Wiser Technology

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a Strategic Design Company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Prime Holding JSC?

Our client needed to create a proof of concept for their mobile banking application using cutting edge technologies. We engage Prime to explore with us a flutter proof of concept to demonstrate how flutter could support in delivering not only a beautiful interface but also enhance the customer experience.

What were your goals for this project?

Demonstrate that Flutter is a real alternative to the current FE technology

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were referred to Prime from a client of theirs in the UAE in 2019. We found them to be incredibly proactive and experienced in flutter.

Describe the project in detail.

We provided Prime with 20 screens (customer journey) for an existing customer, as well as animations. Over three weeks working in agile and using cloud-based tools we were able to deliver in a very tight timeline. We were also required to integrate the app into a newly deployed sandbox to show realtime (anonymized) client data.

What was the team composition?

We worked with the head of delivery and 3 flutter developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The client was super happy with the POC, from the CEO to direct the client. The app clearly demonstrated that flutter could indeed raise the bar for mobile banking and we are now exploring how to move forward with the entire mobile banking app.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Jira formed the backbone of the workflow between ourselves and prime and was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The guys are amazing. They are true artisans, keen to craft a great product, highly responsive, and very proactive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that are apparent.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Jigsaw Interactive is a virtual learning and collaboration tool used by Corporations, Colleges, and K-12 schools of all types and sizes. I am the Chief Of Innovation which encapsulates both CIO and Software Development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Prime Holding JSC?

We originally took over this project from another team who had reached the limit of their technical expertise. The product was very unstable, not cloud-based, not scalable, no automated code delivery, running on fixed Microsoft servers and used Flash. We needed a team who was cloud-first who had experience creating web-based applications using streaming audio, video, voice, desktop-sharing using HTML5/WebRTC in a real-time multi-user collaborative environment. The infrastructure needed to be changed from server-based to Docker/Kubernetes. We also needed them to be fluent in database technologies and traditional web development as well. We also needed full Mobile capabilities.

What were your goals for this project?

Move from hardware/server-based to cloud-based technology stack. Move from Flash to HTML5/WebRTC using Node.js for the client application. Move from server-based to use Dockerized containers in a custom Kubernetes environment. Implement data warehousing and end-user dashboards. Make the stack scalable while also reducing environment costs. Have a long-term technology partner. Have a stable product/platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We tried many different vendors from several places prior to choosing Prime. They each had positive aspects, but none had the scope of talent, the technical approach, nor the characteristics of a long-term partner. Prime ticked all of our checkboxes and were very straightforward with high integrity throughout our process.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We have a team that we have broken down into functional areas: - Infrastructure (all cloud-based server management, Kubernetes/Docker environments, networking, load-balancing, edge-computing, CI/CD management, and security) - Conferencing (HTML5/WebRTC client components, Angular/Node.js coding, mobile implementation, and media server implementation) - Backend (.NET/C# coding, backend/admin client development, database management, e-mail management, and API/middleware) - QA (automated and manual product testing, ticket-testing, and load-testing) - PM (developer management, project planning, resource allocation, ticketing system management) - Design UI/UX (creating standards, design, UI creation, UX refactoring, proof-of-concepts)

What was the team composition?

The size of the team varies according to the type of work being done, the skillsets needed and the delivery schedules. We currently have around 30 members on the team. Some members of the team have been with us for the entire 10-years so far. We have team members with a wide variety of skillsets, including: Infrastructure, Networking, DevOps, Backend Development (C++, C#), Frontend Development (C++, Node.js), API/Middleware, Mobile, Database design, UI/UX, media servers, Quality Assurance, and Project Mangement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

This project IS our business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We use a variety of PM tools including in-house staff management software Primer, Jira, Assembla, GitHub, Slack, and our own collaboration tool, Jigsaw Interactive. We have never experienced language barriers because everyone on the team is fluent in English. The 7-hour time difference is factored into our release schedules (usually the time difference works in favor of our timelines).

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The highest level of Integrity in every facet of business. They're a true partner, not just a vendor. A wide variety of skills and strengths. Essentially, we have never had a situation where our team could not do what was needed within the timeframe that was needed. They have pulled off minor and major miracles for us many times.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would be in any Customer's best interest to treat Prime Holding as a partner with open and clear communication. Allow for a FULL team setup with Prime (including PM, QA, and Design UI/UX) to make the most out of the time difference. Most importantly, empower the team to make their own decisions. If you treat them as a simple vendor that just gets plugged into one small aspect of the project, you are missing out on your team's real potential. I also encourage an in-person visit to meet your team. I usually make bi-yearly visits where I get to be face-to-face with the team and this time is valuable for understanding personalities and getting the most out of our relationship.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

ContourGlobal is a growth platform for acquiring and developing wholesale power generation with long-term contracts diversified across fuel types and geographies. It was founded in 2005 by CEO Joseph Brandt and Reservoir Capital Group. We have developed the highest of operating standards and practices which we ensure are applied globally in all of our projects. Today, we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on market opportunities that rely on operators with best-in-class track records with refurbishment and development expertise. I am Director Global Applications, responsible for all business applications except for SAP.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Prime Holding JSC?

We wanted to automate and streamline the performance appraisal process that was at that time highly manual.

What were your goals for this project?

Automate and simplify the performance appraisal process with rich functionalities for employee, manager and HR.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We used the vendor for other projects and they were providing very good service.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Prime Holding delivered high quality reliable performance appraisal system that fully fits out needs and cover the full lifecycle of performance appraisal process, from self-assessment, through manager review to calibration and bonus and salary review. The system was delivered with high quality and on time.

What was the team composition?

We are currently using 4 full time developers for different projects. Performance Appraisal is led by one of them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Heavily simplified and automate the performance appraisal process, allowing for consistent, objective and transparent assessment of the employees performance.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We work in a very agile mode. The project was highly effective as it brings a value to us for a very reasonable cost.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I'm impressed at how they are result-oriented, and the experience and expertise of their team; agility

Are there any areas for improvement?

NA

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Flowers Software. We’re providing a workflow management tool.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bianor?

They’ve helped us from the beginning to develop our software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started from scratch with them, and they provided the frontend and backend services for the app—everything from the log-in and website to the actual software. In the frontend we used React.js and in the backend, we used Java’s Spring framework. We have different nanotechnologies as well, so they set up a staging server for us and used a lot of modern tech.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 6–7 people, on top of the managing team.

How did you come to work with Bianor?

We found them through an organic search. We chose Brianor because there was awesome communication from the beginning. They answered all of our questions well. We scheduled a meeting with them and they were very skilled on the technical side, so we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about €100,000 (approximately $107,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2019 and we just paused the project due to COVID-19. We plan to start working with them once we get fresh capital.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us create our MVP that we can sell and the results are very good. The code is clean and it has a very good structure. It’s short and brainy functions. We’re very happy with them, so we did a blog post for them because we’re so happy with the service we provided.

How did Bianor perform from a project management standpoint?

From a technical side, they’re very skilled, but overall, their communication is their most impressive attribute. We had really close communication, which really contributed to the success of our project. We worked with scrum, and I talked with them daily. We informed the developers of our business steps and explained why we were building certain features. They were able to ask us a lot of questions and were very direct, so that increased the development speed. All of our requirements were very clear.

They were faster than we expected, which allowed us to begin selling the product sooner. It was a great timeline, everything worked out well. They were on top of everything. They told us if something was more complicated than expected and if there were any delays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a great attitude, and we always felt like a priority. If we went with a bigger service provider, we may not have gotten the same level of service. Bianor really cared about us as a client. For example, if they were going on vacation, they stayed late to ensure everything in the sprint was completed on time. It was a very personal and hands-on project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The customer is in charge of the project, so the better you can describe what you want to achieve, the better the delivery will be.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of product for a mobile app development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bulbera?

We hired Bulbera to develop an Android App to help parents manage their kid’s time on mobile games and videos. The project started as a medium-complexity single app and later grew into a highly complex system with a cloud backend, launch application, web interface, and remote application control.

What were your goals for this project?

We set out to create an app that would be compatible with multiple devices and wouldn’t crash. It also had to be difficult for kids to uninstall.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Another company we were working with referred us to them. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed and developed our mobile app and web interface.

What was the team composition?

We worked with four people: a technical program manager, a software development manager, and two engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

After launching the new version of the app, customer reviews increased from an average of 3.3 to 4.1. New customers doubled, and we received a lot fewer complaints about the app crashing or not working.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Bulbera managed the project and coordinated with us weekly. The meetings were useful and well-planned.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They truly cared about us as a client, as well as our project. We had several elements of the new interface remaining when our budget ran out, and Bulbera offered to complete the outstanding work for free, as long as their schedule allowed it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Bulbera wasn’t able to prioritize our project in the beginning, but once we committed to a more consistent workload these issues didn’t occur anymore.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

BIORITHM is a medical device company. We make IoT medical devices for remote cardiology and pregnancy monitoring. I’m the co-founder and lead engineer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bianor?

As a startup, we’re naturally a small team so we outsource as much work as we can. Talent in Singapore is a little expensive, so we looked at outsourcing all the non-core/non-essential application development to Bianor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were looking for app development with our algorithm technology embedded inside. In essence, it’s visualizing data from a Bluetooth device and applying simple algorithms to it so that we could process it. My background is in data, not in application development, and so a bit of back-and-forth was needed to ideate and understand how this would work best. Bianor is really good at that, and that’s one of the things I have to commend them on.

They analyzed prototypes and the data coming from them, fused it, and visualized it on a mobile phone. Since we’re based in Asia, we primarily built the app around Android and used BLE 4.0 chips.

How did you come to work with Bianor?

We were introduced to Bianor by someone who took part in an accelerator with us, and they came highly recommended. They’d done some good work in the past, and he personally recommend them. The recommendation got me the first call with them. After that, they inspired confidence in me that they could get it done because they asked the right questions. When we sent the prototype, they analyzed it and gave the right feedback. It was a little bit of a test. They answered all my questions and even provided suggestions on how to make it better.

How much have you invested with Bianor?

It was $7,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The contract began in December 2016, but I started talking to them in September 2016. The project is ongoing, and it’s in its final phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My engineer and clinical trials manager, who are working on the app as well, like the look and feel. They actually jumped on calls: Before even charging us a cent, they took on four or five calls. We sent them a prototype, they analyzed the prototype, and gave us recommendations before money was exchanged. That’s something I praise them for.

We’re still ironing out a couple of kinks, so metrics are hard to give right now. That would be in another month or so. We’ve encountered a couple of problems based on the data coming from our device, mainly because of the interface between the device and the app. There was a little bit of a lack of communication there, but they’re helping us figure it out. Otherwise, we’re very happy working with Bianor in terms of what they’ve promised and produced.

How did Bianor perform from a project management standpoint?

Very well. They have a dedicated project manager besides the lead engineer. She follows up constantly, sending reminders and making sure everything’s on time. They actually proposed more regular meetings than we proposed. It’s good to know project timelines and everything else is being monitored closely. We communicated through email and bi-weekly calls regarding questions to update, but other than that there’s been nothing serious.

It’s relatively simple work for them, if I’m not wrong, but a lot of the problems are stemming from our device itself, which we are addressing. Those are the only things that have caused delays; it was technical difficulties more than anything.

What did you find most impressive about Bianor?

I appreciate the fact they provided excellent service regardless how small our project or how much we’re paying them. The service they provided so far has been excellent. I know we’re a small customer—we don’t impact their bottom line that much—but they’ve taken our work seriously and treated us like a serious customer, which I appreciate.

Are there any areas Bianor could improve?

We’re in the medical device space, and development work around medical devices requires specialized knowledge they don’t have, which to be fair, 99% of the developers don’t have. That was the only thing that we had to lower our expectations on. Other than that, I can’t fault them for what they’ve done.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a global company providing value-added services. We deliver different platforms and services for mobile operators around the world. I am the product manager of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bianor?

We had a unique customer case for which we needed to develop a custom product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The client wanted to use our product on the mobile end in addition to our existing platform, so we requested the development of a mobile client which could integrate with our backend systems. Bianor developed a visual interface for the client's voicemail service. It was developed for Android, iOS, and Blackberry. We looked at similar kinds of offerings from our competitors. Based on that information, we were able to specify requirements to a certain extent. Bianor came to the same table and gave alternative approach models. Together, we came up with a definitive look for the client's product.

How did you come to work with Bianor?

We did an analysis of different kinds of vendors, trying to determine which ones could handle our particular project. We did a final study between three companies and ultimately selected Bianor because of their experience. The discussions we had made us confident in their abilities.

How much have you invested with Bianor?

I was not involved in discussions over cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Bianor in June 2014. The initial phase had a six-month runtime. After our customization project, we continued the collaboration with Bianor over the course of 2015 in order to turn the solution into a generic product for our company. The product was then transferred to our own development and support team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bianor's tool is still being used by a number of customers. We would like to see more users for the product, but its time in the market is ending, unfortunately. Operators are concentrating on other offerings, so it hasn't gained as much usage as we were expecting. Still, it was good enough. Our product was flexible enough for our operator clients to integrate it efficiently compared to Apple's offering which had zero customization possibilities. During the final testing phase, Bianor's team was flexible and ready to make any changes quickly. We had a very smooth collaboration.

How did Bianor perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project included different milestones and documentation for deliverables. It was led well and proceeded without any hiccups. There were some changes along the road, but we were able to negotiate them and come to an agreed upon schedule. Most of the work was done over Skype. We also shared tools for keeping development and testing issues on-track. Our project managers traveled to Bianor's location for face-to-face time.

What did you find most impressive about Bianor?

I have nothing special to add. Bianor worked smoothly, were flexible, and delivered our product as we agreed.

Are there any areas Bianor could improve?

Nothing is coming to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a vendor of data center infrastructure management software. We are a small startup in New Jersey with 60-plus employees. I am director of software engineering and am responsible for the engineering/technology division.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bianor?

When our company was part of another company, they used Bianor to leverage their resources in hardware and software engineering and software testing. At our company now, we have four QA [quality assurance] software testers from Bianor to help test one of our products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our product is developed in Java in the backend and uses PostgreSQL as a database, and CentOS as the operating system. The frontend is AngularJS, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The tools Bianor uses for QA include VMware and a few test automation tools like SoapUI for API testing and the other is called Robot Framework.

How did you come to work with Bianor?

They were hired before I joined the company.

How much have you invested with Bianor?

We spend an average of between $100,000 and $300,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are currently working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The testers we have are among the best I’ve ever worked with. They have very good skills and work ethic. They go above and beyond their duties. They’ve worked on weekends and postponed vacations to accommodate our schedule.

How did Bianor perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done excellently. They’re just like our employees.

Are there any areas Bianor could improve?

They could improve their product knowledge. Some people ramp up faster than others.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Think 360 Arts for Learning is a non-profit that puts professional artists in the classroom. I’m the executive director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bianor?

We needed help building a mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The mobile app is used for teacher assessment for evaluating students. Bianor also did a very in-depth online registration which is used in over ten different states. We had already developed an iOS app, and the company we used was very pricey. Bianor developed an Android application that was exactly the same as the iOS app. We hold a large conference of 5,000 attendees that involves assessments where individuals do a performance and then are evaluated by three different judges. Those judges’ assessments are calculated and sent back to the participants and winners are selected from the results.

How did you come to work with Bianor?

I searched the web and talked to several companies through an RFP [request for proposal] process. Bianor directly addressed the needs we had and were willing to work with us. It’s been a great relationship. Bianor is very personable. Bianor is in a different time zone, but we’ve been able to work out the details.

How much have you invested with Bianor?

We spent between $10,000 and $50,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with the online tools that have been developed by Bianor. The fact that ten states are working with it speaks to its success. It’s tech heavy, so it takes support services from our end to help the other states to learn how it works.

How did Bianor perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through Skype, email, and Google Apps where we document any changes. Bianor was able to meet all deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about Bianor?

Bianor brings the programmers into the room, so I’m Skyping with the actual coder. Once they get what the client is asking for, they know what to do. There’s not a person in between that relays the requirements.

Are there any areas Bianor could improve?

I’m totally thrilled with Bianor's process. I think they’re great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am client operations director at My Market Insight, a media monitoring and data insights business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bianor?

We needed to automate the gathering of information from the web.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope included project management design, specification, and build of website scraping tool using Symfony, RabbitMQ, and Docker. They also built a data extraction tool for the extraction of relevant text from websites.

How did you come to work with Bianor?

We were introduced through a business associate of mine. We shortlisted two companies and chose Bianor because we felt that their approach was the most comprehensive. Bianor provided the most complete proposal as well.

How much have you invested with Bianor?

We have spent between $10,000 and $50,000 with Bianor.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are currently working with Bianor.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We scraped around 50,000 URLs in the first couple of months of data collection, but it has been designed to handle ten times this number of processes.

How did Bianor perform from a project management standpoint?

Bianor performed well and were thorough. Communication was timely, and deadlines were met.

What did you find most impressive about Bianor?

The solution for data extraction was first class. Bianor used an algorithmic approach which has saved many hours of work to configure a range of sites. The team at Bianor was personable and polite. We conducted business over the phone and the web so I didn’t get to meet them outside of work.

Are there any areas Bianor could improve?

We needed to redo one element as Bianor had not signed off on the correct version of Symfony to use.