Sofka Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I work as a system administrator for the Medellin Metro System, a rapid transportation company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Sofka Technologies?

We needed a scalable and solid infrastructure to organize and automate our collection system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sofka Technologies uses Java, Oracle, .Net, and Openshift to develop the new modules of our collections system. We process millions of transactions daily, so we need their team to help us migrate those into a reactive infrastructure to streamline our processes.

What was the team composition?

We work with a team comprised of 25 members.

How did you come to work with Sofka Technologies?

Since we're a public institution, all our projects go through biddings. We placed this project under a 3–year contract and had both national and international companies participate in the vetting process. We ended up hiring Sofka Technologies as they obtained the highest score, which we calculated based on the companies' experience, skills, and pricing.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2020. This is an ongoing project that will conclude in 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been working with Sofka Technologies for about a year now and can only speak positively about their work. They have a very professional and organized way of working, and that allows them to implement successful solutions while utilizing the most suitable methodologies. They've already submitted a variety of deliverables, and all of those are of great quality and have undergone thorough quality control. 

How did Sofka Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We use an Azure dashboard to manage the flow of the project and monitor quality metrics. Sofka Technologies is a communicative team that keeps us updated on the progress of each phase of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sofka Technologies has reliable expertise in managing different technologies, reactive systems, and architecture. We can always count on their team to provide an added value to our project with their knowledge and collaborative skills.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We're happy with everything they've done so far, so I don't think there are areas that need improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there 

I’m an IT corporate manager at a business conglomerate based in Colombia. We have investments in other Latin American countries, mainly in the retail and real estate businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Sofka Technologies?

We hired them to help us work on multiple projects related to the technology transformation of our company’s businesses.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sofka Technologies has worked in the transformation of the technical architecture of our company mainly for the retail area. They’ve created a brand new architecture for our e-commerce platforms using omnichannel strategies. For all our digital transformation processes, the team has worked with very relevant technology services providers worldwide.

They’ve played a very important role in everything related to architecture and integration work. We generally use microservices platforms and cloud-based platforms such as Azure and AWS. We’ve also used Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS), Oracle, among others.

What was the team composition?

The team they provide depends on the projects we assign to them. That said, we have had teams of up to 6 people per project. In general, we’ve worked with about 20 people from Sofka Technologies simultaneously on different projects.

How did you come to work with Sofka Technologies?

I worked with them before, and we had numerous integration projects. At that time, they produced outstanding results. In connection with that, when I started in this new position, I already knew Sofka Technologies and had great trust in the quality of their services and technical skills. I also wanted to continue working with them so I contacted them when these new projects with my new company came up. 

They were one of the best-ranked companies we worked with. On top of that, they had great working methodologies and had a good level of integration with our teams in terms of agile methodologies, scrum frameworks, and more.  

What is the status of this engagement? 

Our ongoing collaboration started in February 2017. We’ve been working with them for four years already.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Most of our projects are focused on integrations so their work allows us to enable the flow of data in real-time through all of our information systems. On top of that, it makes our processes work efficiently and allows us to provide a positive experience to our third-party clients.

They have extremely good skills, and they always hire people with great potential. More importantly, they have an inner development system that helps their internal talents to continuously increase their skills. 

How did Sofka Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Sofka Technologies have been great in terms of project management. We use Microsoft Office to communicate with each other. Their process guarantees that all our projects stay on track. Furthermore, we appreciate that if any setback comes up, it is immediately taken care of.

They have a project manager that’s in charge of all the coordination between them and our company. That person is also able to mobilize and assign their resources to our projects, ensuring their high performance and results. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have very strong technical skills, and they’re professional. As a result, they’re able to provide solutions that are modern, and they’re able to solve very complex architecture challenges.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At some point, we asked them to improve their project management process. We thought that the teams were being managed like separated units inside our company so we had a conversation about that. After that, they decided to assign the project manager I mentioned before and since then, everything has been working well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d absolutely recommend working with Sofka Technologies — they’re a very strong company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager at a global tech consultancy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sofka Technologies?

We have two main collaborations with them. One is related to agile methodologies, and the most recent project is based on strategic consulting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sofka Technologies introduced our company to the usage of agile methodologies and practices through training and organizing our team through this transition. They also worked with us on another big project related to our clients; it involved integration.

Recently, we’ve continued our collaboration, working with the continuous improvement of agile methodologies.

How did you come to work with Sofka Technologies?

I heard about them through a collaboration they had with a well-known software company. I knew they had the right skills and qualities, so they came to mind as a great choice when we had this first project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than $100,000 on the current project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first project with them started seven years ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re highly skilled architects that solve complex challenges.

We’re still in the early stages of this latest project, but we’re seeing robust results so far. They have great skills in terms of agile methodologies. They also have a great deal of practical experience.

We feel very comfortable with their feedback. It makes us motivated to make the necessary adjustments based on their recommendations.

How did Sofka Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is well organized. Sometimes, delays come from our side because it takes us longer than expected to deliver information. In that regard, they’re very strict.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team at Sofka Technologies has a great passion for continuous innovation and disruptive thinking. That makes them a dynamic company. Every team member has their own areas of expertise.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any complaints. I’ve had a great experience working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m the VP of technology and innovation at a pension, saving, and investment fund.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Sofka Technologies?

We brought them on for development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve had several projects with them that range from testing to architecture to automation. They also provided development work for our client database. We constantly try to innovate and use the most up-to-date technologies. For example, our database was developed using MongoDB, a new technology.

What is the team composition?

It depends on the project but it can be anywhere from 10–30 team members.

How did you come to work with Sofka Technologies?

I started working here four years ago and Sofka Technologies was already engaged with my company.

How much have you invested in them?

That also depends on the specific project. We've had small projects cost 50–60 million Colombian pesos (approximately $14,000–$16,000 USD) and larger projects cost up to 5 thousand million (approximately $137,000 USD) Colombian pesos.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration started around January 2013. We’ve been working with them for about 7–8 years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They always provide great quality in their development work. Thanks to their collaboration, we’ve been able to evolve on architecture terms and become more efficient. We’ve continued our collaboration all these years because of their good performance, skills, and ability to understand our business. We really like their responsiveness.

How did Sofka Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

In general terms, they have good project management and are good at meeting deadlines. In some of our big projects, we've encountered some issues mainly related to matters of budget, but that has been from both sides. They’re not perfect but they are good, we’ve been learning together along the way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very trustworthy. No matter how big the challenge, we know they’ll always respond and move forward. Also, their technical skills are one of their greatest strengths.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Maybe their executive management and communication could be more constant. We have a great relationship with their developers but our communication with the management could be better. Another thing is that they could also be more proactive on a management level.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I am an IT professional at a family compensation fund.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Sofka Technologies?

As a compensation fund, the clients that register for our services must meet certain requirements demanded by the government so we needed a platform to automate this client’s validation process that we used to do manually.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sofka Technologies developed our web app. The team worked in AWS and Azure, which are standard at our company. For visuals, they used Java.

What is the team composition?

We worked with an architect, a scrum master, and two developers, although we had two extra developers at some points that they provided with no charge so we could cover all the requirements of the project.

How did you come to work with  Sofka Technologies?

At the fund, we have open contracts with different technology services providers. When a project comes up, we request a proposal from all of our service providers. We selected Sofka Technologies through this process.

How much have you invested in them?

We invested 180 million Colombian pesos (approximately $50,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this project in mid-December 2020 and are about to finish. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Automating this process with this new platform allowed us to diminish the workload of many of our collaborators. 

How did Sofka Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very well organized. We used scrum methodology and were constantly in communication, reporting incidents and so on. They showed great availability and were able to solve every requirement in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very solid in technical terms. Sofka Technologies provided great resources and always made appropriate suggestions. They excel at finding alternatives while maintaining a high quality of work. We also appreciated that they use a peer programming methodology that gives great results. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There could have been more follow-up about the budget, We are approaching the end of the project and starting to be short on budget. Additionally, we had delays to the project that could have been avoided with a deeper initial analysis of the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I am an IT Manager at a health insurance company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Sofka Technologies?

We needed help with development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve had different projects with them, some regarding our websites and IT processes. More recently, they’ve worked on DevOps projects for our clients during the pandemic using Java.

What is the team composition?

More than 150 people have been involved but I work directly with around 10–12.

How did you come to work with  Sofka Technologies?

We’ve worked with them for a long time on different projects with good experiences. When this new set of projects came up, they seemed like a natural choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

They have been working with our company since September 2019.  I’ve only been working with them for a year and a half. Our work is ongoing.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had excellent results. Whenever we need anything, we think about them immediately; they’ve become our strategic ally.

How did Sofka Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

As we are a very big company, our service providers usually adapt to our processes and project management requirements. We usually communicate only with their project leaders. They have a great strategy of personnel substitution when needed so that it doesn't have a negative impact on our projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The developments they have collaborated on have an incidence rate of nearly zero. Their team has great open communication skills.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I am the CIO of a social security services organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Sofka Technologies?

The organization has been going through a digital transformation over the last few years, and Sofka has been a technology ally during the process. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have used AWS for both infrastructure and development, as well as Azure and other Microsoft technologies. Recently, they helped with an integration project using WhatsApp for enterprise organizations.

What is the team composition?

We work with around 30–35 people per month.

How did you come to work with Sofka Technologies?

We have a formal RFP process for awarding all new supplier contracts. It’s based on an evaluation of the supplier's technical, functional, and financial abilities — among others — and according to the results, we choose our desired partner.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent about $1,000,000 with Sofka Technologies.

What is the status of this engagement?

They had other projects with the company before I started working here, but I’ve been working with them for about two years. It is an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The most important result we’ve had is that, thanks to the projects we`ve done with them, we have been able to incorporate agile models into our company, as well as prove how these models bring added value. This has been very important in the digital transformation of our company.

How did Sofka Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We have incorporated Sofka Technologies into our project management processes and parameters, and they have been good and efficient at meeting all deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sofka Technologies is able to transmit a sense of safety regarding the methodological approaches they propose, and they are very good at communicating about everything regarding digital transformation.

There are transmission processes that are often hard to incorporate, but Sofka Technologies has been able to manage them perfectly, allowing us to achieve a smooth transition.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a learning process at the beginning for both sides, and they were able to adapt, which is something that we really value.