Predica

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We deliver performance tracking that evaluates large organizations’ internal digital channels. It tells people whether documents are being read, how their content is being used, and whether there’s a high level of adoption.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Predica?

To support our growth, Predica is our partner when it comes to sourcing talent and strengthening the technical capabilities within our team. Throughout the years, we have recruited more than 10 highly skilled developers in our project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we need a developer with a skill set in a specific technology, we use Predica to get that capacity into our organization. 

What is the team composition?

On average we have around 4 people working with us.

How did you come to work with Predica?

Predica worked with one of our customers.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Predica helped us scale our company. We’ve managed to build a scalable business with them. Two years ago, we had to rebuild our product because the industry shifted from on-premise to cloud-based. Predica helped us redefine our whole business offering by building a cloud MVP within 6 months.

How did Predica perform from a project management standpoint?

We do the project management and they deliver the people. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Predica has a get-things-done mindset. This helps us respond really fast whenever a challenge occurs. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

When something has gone wrong, Predica has always taken responsibility for their part.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be really clear about what you want and make sure to explain the underlying reasoning/content for it from a business perspective. Predica is really good at finding solutions, if they understand the challenge/opportunity behind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an infrastructure and datacenter lead and I work for a government ministry of economy and commerce. We develop programs to execute on policies related to the development of business and trade sectors, monitor business activity, provide guidelines and directions according to the national development requirements, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Predica?

The main goal was to enhance security by implementing a multi-layer authentication system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Predica provided full support for the Microsoft EMS [Enterprise Mobility Suite] which includes Azure Active Directory Premium, Azure RMS, Advanced Threat Analytics, and Microsoft Intune. They monitored platform updates and changes, advising on the customer production environment.

We worked with a project coordinator and dedicated consultants who deployed the solution. They provide support and review the synchronization of statistics and errors, as well as service-related event logs while watching over the process of data synchronization

How did you come to work with Predica?

We have chosen Predica as a reliable and experienced Microsoft Partner.

How much have you invested with Predica?

We have invested $23,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in August 2016 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work is ongoing, however, the multi-factor authentication they provided allowed us to integrate into our registration website and also allowed to replace RSA tokens. These activities brought easily calculated return on investment.

What did you find most impressive about Predica?

What I find most impressive about them is their reliability, their ability to act fast and provide a fast response, and their quality.

Are there any areas Predica could improve?

Their documentation could have been better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a pharmaceutical company that is mainly focused on skincare products. I am the lead infrastructure architect.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Predica?

We started an identity management project using Microsoft technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Predica worked on rebuilding our infrastructure with new Microsoft Active Directory solutions, identity and rights management, DirectAccess, and so on, using mainly Microsoft products and services.

The main element is the forefront identity management setup which was architected by Predica in collaboration with a previous member of our team. They have been in charge of maintenance and further development of that. We also used them for running operations during the first year when the system was put into production. We have also been using Predica for security deployment, multifactor authentication deployment, and moving from an old RSA solution to the Microsoft MFA. Predica handled the design and implementation for this.

We also have an ongoing Active Directory Federation Services agreement. Whenever we need to federate with a new cloud service, we will contact Predica for the task.

How did you come to work with Predica?

I wasn’t on board when Predica was originally contracted. In 2014, after having a few meetings, I became confident that they knew what they were talking about and were proactive in offering explanations.

They were a subcontractor for Microsoft. After the initial project ended, we had some enhancement requests, and we were referred to Predica again. We setup an agreement so that we could use their services without having to go through Microsoft every time, and have continued this for the last two or three years.

How much have you invested with Predica?

Over the last year, we’ve spent close to a million Danish Krone [$150,700 USD], on Predica’s services. I would assume that we spent about the same the previous year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Predica in February 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our identity management solution and other platforms are being used by 4,500 internal employees, and 1,000 external ones. The goal of our project has been to heighten security, so we haven’t looked at metrics regarding costs and similar factors.

Some of the solutions we implemented have helped, but the results have been down more to the choice of platform from our side. Predica simply implemented them, but they also give us heads-up when there is something to address. They are proactive in giving us proper warning, when needed.

How did Predica perform from a project management standpoint?

I like the fact that Predica has taken the responsibility of making sure that things are done. We’ve sometimes worked with companies which only did what we asked them to do. With Predica, we have access to people who can think independently, and who want to provide a good solution. They are good at sticking to deadlines and delivering good quality.

We have engaged often with one of Predica’s partners. He delegated tasks to the resources needed. I believe that they handle technical seams directly, without using project managers.

We typically ask Predica’s team if a particular task is something they can handle. If it is, they will find the right resources. The consultants assigned to our tasks do change from time to time, as with any other company, but it’s not been an issue so far.

We normally communicate via email and Skype for Business.

What did you find most impressive about Predica?

I can’t think of anything they haven’t done well. Predica delivered what was promised for all our projects, in a nice and solid way.

Are there any areas Predica could improve?

It would be nice if Predica was located in the same country as us, so that onsite communication would be possible, but the relationship overall has been working great. They have been willing to visit us in-person, but, as any company, we are considering travel costs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior manager of the IT department of a retail company focused on the construction industry. We are a network of stores in this area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Predica?

We had been using MDaemon since 1996, when the Polish branch of the company was started. Because of our scale (there are 10,000 people working in the company), the system became unable to meet our demands, so we chose to change to Office365. We considered a few other competitors, including Google, but we believed that the Microsoft technology would be the best solution for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Predica took the technical lead of our migration aspects. We had at least 4,000 mailboxes installed in our company, and needed support for the transfer of the old data to the new system, and the synchronization of the two solutions. We chose a cloud solution, which was a new field for us, and there was a question of installing the Microsoft Active Directory catalog, which allows us to authenticate users.

We have implemented many projects together beyond the Office365 one. After Microsoft technology became more and more popular inside our company, we also made the decision to implement solutions like SharePoint and Azure. We have also implemented some local projects.

How did you come to work with Predica?

They were suggested to us by the local Microsoft division. Predica prepared a technical analysis including the information which would be at the forefront of our Office365 installation. They also went deeper into our systems, and prepared a scope which convinced us to choose Predica as a provider.

How much have you invested with Predica?

They are featured in our Microsoft contract as an implementation partner. Predica receives a monthly fee from Microsoft which is dedicated to the implementation of new projects with us. Not all cost aspects are obvious to me, as a result, but I would estimate Predica’s involvement at around €100,000 [$110,000] in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with Predica for around two and a half years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Predica perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very professional. I looked at other companies in our market, in order to compare the pricing and level of service offered by Predica, but they remained our best choice.

I’ve had many direct contacts with the team, but I’ve mainly worked with Predica’s project managers lately, since we are implementing a new project. During the Office365 implementation, I had the opportunity to meet many of the technical people on the team. I found them to be quite skilled. The total team size is around 10 people.

What did you find most impressive about Predica?

They are very impressive in terms of technical knowledge. They knew what solutions are offered by Microsoft, and suggested the best solutions for us.

Are there any areas Predica could improve?

Predica could improve the reaction time of the support team. There was too much need for confirmation on their end before starting work on our systems. The team double-checked before doing anything, and we’ve had to explicitly commit to their plan. It’s not a big deal for me, but it is an area worth analyzing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a Qatari government development company. We receive land from the government and are building special economic zones, preparing those areas for future investors. I am the CRM [customer relationship management] specialist for the company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Predica?

We needed to build a CRM for application evaluation and other internal processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Predica was engaged to implement our CRM system. It has a web frontend on which potential investors can apply for land or special economic zones. It was built using Microsoft SharePoint and hosted on-premises. The site has basic marketing information and news. There is an investor section which requires logging in. Investors can fill in applications there, submit and download documents, give feedback, submit tickets, and receive information from us.

The backend is Microsoft Dynamic CRM 2015 and is also hosted on our servers. We are using Windows Server and Microsoft SQL Server. There is also Active Directory work involved in our system. The backend system is where all our information is stored. If someone submits an application from SharePoint, it’s saved in the CRM and has a number of business processes applied. An application submission will trigger the evaluation process, and the application will be assigned to one of our business development team leaders, who will further assign it to one of our office members. They will contact the investor and track all previous CRM activities.

Predica acted as the developer, but they also provided some consulting services. The main selection of the architecture was prepared by Microsoft.

How did you come to work with Predica?

We found them through Microsoft. Predica is a preferred partner of theirs for the Middle East. We had been working directly with Microsoft and with one of their subsidiaries called Global Delivery. After the initial phase of the project, we switched to Predica based on Microsoft’s decision.

How much have you invested with Predica?

The cost of Predica’s work was at least $362,000. We paid more to Microsoft.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project itself started in November of 2014. The first phase lasted until May of 2015, after which we started working with Predica. Their main involvement wrapped-up in June of 2016. We had a final deployment in December. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We currently have around 100 internal CRM users. During one and a half years of activity, we collected around 5,000–6,000 applications from investors—some for economic zones, and others for entering the land.

How did Predica perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was one of Microsoft’s roles, so it’s difficult to give feedback for Predica. We had two architects from Predica involved in the project—one for the CRM and one for the SharePoint part. They worked on-site for part of the time, but there was also a development team in Poland. The whole team was made up of 20 people, who were involved at different times over the course of the project.

What did you find most impressive about Predica?

Compared to other companies we’ve worked with, Predica was always on schedule. Even though our requirements were always changing, their team was flexible, and we had a good collaboration.

Are there any areas Predica could improve?

They could work more on-site, but our collaboration model was different. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of Goodtech, an engineering solutions, projects and services company. Our core business involves automation and industrial IT.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Predica?

We engaged with them for security support on the IT side for some of the solutions we deliver to customers, as well as identity management, which has been our main priority.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Predica helped us setup a high-level architecture and identity-management solution. We were in the process of deploying Office365 and still had an on-premises Active Directory installation. We had no HR solution at the time and no automated processes related to onboarding or offboarding. We wanted to look at the entire space and come up with a best-practice scenario because we were moving aggressively to the cloud. Predica helped us put together a principal design for how this could be done, using standard Microsoft products more or less out-of-the-box, based on what we already had on-premises or what would be easily accessible for a subscription.

The deliverable was a paper recommendation of how this process could be conducted, rather than an implementable design. We implemented this direction ourselves as part of our strategy and used it to influence our choices of solutions and applications in the infrastructure and HR space throughout the year.

How did you come to work with Predica?

The main business found them, while those of us in the IT department tagged along. Predica seemed to be a good fit in terms of their services and capabilities. We’re mainly a Microsoft shop, and their team suited us with regards to the applications we were looking for. Based on the initial conversations we had with Predica, they came across as very professional and knowledgeable in those particular areas, so we got a good feeling.

How much have you invested with Predica?

The cost of their work was around €15,000 [$17,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first interaction with Predica was at the end of April of 2016. We’ve used them for a couple of phases; the first one, around identity management, wrapped up around June. We gave them another small package in August, which concluded in October.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have approximately 400 users spread across 12 locations. This is important in terms of the processes we need to support. We also had 5 different payroll systems that needed to be integrated. Predica’s preliminary work helped us build business cases for individual investments.

How did Predica perform from a project management standpoint?

I wasn’t involved in every aspect of the work. We had a project manager on our side running the work; on Predica’s side, a project owner was also involved in the architecting process. The 2 managing partners I talked to, Tomasz [Onyszko] and Paweł [Szczecki], were both actively involved in the architecting process. I supplied high-level direction and scope.

I’m not sure what other resources were involved, but Predica put a team together and held workshops with our HR and IT-service management people. It wasn’t a very big project. We were involved with Predica’s team during 3 days of workshops and another 2-day workshop at the end, which served as a wrap-up.

What did you find most impressive about Predica?

I was very impressed with the level of knowledge of the people with whom I dealt personally. Generally, when dealing with a consulting company, a salesperson will come in and pitch the project to us and run through all the commercials, without really knowing much about the technical aspects. With Predica, every senior person I talked to on the business side was very involved in the technical details; as I understand it, they also work as senior architects. I found this to be refreshing and efficient, especially for a company of our size, which doesn’t have commercial departments and purchasing resources. We do everything in the IT department. We appreciated the ability to follow the project from conception to delivery, more or less with the same people. We were on the same page throughout the process.

Other providers we’ve used tended to supply junior persons on the technical side, who would consult expertise in the back office and would end up with something that didn’t seem consistent or planned. Predica is at the other end of this scale, at least from our experience. They have highly skilled people involved in the technical elements and in understanding our issues and challenges.

Are there any areas Predica could improve?

I can’t really think of anything. I was happy with the entire delivery. The main drawback for us was working remotely for almost the entire project. If Predica had offices in the next building, we would have used them a lot more than we did. Culturally, our organization is used to having IT resources available locally, and this is our main reason for not engaging with Predica beyond these 2 projects.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Predica?

If the organization is used to working remotely and in a distributed fashion, Predica will be a great choice. Otherwise, this can be a non-starter. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a supply-chain management and logistics company. I am a business analyst responsible for the design, development, and implementation of client supply-chain solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Predica?

We were looking to expand our knowledge and capabilities around Azure in order to speed up our digital journey and get the development of our supply-chain solutions coded within that environment. I was involved with their team and dedicated around 30% of my time to the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Predica worked on the ingestion of our data sources into the cloud, as well as on building the first solution connected to those data sources. They built the analytics solution for pushing our data into an application for visualization. Predica leveraged their knowledge around different Azure services, including Data Lake.

How did you come to work with Predica?

They were brought in by Microsoft as a partner after we started our engagement with the company.

How much have you invested with Predica?

The project cost was around $180,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Predica in March 2016. The project was completed in January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t measured any KPIs. We are looking to set up certain standards and requirements upfront, so that when we have another engagement in this area, those metrics will be in place.

Looking at the overall output, it was okay, without being mind-blowing. Predica met our requirements, but we’ve had to redo a couple of items.

Predica has been selected as a partner which will work with us on the Azure space. We plan to use them for further engagements.

How did Predica perform from a project management standpoint?

I would rate Predica a 6/10 for this area. They managed to deliver the solution we requested, but there were a few bumpy moments throughout the journey. The team was agile and willing to adjust to changing situations, which we appreciated, but the communication with the other providers involved in the project was lacking. This part could have gone much better.

During the proof-of-concept stage for a new technology we were onboarding, Predica’s team was able to suggest solutions for many of the problems we were facing, which is where their agility was appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about Predica?

Their ability to adapt to our environment, while we were implementing something completely new to the company. Predica adjusted to the changes, as they were coming, and I liked their ability to rescale according to our needs.

Are there any areas Predica could improve?

Going back to the point I mentioned before, Predica’s communication and ability to take the driver's seat in projects that involve multiple parties, and everyone depends on each other. This would be good for Predica to develop further, so that we won’t see misalignments and miscommunication when multiple parties from different companies are brought in.