Realnets

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We produce custom decorated apparel like screen prints and embroidery for businesses, organizations, and events. I’m the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Realnets?

We needed technology built on an existing backend solution to help streamline the production cycle and manage all the stuff behind the scenes that the customer doesn’t see, like ordering, inventory management, and sales. We were using a whole slew of different programs that weren’t doing the job well enough, so I needed a custom platform built from scratch that would essentially solve all these problems under one unified hood. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had a pretty detailed project scope that they needed to follow. Everything they have done is completely custom. There is a lot of bottleneck currently in our system, and the whole point of what I’m getting built is about streamlining and efficiency. I finished that project with them, but we have ongoing projects as well. The next phase is eliminating any foreseeable bottlenecks so we can have a maximum output without having areas holding up either sales people or production.

I spoke with the sales person, the project manager (Brad), the engineer (Michael), and Jeremy. There were four individuals in total, but I don’t know how many were behind the scenes. We worked with these individuals periodically as the project advanced.

How did you come to work with Realnets?

They have a membership at 1871, a tech co-working incubator in downtown Chicago. They have some of their employees there a few days a week, and I also have an office there. I presented them with the project scope and then they put together a proposal with what they would take on and its cost. We went from there.

I did consider a few different options—hiring a full-time CTO, using a single freelancer, or going abroad—but I decided to stick with them because I wanted a quality job done on the coding here in the US. If I were to hire a CTO down the line, they could take it from there and not have to rewrite the code and figure everything out. Everything would be of quality and be good to go for the next phases.

How much have you invested with Realnets?

The first project was under $10,000, and they should be giving me a quote within the next couple of days for the next project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in early December 2016. They wrapped the project up in a month and a half: January 15^th, 2017. We are getting started on a new project right now. It will require similar custom dev work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They developed a 3rd-party API connection with one of my government manufacturers to allow us to get real-time pricing, inventory, products, and colors of all the available products we could purchase from them. For another API, they connected it with UPS to get us real-time shipping rates based on the distance and weight and size of the boxes.

How did Realnets perform from a project management standpoint?

There was always an easy communication line. I don’t know what they used on their end, but to communicate with me we used email and Google Docs because you could document everything and have a bullet point list of what needed to be done. If I needed to call them, I could have. If I sent them an email, more than likely it was returned on the same day. One of the biggest issues with hiring a firm overseas is the communication barrier: not only can you get higher quality products in the US, but the communication is ten times better.

What did you find most impressive about Realnets?

The engineers they hire have quality skills that cover a wide variety of projects without having to outsource to somebody else. With other projects in the past, I’ve dealt with the sales person throughout the whole thing, which is stupid. In this project, they had the engineers on the email chain with me. If I had a question, they could answer me directly instead of me asking somebody who asks someone else. I thought it was really nice. The people I was communicating with have the experience and knowledge to answer my questions.

Are there any areas Realnets could improve?

I actually recommended some improvements as we were going along, and they improved upon them immediately going forward. When I initially had my meeting, I dealt with the sales person and somebody else that looks over the whole project. But when I arrived at the meeting, I told them we should have the person who’s working on it in the first meeting so we can discuss technical specifications. When I came in for the second meeting to go over the second project scope, they had both engineers in the room, so we got right down to the details immediately. They adapted and fixed that pretty quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work at a major, accredited university.

What is your position?

I am the manager of an HIV-focused research lab.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Realnets?

We needed support for a server that stored images collected from our microscopes. We don’t have that kind of expertise here and, as a result, we got approval to find external help.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Their team helped maintain our infrastructure and restored it after unexpected failures. They kept it going for about six years.

Their services also included upgrading our servers, adding an additional 70 TB of storage. They did the research for the components used in the upgrade and then handled the implementation.

Realnets also designed the software we used for server failure monitoring and also made improvements in the general server connectivity within our lab space.

How did you come to work with Realnets?

I was looking for a company after the individual who previously managed our servers left the university. He'd created a Linux-based architecture that no one else knew how to support the system.

I contacted companies throughout the area looking for a team that would understand our architecture and would not only rebuild and recover lost data, but also expand our servers greatly.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total cost of the project was between $10-50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2010. The project ended last month. Our university has taken over our server and moved our data into a cloud-based system. Our interaction with Realnets is over for the moment.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Their work was great. The general feedback is that Realnets went above and beyond, helping us when we were in a pinch. Their response time was always quick, which was impressive. They also did a good job of explaining how our new system configuration would work. We found them very personable. They’re very proactive about maintenance and support.

What distinguishes Realnets from other providers?

They knew that they'd be working with a research lab that had limited funds. Realnets tried their best to fit our needs and do as much as they could with the limited funds that we had available. We were very successful as a result and I couldn't be happier with their work.

Is there anything Realnets could have improved or done differently?

No, they did great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Banner Vision is a content delivery service that allows our customers to aggregate, layout, and deliver content to virtually any digital display whether it's the television screen or a tablet – any digital device that has a display on it.

What is your position?

I am the CTO  and executive director. I'm wearing many hats. I oversee a lot of the business side of things, and I oversee a lot of the technical development – research and development and software development. I oversee both sides.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Realnets?

There was a couple. Our platform has both the client side and the server side. We developed client software that works with a lot of different environments, operating systems and hardware requirements. Then, all those systems have to interact seamlessly with our back-end – our server infrastructure. From a user point of view, they go to one place – our dashboard, and they can configure content, and then deploy it to whatever device it is. It might be device that's a 10-inch Android tablet, and the other device could be some 55-inch monitor hooked up to a Windows PC. From the end-user perspective, it has to be seamless. It has to be that they can lay something out and it has to look the same on the different devices. The challenge there is creating a simple, easy-to-use user interface, but also something robust. The goal was integrating all these types of environments into a single solution.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Their versatility in many different areas has been useful for us because being a tech company – a startup – we have many different elements of our business that are unrelated, but at the same time related. For instance, you can sign up for our service on our website and that requires integration with our dashboard, but it's essentially a back element that is somewhat separate from the core service. We wanted to create the transition and be able to lead somebody down this rabbit hole from gauging their interest on the brochure part of the site, but then calling them to action with the signup form. That's an element where it's good to have a company like Realnets that has a bunch of different disciples, and we can all talk to each other and collaborate on. We can leverage the expertise and variety of services they have to make a more holistic solution.

We're using everything from Java, JavaScript, SQL, HTML5 – many things. It can be on the client side, the dashboard, or the brochure side. At times, we've used their graphic design talents to create some marketing materials. There's Photoshop, Illustrator, and all those technologies, too. 

Realnets is not the only firm that we work with. They've been at the helm especially from the dashboard side. That's one area we completely delegated to them. Because this is a forward-facing application that can be viewed publicly, there are a number of security concerns, and there's also many users and user permission involved. We've done a lot of work in trying to sort through those topics while trying not to complicate the platform too much. We're in places where security is a big concern. We don't want people putting inappropriate content on the screens, but we don't want people accessing the database and getting content from there that they might not be authorized to do. Realnets has worked with us on those security parameters. They've done a very good job with it.

We're not developing something that is textbook and, as a result, we have collaboratively made some mistakes. I don't think I would point the finger at them. It's the nature of the beast. Looking in hindsight, could we have avoided some of those things? Sure. But, at the end of the day, their responsiveness to the issues that have come up has been great, and we've learned from those mistakes and are moving forward in preventing them from happening again in the future.

How did you come to work with Realnets?

Our parent company has done business with them in the past so they came highly recommended. They won on their own merit. We talked to them and a number of other firms, and we talked about our goals and needs and from a development structure and a cost structure, they wanted to be a partner in this and not just be somebody who sends us a bill every 30 days for their work. They're acted like a genuine partner in this effort and, for that, we're most appreciative.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was from $200,000 to $1,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with them two and a half years. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

They've been an integral part of our success from a high level. At the end of the day, in this particular business, much of what we rely on is our human capital. The product we have is fantastic, and we have many good things to say about it but, at the end of the day, if we're not able to deliver on that commitment, then it's just an idea. We as a company are focused on trying to get the right people to help us bring this concept to fruition. There are ways you can measure that, but they've helped us create value and our product. They've been with us from the beginning, so to put a number on it might undermine what you're trying to get. This was a project we didn't know how to approach. We thought we had a great idea, and they came onboard, and we've had tremendous success as a result of the product we have collaboratively put together. 

How did Realnets perform from a project management standpoint?

It's very good. Going back to the nature of the startup, we have a constant moving target syndrome. It makes project management difficult. We've also had Realnets manage some of our other contractors because going back to the multiple elements of our platform it's important for us to have that synergy between all the different aspects of the platform. Their atmosphere and ability to work with other people – there's no ego. It's important that they feel comfortable and can perform at their best with whomever they're working with. 

What distinguishes Realnets from other providers?

I think a key differentiator for them is their talent pool. They offer a wide range of services, from web design and development to digital marketing to network installation and configuration. Realnets is a one-stop shop. Being able to take advantage of all those skills has been tremendously valuable to us.

Is there anything Realnets could have improved or done differently?

The criticism I have for them is the same I have for developers in general – many times, the business model does not fit the logical model. Being engineers, they look at things from a very logical perspective. We make decisions on how they work for the business. They may not always be the most logical paths. The amount of time and resources spent on trying to drive those points home is often difficult with engineers. Some of the people we've worked with have been difficult to get on board with that. When they're not on board the enthusiasm is not there. It just creates some elements of difficulty. I don't know if it's fair to say that as a criticism because in the mind of an engineer, it's just ingrained in how to do things. What makes them a great engineer is what makes them a logical thinker or a poor business thinker. Maybe the way the challenge it could be different.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We’re a business-to-business software company. We develop and manage partner relationship management [PRM] systems for the large organizations and enterprise companies. PRM is fairly similar to customer relationship management [CRM], like Salesforce. Imagine Salesforce in a reverse situation, for business partners. For example, when you walk into a Best Buy, you don’t buy Best Buy products, you buy HP, Apple, Samsung, Panasonic, and so on. We help those companies manage their relationships with all their vendor partners, both from a financial transaction and investment standpoint.

They’ll invest in things like sales incentives, sales contests, advertising, vendor-incentive rebates, etc. We manage and organize all those activities with them, from beginning to end, and then we also do reporting. More recently, we got into content sharing. All of the partners always have messages to share upon new product releases, new promotions, and new things going on in their world; so this helps them share their stories with those partnering companies and their employees.

What is your position?

I am one of the founders of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Realnets?

Basically, we needed more bodies on the team. We were in a unique position given that one of our co-founders was the main coder for the original system we put in place. We were introduced to the Realnets team when we had to pick up a byproduct of our workload, among other things. That evolved into, ‘Hey, these guys can do the job’. They had a little more expertise in a wide range of things, especially since they had a full team already built out for a startup like us. Instead of going out and hiring a whole huge team, we can kind of leverage their team and expertise. That’s how the relationship has gone from there.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

For our legacy software, the bulk of maintenance work has been done at Realnets. We have a pretty sophisticated calculation engine that they work on, that updates based on our requirements. Every time our client comes up with some new way that they want to do something, we have to go in there and figure out the specifications. It usually involves either adding on components to the software, or tweaking the existing software. They’ve obviously done a great job at this. That’s probably 60% or 70% of the work they did for us at the beginning of the relationship.

They also handle our backend work, managing our servers and such, especially since it’s not our expertise. If there are issues or something broke down, they’ll investigate and troubleshoot for us.

Our most recent project with them, and probably the biggest, has been in the arena of content sharing. We have been building it with them not only into our existent software, but building it as a standalone that can co-exist with our existing software. It’s a complete application that allows most of our enterprise clients - from 200 to 600 of these partners - to come on board, create fresh content, and share file loads like PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, video, etc. They built that application from the ground up, which is kind of exciting.

In our legacy system, we’ve maintained to what we originally built the system with, which was more baseline hypertext preprocessor [PHP] and JavaScript. Again, it’s a lot of web-based technology, because that’s what we’ve really focused on.

How did you come to work with Realnets?

We got referred to them; more so with the hosting and server aspect, and then got introduced to all the other aspects of their business. We felt really comfortable with them after a couple of meetings, and it kind of expanded naturally from there, which was nice.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We have a rolling contract with them that fluctuates month-to-month. It’s nearly six figures every year. I think that for the first partial year with them we spent under six figures. Last year, we probably spent about $120,000. This year it’s going to be bumped up significantly because of the new application that we’re building.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with them around four years [since 2011], and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

In our relationship, when we put out a system for our end-users, we don’t really brand it under our name. It’s almost like white boxing software for them. For example, if we launched a project with Best Buy, their system and their users aren’t going to know our company, and they’ll never know Realnets exists there. They’ll know whatever we name that software package for them. Best Buy might come up with something like Best Buy Partners Center or something similar.

So from that aspect, no, there isn’t much I can really talk about, which is a byproduct of our relationship, not necessarily a byproduct of the work. From our standpoint, one of the challenges that we have as a company is this idea that we have demands put on us, like everybody else.  For the most part, one of the good things about having Realnets is our ability to scale up and scale down when we need to, especially on that development side. They’ve been a real asset in that respect.

Our work relationship is almost like a faucet. We always have it slowly running, but then there are times, either in a month or a quarter or even for a particular project, that we ramp that up and turn it full blast. Then we’re able to scale it down again in accordance with demand. From my perspective, as the owner who makes the financial decisions, that’s a huge value to us. It’s something that most companies our size don’t really have, and/or maybe just don’t take advantage of, because they don’t know companies like Realnets are out there.

What distinguishes Realnets from other providers?

When we talked about using Realnets, I was really skeptical at first in regard to their ability to do a lot of our software development, because it was a custom-built software platform that we had. Dealing with legacy systems can be a nuance, there’s a lot of learning curve to it. What was really nice about Realnets was their hands-on approach on learning and understanding why we did certain things. A lot of programmers, and I’ve been in this industry for a long time dealing with IT people, really respond well to a, ‘Here’s what I need you to do. Go do it,’ approach. Whereas with Realnets, we feel that they have really taken a lot of time to understand the why’s and the how’s of our business.  They also have a ‘How can we expand this?' approach.

Typically, when working with other outsourcing companies, it leads to a tough  relationship, especially when you don’t have people on the same page at that higher level. That’s one of the big advantages that I have seen with Realnets. I’m an entrepreneur at heart, and I’m looking at other projects, and certainly I would get them involved in future projects, even for my own sake. I’ve talked to other people about them and have become a pretty good reference for some of the other clients that have sought them. I really consider it a shining moment of our relationship, when our kind of engagement happened; and it continues to happen, which is really nice.

Is there anything Realnets could have improved or done differently?

Like anything else, when you’re building something it can feel like there are three cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. Between our clients asking for updates, and the Realnets team, it sometimes seems that there is a lot of stuff going on, and a couple of things might be missed, or the quality assurance [QA] wasn’t done as thoroughly as it could have been. As I said, that could be our fault, needing everything to be done yesterday. Knowing that, and being kind of a seasoned person in the IT industry, I understand that. It’s a consequence of having a lot of stuff at once.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're an apparel printing company, and we have many different e-commerce sites. We handle the fulfillment of our customer orders through our store in Chicago.

What is your position?

I am the owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Realnets?

They were helping me with one of my websites. The site was already up, but they were going to help me do further development, adding different modules, adding different things to that site to enhance it for customers, just improve the overall user experience. They dealt with my Magento site, they were able to optimize it for performance. From there, I let them do other projects on my other websites. I have about six sites now that they work with. Most of their work has been developing and then customizing my Magento-based sites. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

They've built websites from scratch using Magento for me. They helped me set up my phone system and network at my new store, making sure it was configured properly and whatnot. One of my websites is not Magento-based. It's just a PHP website that they've helped add a couple features to and fix my PHP database. They've been able to handle all of the development, design, and testing. I give them very specific requirements around what it is we need and how certain features should work on the sites. They take those and build out the functional pieces.

How did you come to work with Realnets?

I found them through one of the owners. He did some artwork for one of my websites, and he said if I ever needed help with Web stuff to let him know. That's how I started working with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I think I've spent between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I continue to use them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I don't have stats that really track anything, but if my website goes down, they can fix it rather quickly. If I have an issue that needs to be done fast, they're willing to get it done fast. Everything works – that's a good thing. My sites function the way they should and they've had growing user bases, so that's a good sign, too. Anecdotally, I've received good feedback from users and other business partners about my websites.

How did Realnets perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been able to deliver all of their assigned work on time, within budget, and without major defects. We use Google spreadsheets to help oversee the tasks that I assign to them. I have so many things that I give them. We like to keep track in a spreadsheet, but we don't use actual management tools or anything like that.

What distinguishes Realnets from other providers?

Realnets likes to check their work and make sure that it's good before they hand it over. I've dealt with programmers who said things were good, and we'll test it out, and it's not good. They're responsive and they communicate well. They're very thorough, and they have a meticulous approach. I think that's important when it comes to programmers and developers. A lot of them aren't like that.

Is there anything Realnets could have improved or done differently?

Nothing that I can think of. I don't really have any issues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Office Manager of a pediatric practice.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

General Pediatric practice offering medical services for routine and sick care to infants though adolesencence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Update our internet
• Maintain our internet
• Handle Outages, emergencies 24/7

SOLUTION

How did you find Realnets?

Referral

Why did you select Realnets over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Realnets were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Configured a cisco switch, making our phone lines work smoother. Mirrored a second firewall for redundandy.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The engineer worked efficiently and quickly.  Working without any questions just knew what he was doing and wasted no time getting the job done.

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

The project management was again efficient, everything went smooth well thought out.

What was your primary form of communication with Realnets?

Email or Messaging App

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

The engineers who were on site were extremely polite and very respectful.  Besides doing what they were doing.

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

The onboarding process for them to accept us as a clients was daunting.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Anomie Technologies

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provide secure communications solutions for high-risk environments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Provide infrastructure
• VoIP services

SOLUTION

How did you find Realnets?

Referral

Why did you select Realnets over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Realnets were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Realnets provided managed servers and VoIP connectivity and application support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Infrastructure was provided quickly and hand-off was clean. Support was responsive when needed.

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

Short but concise plan was developed at beginning of project and then delivered in short order. Communications on progress were primarily via email and timely.

What was your primary form of communication with Realnets?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We're impressed with their adaptability and breadth of expertise and offerings.

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

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at Allied Assembly Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Retail Assembly

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• develope software
• efficiency
• trouble shoot

SOLUTION

How did you find Realnets?

• Referral

Why did you select Realnets over others?

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

How many teammates from Realnets were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

create app/site to manage scheduling/invoice management/payments/reporting

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

flawless flow of our work

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

team works well to complete tasks in a timely manner.

What was your primary form of communication with Realnets?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

creating something that didn't exist was overwhelming to me. however the team at RealNets was ready for the challenge and knocked the project out of the park!

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

no.