and their control and continued pulling out a win on this project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

HomeHero is devoted to building technology solutions that offer improved transparency and communication while providing tools to increase operational efficiency and improve the patient experience. My position is as Head of Development where I drive technology decisions and run the development team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pernix Solutions?

We hired Pernix Solutions as a staff augmentation provider for additional developers to help with internal software product development related to new customer acquisitions.

What were your goals for this project?

To complete or significantly push forward progress on the development of our internal software products.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were referred to Pernix Solutions via a third party vendor we had used in the past. We asked the vendor if they knew and could recommend any company in the development staff augmentation space and they, without hesitation, referred us to Pernix.

Describe the project in detail.

Without diving into confidential details, the project was to augment the existing team to help develop features, fix bugs and to provide expertise that our internal team might otherwise have been lacking. The product, in question, was comprised of several front-end interfaces that tied into an API backend.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned 4 developers and a QA analyst. Two of the developers focused on front-end and mobile development and two of the developers focused on the back-end. The QA analyst built automated tests for the front-end. We also had a weekly touch-point with a team/project manager from Pernix to make sure everything was running smoothly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The developers from Pernix Solutions were talented, driven and, ultimately very useful. They helped push the project forward and were making useful contributions within the first week.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Since we were operating under a staff augmentation model, the Pernix Solutions people simply jumped onboard as if we had hired them directly. They took part in team meetings, sprint plannings and so on. Since our team primarily communicated via slack and video conferencing anyway, there was really no difference between talking to an internal developer or a Pernix contractor.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We found the company to be very open and honest and willing to work with us on pricing, staffing and our, admittedly, tight timelines. Pernix always responded to questions in a timely manner and was always flexible with respect to our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would be helpful if, rather than tailored resumes for contractors, we would have been given a complete profile on the contractors we hired. To have a complete picture of what a developer is capable of and what their skills and competencies are is very helpful when planning future development tasks. For example, even though we hired a contractor for the expressed purpose of working on the front-end, it would be helpful to know that they also have back-end experience so that, if the need arises, we know the contractor can assist there as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering at Asserta Health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pernix Solutions?

We needed help with development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have able to get more hands to help us achieve certain strategic goals with Pernix Solutions. We do Ruby on Rails development, and we have been able to work on our backend and frontend with their help.

What is the team composition?

We’ve kept an average of two members from their team.

How did you come to work with Pernix Solutions?

Carlos (CEO), is Costa-Rican like me, and we connected. Once they proved their proficiency in Ruby on Rails, we gave them more complex projects to do. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $100,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re a startup, so the biggest value they provide to our team is the ability to tackle anything that’s thrown in their way. We’re not a traditional software shop, so it’s a plus that they can adapt to fast-changing circumstances. They help us work around problems in both a customer-facing CRM application as well as the backend that controls that CRM.

They’ve enabled us to grow into the services we need when we’ve been under high demand. They’ve allowed us to really use the number of hours we get from them in a way that you can’t get from normal staffing. We really enjoy the staff augmentation on a per hour basis. We’ve been to their offices in Costa Rica, and they’re very nice.

They have a very Google-like environment, so I understand that it’s very positive for the mindset of the resources. In general, we had a very positive experience.

How did Pernix Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I made a special request for project management and asked them to work as closely with my team as possible. They work with our project management tools and manage everything ourselves. We treat them like any of our other employees we have working full-time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very good at helping us find resources. They have all sorts of seniority levels we get to choose from. In one instance, we were working on a core architecture and we were able to get a much more senior resource to take a look at it.  If Pernix has the bandwidth, they will definitely help you achieve your objectives.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Intrinsic to the remote time, the worst thing that has happened was one of their employees working from home having some bad bandwidth issues. That’s not a direct reflection on them, though. Internet outages have been problematic. The only thing I could ask them to improve on is always having some sort of high-quality internet connection at their disposal.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a software development services provider. We specialize in DITA/XML CCMS solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pernix Solutions?

Sometimes, we have projects that come in a surge. Therefore, we often need additional software development resources to assist with our projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide development services around the technology stack that we need for our domain. This includes Java, XML, and XSLT. We go to them on an as-needed basis when projects come in. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with anywhere from one to seven developers based on the project requirements. 

How did you come to work with Pernix Solutions?

We were looking for a nearshoring partner, specifically someone located in Costa Rica. I’d worked with Carlos (President) in a previous position where he was leading another development team. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in total. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together eight years ago, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have been, and continue to be, an outstanding software engineering resource partner. Their team consistently exhibits strong technical knowledge, solid software development skills, and proactivity. They have a broad range of resources available with varying degrees of experience. It’s easy to find someone that can fit the needs of any given project. 

How did Pernix Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They use whatever project management tools our clients use. Typically, we use Agile methodology, and the team is savvy with that. We haven’t had any issues with their abilities to jump in and adapt to our client needs. They also have strong English skills, so we haven’t had any issues with communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The flexibility that they provide to us is impressive. Having access to team members of varying skill levels and being able to put together teams of different sizes is important to our projects. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

Nothing comes to mind. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CTO of ABAKiS Solutions. We’re a startup that provides data management solutions for autism service providers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pernix Solutions?

We’d developed a proof of concept for an online solution that would allow service providers to easily record, manage, and analyze large volumes of data. However, we needed some outside support making our product commercially viable.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our prototype was built on a LAMP Stack, and Pernix Solution’s rewrote it entirely on a Rails stack, which is what the whole application is now based on. 

In addition, the team uses some supplemental JavaScript and other platforms to support the solution. They provide any necessary maintenance and debugging. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about five to seven people in total, but never with more than two to three developers at a time.

How did you come to work with Pernix Solutions?

Pernix Solutions was recommended to me by a colleague who’d had positive experiences collaborating with the team in the past. We decided to partner with them because of their enthusiasm for our project and preferred rate offer. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $100,000-$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Pernix Solutions in October 2015, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Without our collaboration with Pernix Solutions, we wouldn’t have been able to build our platform.

They have a fully staffed development team, and we have access to all of the resources they offer, including senior UX designers and developers. Because of the range they provide, we’ve been able to achieve a lot of innovation that wouldn’t have been possible if we were working with an in-house team or even another provider. 

How did Pernix Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is exceptionally responsive, even at times working late hours or on the weekend to remedy issues as they arise. 

Carlos (Co-Founder & CEO, Pernix Solutions) has made himself particularly available to us. At one point, we ran into a problem that required a period of debugging that lasted almost a month, which they didn’t charge us for. It’s clear that Pernix Solutions really stands behind their work. 

We track progress with Trello, which gives us full visibility in terms of where they are throughout the entire pipeline. Everything is transparent.

Also, despite Pernix Solutions being an offshore provider, we’ve never had any communication issues as a result, especially given how minute the time difference is.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team at Pernix Solutions brings a lot of initiative to the project. They don’t blindly execute on whatever direction we give them, but instead apply thoughtfulness and experience to tasks. 

When the team feels there’s a better way to accomplish something, they let us know, which is important to us. They strike the perfect balance between allowing us to have control over the project, but providing guidance and pushback when necessary.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We couldn’t hope for better results with the limited resources we have.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager at Drug Free Sport International. We specialize in drug testing within the sports world. We perform drug testing collections for pro and amateur sports organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pernix Solutions?

We have a proprietary application that is the lifeblood of our business. It allows us to go out and perform the collections, take-in the data, send it out to our laboratories, receive the data for reporting on results, and everything else we do in relation to day-to-day drug testing. It was developed by a company that has become less available, so we needed to find a new developer to support the application and keep it moving forward.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have given us support for our current application. We were running into a challenge with our application and compatibility with iOS 13; it wasn’t working properly while we were testing. They helped us to take that mobile app and all the code and adjust it so we could continue doing what we were doing accurately.

We get requests to put in new functionalities from some of our clients fairly frequently so they can continue with all their workflows. One particular request came in from a professional sports league. They have a testing kit that they use and the workflow for that kit had changed and our application didn’t immediately support their needs. We reached out again to Pernix and they were able to change to our mobile application, web application, and API functionality and add in the features that we needed. After testing and verifying that it worked, we deployed that functionality and are now waiting to push out the application after completing our training with our contractors in the field.

We have other projects that we’ve gotten estimates on as well. We have a large project that we’re planning on, so it’s an ongoing relationship.

What is the team composition?

There are two developers. Occasionally, we’ll touch base with the owner. My primary contact is one of their senior developers.

How did you come to work with Pernix Solutions?

I’d conducted my own research looking for local development firms and I was hoping to connect with someone in our area that I could work with face-to-face. I explained to our old developer what we were looking for and they had relationships with a couple of development firms through a leadership counsel for development firms of their size. They had a relationship with two other companies and we reached out to both, but I got a really good response from Pernix Solutions.

Once I made a request for contact, the owner reached out to me quickly and we ended up on a video conference that same day. It was a good experience from the very beginning. They were responsive and personalized it so we could talk face-to-face as best we could.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2019 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They accomplished the support work on our app. Both the clients and we were happy with the functionalities they created.

How did Pernix Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I communicate with the developers via Slack, and we use GitLab as well. We’re also going to use SharePoint for some of the future projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There’s a big distance between countries, but they’re on our time zone which is really nice. I’ve been really impressed that there’s no language barrier whatsoever either. They communicate really effectively and are dedicated to what we’re doing.

I enjoy working with the head developer on everything that we’ve done. He’s really responsive, so if something isn’t quite right he doesn’t leave us on hold. He works with us to make sure it gets done quickly. They’re all invested in what we do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They just need more time to get well-versed in our products. They haven’t been on long enough to learn everything; they’re having to learn it on the fly. There’s been a few times, as they’re trying to figure it out, when things took longer than it would have for the other development company but that’s to be expected. They dig in and get it done. I believe it will come with time. They didn’t write the application and are having to piece it together.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a conversation with the owner to make sure that your philosophies and goals match with their skill-set and what they do. They’re pretty upfront and honest about the skillset and capabilities they have.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We guide high school students and their families through the college admissions planning process. Founded in 2005, we have assisted over 1200 students across the Chicagoland area and are taking our offering national. My role is CEO - Head of Product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pernix Solutions?

We hired Pernix to help us build out the MVP of our new platform which is a high-tech, high touch approach to college planning. The new platform helps us transition mainly manual in-person processes to more scale-able e-learning and digital tools.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to reduce and streamline manual processes in favor or more scale-able solutions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Pernix was personally recommended to us as a great resource for development.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We worked with Pernix on an ongoing basis for over a year on various epics related to our growth initiatives. We built a custom search tool to assist student in discovering more information about colleges. We build a custom integration between our platform and an LMS. Pernix acted as our full-time development team and managed all maintenance, bugs and refactoring.

What was the team composition?

Our team consisted of a project manager, several developers and often a developer in training. Pernix was extremely flexible in adding or removing team members as needed based on our budget and/or projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pernix full developed the MVP of our product and we are now on the market. We anticipate up to 30% reduction in our servicing costs with the new platform.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Over our time we had two project managers. They were extremely reliable, friendly and felt like part of our team. I developed great relationships with both of them and knew I could depend on them. They were always available, even in off hours and on short notice. We communicated mainly via slack and also used Trello for project management.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Carlos and the Pernix team have been a highly valuable resource for us. They are extremely flexible and understanding, which has been critical for us as a start-up with often changing cash flow and needs. We were able to downsize or upsize the team as needed. Their training program for developers is great as well - you are able to utilize up and coming talent for a great price.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Some of the developers could improve their English.