Vanguard X

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP of Professional Services of an SMS engagement platform

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an SMS and messaging engagement platform. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Vanguard X to accomplish?

• Offset impact to engineering for customer issues.
• Add dev capacity to professional services engagements.
• Help establish processes and solutions that can progress our services and support capabilities.

SOLUTION

How did you find Vanguard X?

• Online Search
• LinkedIn

Why did you select Vanguard X over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Reference Calls

How many teammates from Vanguard X were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Hector is working as a part of our Professional Services team. He is involved in a variety of activities from custom deveopment work, one off internal back-end processes (identifying, documenting and executing), and troubleshooting customer issues. He has been providing work product, documentation and thought leadership in regards to more efficient ways of operating going forward. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To be determined, but there is both immediate value (customer activation/retention) and long-term potential (improved processes, better documentation, etc.). 

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

We just had a single dev resource, so we consider it on us to manage him and his workload. That said--he has been very willing, reliable, eager to learn and open to becoming a part of the culture here. 

What was your primary form of communication with Vanguard X?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The personalized support we get from their leadership is important. The references were all very good, and we've had a good experience so far. They can scale up and down, and are simple to do business with. They are very proactive in staying abreast of the engagement. 

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

The only challenge we've had is in getting Hector onboarded. It's our policy to monitor hardware, so we sent him a laptop. We didn't anticipate that customs would cost us a week or so. Vanguard X offered to buy a laptop as the process strung along, but it was easier just to wait so we had our VPN and hardware management tools already loaded. 

That said--this was as much an error on my part in not anticipating this delay. Vanguard X was very engaged, willing, and committed throughout. I'm guessing their lesson learned is to coach clients a bit better throughout the contracting process on how to best aniticipate and mange this issue.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Owner of OmniClient

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

AI Productivity & Compliance Platform for Wealth Managers

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Vanguard X to accomplish?

• Setup production level Azure environment

SOLUTION

How did you find Vanguard X?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Vanguard X over others?

• Pricing fits our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Vanguard X were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

1) 2 - 3 Azure Function Apps, each for the key services, to be behind a publicly available API Management Service

2) An Azure Open AI Service that is called by one of the Azure Function Apps.

3) An Elastic Search instance.

4) CI/CD Pipelines.

5) An Azure Static Web App since this will be a simple version of the product.

6) IAM implementation and usage of Microsoft Entra ID for internal users (noncustomers).Customers will use a separate system for authentication and access management

7) SOC2 compliance in this MVP, which includes the following:

• IAM: Implement RBAC controls for authorized access only to the resources. Separate strict access policies for Azure Key Vault. Exploration on Ory could be required to ensure that it has proper controls and management.
• Networking: HTTPS enforcement and usage of newer TLS versions. Setup corresponding VNets for private communication between resources, in some scenarios this might not be the best approach so it should be properly analyzed. For stricter management, Firewalls and NSGs strict rules can be setup which might require some time.
• Secrets management: Any API keys required on the pipelines for example must be managed using Azure Key Vault. YAML based pipelines only for better traceability on changes.
• Logging and Monitoring: Enable logging not only for performance monitoring but also for access tracking and suspicious activities, make sure to also use Activity Logs along with this. Make sure no sensitive information is visible on the logs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successfully achieved all milestones within the prescoped time period. Engineering decisions were well researched, well implimented, and the engineer operated with minimal oversight. 

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

All items were delievered on time, and they responded to our needs and changes well. For example, when the project was delayed due to outside causes, or when scope changed but was still within the same ballpark as before, Vanguard X was communicative and collaborative in supporting these changes. 

What was your primary form of communication with Vanguard X?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They have excellent customer service.

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

Original contract SOW had a few clauses that had to be cleaned up, to prevent worstcase scenarios (eg project incomplete, runaway cost, IP concerns). 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Realtor Associate of Fortune International Realty

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

I’m a Realtor at Fortune International Realty. It is a leading luxury real estate organization in Boca Raton, Florida.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Vanguard X to accomplish?

We needed a strong data engineering partner to help us optimize our software. Vanguard X helped us build a dashboard to analyze data and developed features based on our needs. Our goal was to ensure that the program ran smoothly and provided data that could be analyzed to deliver business results.

SOLUTION

How did you find Vanguard X?

Referral

Why did you select Vanguard X over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

What was the size of Vanguard X’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

The team first got to know our program and suggested some ideas to build a dashboard to analyze data in the best way possible for our situation. The technologies used were Python and React. The team also built custom tools and added new features to our program. And last, they focused on optimizing some of our old features.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new tools and features helped us to better manage our data and understand our pain points. In this way, we improved our business results and were able to achieve the goals we had hoped for.

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

They've adapted very well to our way of working and managed to meet all deadlines on time. Our communication was very fluid and constant. We had daily meetings and also used Slack a lot for regular questions, doubts, and comments. We never had a problem with this matter as they always responded pretty quickly.

What was your primary form of communication with Vanguard X?

Virtual Meeting

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

What we liked about working with Vanguard X was that they were always responsive to our comments and feedback, with the intention of improving. You could tell that their priority was to make sure we were satisfied and met our goal.

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

Not that I can think of, as I’m very happy with the results and our relationship.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of an online payment service that enables users to purchase online on international sites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Vanguard X, and what were your goals?

We hired Vanguard X to make an API integration for a new payment solution in our application.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We reached out to them and other companies which had experience in our industry and that had an interesting portfolio. Vanguard X introduced us to highly skilled developers and we liked what they had to offer.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

First, they analyzed the provider’s documentation to understand how to do the integration and the precautions to be taken into account. Then, they carried out the implementation of integration. Next, they deployed the project to a testing environment and ran tests. And last, they deployed the built API to the production server. The technologies used were Node.js and MySQL.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

3 Software Engineers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The integration is already deployed in production and is for a Brazilian payment solution that has a current volume with a 75% conversion rate.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Their communication and organization were excellent. We used Slack and Jira but also had daily meetings.

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

We really liked their dedication and transparency. When working with contractors requires a great deal of trust and we were really impressed with their honesty and professionalism.

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

I can't really think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Chief Of Staff at Kmeleon, a Software Development Company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Vanguard X, and what were your goals?

We hired Vanguard X to resolve a Custom Software user information synchronization issue with AAD (Azure Active Directory) and AD (Active Directory)

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

How did you select Vanguard X and what were the deciding factors? I found their website and contact them. They showed me some of their projects and after some meetings, I decided to go with them. Mostly because of their way of working.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The solution was to automate the sync process every time or every so often that a user is created in Azure so that the data is updated and new users can be activated and terminations can be detected. The technologies used were .NET and Azure. The team worked very hard and did an excellent job.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Three .NET and one Azure DevOps Engineer. RESULTS & FEEDBACK

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

New users within the HR software are automatically created in the Azure directory. Now they don’t have to track their leave days or create a profile or email account manually. Instead, everything is automated.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They were really good at managing every task and complying with deadlines. We communicated daily through Slack.

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

I liked how they were very proactive and productive throughout the day. They were always willing to make any changes if it meant a better outcome and they also came up with really good ideas.

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

Not really.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO at befit, an on-demand streaming platform for working out with great trainers and incredible exercise routines, at a very affordable cost.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Vanguard X, and what were your goals?

Vanguard X helped us improve our befit app. The team further developed the application and implemented new features, such as online streaming, an AI video reference system, and they also redesigned some of the screens. Our goal was to enhance what we already had and they managed to add significant value to the product as a whole.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I looked for software companies, and that's how I found them. I read good reviews about them and contacted the CEO. After several conversations, I realized that they were very hard-working people who knew a lot about the industry, so I wanted to take a chance on working with them.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The team achieved very good communication, as they kept in constant contact with us and thus managed to do an outstanding job. They developed and designed the essential features of the application by gathering feedback from potential and actual users and built on it to create a good product that users would like. The team was able to deliver a good quality product in a very short time.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with four team members, but I mainly interacted with one to make the decisions. They were two front-end developers, one AI specialist, and one project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

After implementing the new features, we could see great improvements in the application's analytics data. Web traffic increased a lot, and the abandonment rate decreased.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The team was able to clearly convey how long the project was going to take and its objectives. They met all deadlines, and if there were any problems, they let us know immediately. Communication never failed and was via Slack.

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

What struck me positively was that they moved quickly on the project but achieved quality work. They worked very well and very professionally. And above all, the communication was excellent.

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

No that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of engineering for a company that provides clinical and medical affairs solutions to CROs and pharmaceutical companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Vanguard X?

We needed to outsource resources to help us build and support our products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Vanguard X provided competent candidates for hire as senior software engineers.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two teammates from Vanguard X.

How did you come to work with Vanguard X?

We found them through an online search. I chose them over other options because I felt the conversations with the representatives of Vanguard X were highly professional and extremely helpful.

How much have you invested with them?

The amount is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–December 2024. We successfully hired a candidate from Vanguard X, and he has been performing very well for us. I'm happy to continue using Vanguard X's services to find other candidates, pending budget opportunities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Vanguard X's ability to quickly identify great candidates to hire was impressive. All of their candidates were top-notch.

How did Vanguard X perform from a project management standpoint?

Vanguard X was highly diligent in their execution. We communicated via email and WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Vanguard X's personal approach, attention to detail, and prompt responses were impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren't any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of CX.dev

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

CX.dev is a full-service agency, ardently designing and building memorable digital products, brands, and customer experiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Vanguard X to accomplish?

Work on Front-End based tasks for an external client's platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Vanguard X?

Referral

Why did you select Vanguard X over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Vanguard X were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Ever since the beginning, our relationship with Vanguard(x) has been solid and strong; not only they have provided us with an outstanding practitioner, but they can also have an excellent follow-up on our business relationship

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The assigned practitioner's skill set is impressive.

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

Of course!

What was your primary form of communication with Vanguard X?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

It's swift at all levels

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

Nothing so far. It's all appreciation to them

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a social discovery application

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A social discovery app where single friends team up and match with other pairs of single friends.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Vanguard X to accomplish?

• Mobile app development

SOLUTION

How did you find Vanguard X?

LinkedIn

Why did you select Vanguard X over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Vanguard X were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Vanguard-X provided us with two senior-level iOS mobile developers to work full-time on our project, alongside and under the guidance of our VP of Engineering.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very happy with the quality of the work being delivered, the communication between Vanguard-X and our company, and the flexibility and willingness to work together to accomplish our goals. 

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

• Everything was delivered on time, usually ahead of schedule. 
• There was great communication and flexibility. 
• They have been excellent to work with. 

What was your primary form of communication with Vanguard X?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The relationship feels genuine and not transactional. It truly feels like Vanguard X wants what is best for our company, and accommodated all of our requests and needs.

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

No, they have truly been excellent.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of a consulting company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software and IT for the Private Money Lending and Fund Management industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Vanguard X to accomplish?

• IT Support

SOLUTION

How did you find Vanguard X?

Online Search

Why did you select Vanguard X over others?

• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Vanguard X were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Remote support engineer to manage Azure Cloud services and provide desktop support for Office 365 and custom cloud based applications.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Migration of client services.

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

Tasks were communicated.

What was your primary form of communication with Vanguard X?

Virtual Meeting

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

We're impressed with their willingness to work and improve.

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

no