Stern Devops Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a financial services firm that produces a trading platform for large institutional investors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dave Stern Consulting?

Our entire platform is housed with AWS. When we founded the company, we made some choices that weren’t as good as I would’ve liked, so I wanted to find someone with deep expertise in AWS to remedy those issues.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of their major tasks was whitelisting our source IP addresses. We’d already done this at the application layer, but that hadn’t stopped people from finding our environment and trying to log in. They used a product called Ansible to write a template for administering the environment, which helped us close that gap. The Ansible scripts manipulate the AWS command line interface.

Their second task was to eliminate the use of CORS for our browser-based application because it was slowing down our performance. After that, they helped us migrate some of our public-facing AWS resources to private in order to restrict access. They’re still wrapping up that final phase of the project now.

How did you come to work with Dave Stern Consulting?

I used SpareHire, which is a consultant search platform that matches a project to contractors with the relevant skill set. They gave me four or five names and, after the interview process, I chose Dave as the most promising match.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

His work has made our app perform more efficiently and securely. I’m extremely proud of the work and I think our AWS architecture is top-notch right now.

How did Dave Stern Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Dave works with us remotely, but that’s never been a hindrance. He’s very articulate, speaks well, and wrote up the plans for each step of the project very thoroughly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

He has an in-depth knowledge of the AWS infrastructure. The number of user tools on that platform can be overwhelming in both breadth and depth, but Dave was able to identify the right tools for our needs. The other thing I really appreciate is that he’s willing to run tests and demonstrate why one solution or another is the most effective. He’s open to questions and exploring options in order to ensure our confidence in his process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My only minor complaint is that our email chains sometimes get extremely long, which can be daunting. I wish he’d split them off into new ones a bit sooner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former COO of Tinybop, a tech startup that makes educational mobile apps for children.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dave Stern Consulting?

Our company acquired funbrain.com, and we needed to migrate the educational site’s servers, recreate its database, and complete a lot of work on the outdated infrastructure.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The exhaustive project began with recreating the databases with automatic snapshots and was followed with migrating the server to AWS and a series of load balancing work. Dave Stern Consulting was also tasked with moving static JavaScript assets and image files from disparate databases to S3. Usage data were collected from the server to improve site efficiency, and Amazon CloudFront was used to offload proprietary PHP. We didn’t have a CMS environment, so he established a production environment on the web servers and did some reimplementation on the new CMS. The new deployment environment allows us to deploy to multiple environments more reliably. Datadog was utilized throughout the entire process to ensure that the transition ran smoothly. After revamping the website’s infrastructure, Dave worked on another site for us.

What is the team composition?

There’s only one employee at Dave Stern Consulting. 

How did you come to work with Dave Stern Consulting?

He came highly recommended from a trusted source within our organization, so we decided to reach out to him. We knew that he would be an excellent fit for the project because he was quick to respond and his proposal was meticulously outlined. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent more than $40,000 with Dave Stern Consulting.

What is the status of this engagement?

He worked on the first website in September 2016, and we were able to launch in May 2017. The second website was completed in September 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The old website was built on a very archaic system, but Dave Stern Consulting worked endlessly to redesign the infrastructure and transform the site into a full-functioning platform. Without his help, we wouldn’t have been able to evolve the site and make it our own.

How did Dave Stern Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Dave is the best communicator that I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. He demonstrated his transparency in the beginning by mapping out a comprehensive timeline; the schedule even included a detailed outline of how the deliverable would be phased as a minimum product versus an optimal product. This open-door approach to communication was maintained throughout the project with weekly reports on progress and potential setbacks. In addition to his internal monitoring, our feedback was also used to address site issues proactively.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Although the work that he did for us was phenomenal, his transparent communication is what sets his company apart from other web consultants. His ability to thoroughly explain all of our options allowed us to make the most effective choices for success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My experience with Dave Stern Consulting was overwhelmingly positive. There weren’t any problem areas that stood out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clearly defined goals are essential for any project. We expressed our concerns with ongoing site costs, so Dave modified the process so that we could make cost-effective choices during the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the managing director at a company that provides customer loyalty software. We offer a detection system that helps detect the abuse of loyalty programs offered by certain businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dave Stern Consulting?

We engaged Dave to make our server-based software available over the cloud.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided the scope of work to Dave, who then made our web servers and database compatible to run on AWS. He architected the way data flows into the software and set up an SDK, allowing us to provide support to clients.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with the owner, Dave.

How did you come to work with Dave Stern Consulting?

I found him on AngelList, and decided to work with him because he had the AWS capabilities we needed. He also seemed like he could offer more personal attention than previous larger vendors I'd worked with.

How much have you invested with them?

I invested about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from around April–November 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It wasn't Dave's fault, but the project ended up getting canceled because the deliverables weren't sufficient enough to make the software do what it needed to from the customer point of view. I hadn't incorporated everything I needed to in the scope of work.

How did Dave Stern Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Dave was good about being responsive and documenting his work. I never met him in person, but I didn't have any problems communicating to him through GoToMeeting, email, or phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Dave is extremely knowledgeable about AWS, so I'd highly recommend him for that type of work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It may have been difficult for him to have done, but it would've helped us to have more of an understanding of what our business outcomes would've been from the start, or a list of things we could've done to produce a commercially viable business product.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Dave does a decent job of managing projects, but it's ultimately up to the client to make sure the scope of work and requirements are complete in order to achieve business objectives.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Sr Research Scientist of an education company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Geoscience data services

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Stern Devops Group to accomplish?

• Modernization of IT infrastructure
• Containerization of applications
• Cloud migration

SOLUTION

How did you find Stern Devops Group?

Referral

Why did you select Stern Devops Group over others?

• High ratings
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Stern Devops Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Modernized and containerized several system components, helped us move our applications and database to the cloud, and helped us achieve significant operational efficiencies

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

lower costs and more system stability

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

Very responsive and always available when surprises arose. They were an excellent resource for our team.

What was your primary form of communication with Stern Devops Group?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Ability to understand our complex and dated systems, and clear and efficient assistance with modernizing.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Stern Devops Group could have done differently?

All good - we're very pleased and delighted to continue working together on other projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of ProctorFree, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Identity management and virtual exam proctoring services for clients in the K12, Higher Education, Commercial, and Corporate Learning spaces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Stern Devops Group to accomplish?

• Fractional Chief Technology Officer (CTO) level guidance
• Technical Audit
• Product and Platform Stability

SOLUTION

How did you find Stern Devops Group?

Referral

Why did you select Stern Devops Group over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• The process of getting to know them.

How many teammates from Stern Devops Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Dave has been a consistent and steady hand for several years now so I won't be able to do it justice writing about the scope of work in great detail here but if you're reading this you can take away that we have a globally available product that is being used almost every hour of the day somewhere in the world and thanks to Stern Devops Group we have stability and happy customers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Stern Devops Group we were able to conduct a full audit of our technical stack and for the first time in a long time, felt like we had the truth about where things stood, where we were at risk, and options to proceed for the near-term and long-term. Stern Devops Group operated in the background at times, and other times was and has remained very hands on when needed. 

They have the ability to communicate technical concepts and problems to non-technical audiences and most importantly, established and has only grown our trust. They don't use industry jargon like "technical debt" or tell you that you need to "refactor" or rewrite a bunch of prior code. They identify specific things, explain them in terminology that you can understand, and then propose options. 

I really appreciate their work and intend to stay in touch not just for the duration of my professional career, but in general outside of work because they are great humans and I enjoy conversing about life with Dave and his team.

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

Their project management skills are solid. They operated in a consistent and routine manner and things were generally delivered on time. If something was delayed it was clearly explained why so we never felt like we were in the dark or being strung along.

What was your primary form of communication with Stern Devops Group?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Good people. Honest and fair from a cost standpoint. Our trust has never eroded and only grown stronger with time.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Stern Devops Group could have done differently?

No recommendations for improvement.