10Clouds

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the SVP of engineering at Emergent Technology Holding, a supply chain company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

We hired 10Clouds for staff augmentation services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

10Clouds provided us with a team of developers based in Poland. Whenever we needed developers quickly for special projects, we turned to them for our software development needs.

One project involved a multi-tier application. Their team developed the backend using Python Django, Java, GraphQL, and specifically Apollo. The frontend was built in React and React Native. They also provided DevOps and product management support when needed. Their team did full feature development with their independent teams, as well.

What is the team composition?

At different points, we were assigned 15–20 developers. Right now, we’re at a lower number but plan on ramping back out.

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

I was referred to them but ended up choosing them because of their flexibility when it comes to staffing.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with 10Clouds began in January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In every area, the team at 10Clouds is full of highly-qualified, experienced developers that work at a competitive price. The developers also are professional and customer-oriented. The quality of code was very high, with a focus on unit testing and fully automated continuous integration.

There are no issues. If there were any problems, they would solve them quickly. 10Clouds is a strong Python shop but also specialize in React and other frontend technologies. They’re also skilled in web design.

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication skills are very high. The team at 10Clouds performs above expectation. They’re easy to work with. I’ve been in engagements with businesses all over the world, and 10Clouds is the best company to work with. They are amazing with project management, product analysis, and account management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team at 10Clouds is willing to go above and beyond to solve any problems. Along with being excellent at communication, they pay close attention to the account management side. Their general attitude is that of partnering rather than providing a service. They’re invested in the success of the project. Their development quality is also extremely high.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m happy with everything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Kickoff an engagement with an onsite visit. After you have a core team, have a face-to-face meeting. Their developers are very capable, so try to give them as much information up front and let them give their input.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

A tech startup, incubating multiple web-based data analytic products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 10Clouds?

We hired 10Cloud to develop our first product's MVP 1.0. This was a data aggregating and analysis web app

What were your goals for this project?

1. Meet the Nov 1 MVP Launch deadline with functioning MVP.
2. Demonstrate our data analysis pipeline architecture
3. Use the MVP to solicit user feedback

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We did a global search, and down selected the leading 3 vendors. We then conducted interviews via VTC to determine fit and capability and responsiveness.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

10Clounds was responsible for the implementation of our product MVP concept. We provided product vision and product ownership, and the developed and deployed the web app on time, and within a very good budget.

What was the team composition?

The team had 7 people: An account manager, a project manager, a Ui/UX designer, a front end developer, a back end developer, a senior developer, and an QQ/QC person

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project exceeded our expectations, and we are able to meet a very aggressive deadline. We did exceed our initial budget, but this was largely due to the addition of new features mid-project, based on user feedback. We continue to gather significant user feedback, which is will be the basis of our 2.0 iteration.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was great, and followed a strict agile/scrum process. Very disciplined and very transparent, and allowed us to hit a very aggressive deadline

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Great team to work with, very professional and capable. They were easy to communicate with and delivered on their commitments. They are very flexible and willing to do what it takes to get the project done.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We had a few hiccups on mapping the design approval workflow, so making sure everyone understands that from the beginning would be helpful. Budgeting forecasts, always a tough thing, could be slightly improved. Ours was a very fluid project, and so this would have been tough in most cases.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a stock footage company that supplies clips to the global stock footage market.

There’s a high demand for video clips from stock footage distributors and the industry in general because of growing video trends, but to prepare the footage for market takes a lot of processing. Usually, the content creator doesn’t have the expertise or resources to get the footage in a sellable condition. What our company does is process raw footage to get it ready for sale for some of the world’s top stock footage distributors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

Our product chain must be ultra-efficient; otherwise, our profits disappear. It's a big challenge to optimize all of the variables throughout our technology stack that are needed to sustain our business.

Some years ago, we realized that to attain the ideal level of efficiency to function and scale, we needed to go into the cloud. Once we were in the cloud, there was a lot that needed to be done beyond building, including maintenance, security, storage, and automation.

At the same time, we had our own proprietary frontend with a processing system for files and metadata. It's a system that includes human teams that interface with multiple technologies. In order to build a system with a more efficient user experience, we need a lot of development.

For our business to succeed, we need an ultra-streamlined platform. We were looking for a development company with expertise in video and media as well as cloud architecture and frontend development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Until now, the bulk of 10Clouds’s work has been development. They’ve handled some tech debt, refactored what we already had, built new architecture, and made sure security was locked down. The team has also done a lot of work on our frontend. 

They helped us build out our roadmap, and we’re now at the point where we’re starting to pivot toward that roadmap. We have a solid foundation to start building some exciting new features that we’ve been planning for a while.

What is the team composition?

Our 10Clouds core team has 5–6 people, including a project manager. They all attend our daily scrums. At times, the team grows up to eight people, depending on the work.

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

We had a lot of different partnerships and have tried different approaches. We wanted a deep bench that we could draw from to put the right components in place, and that ended up being 10Clouds. They came highly recommended by someone who works at a very high level in the media space. We had a conversation with them and then moved forward.

How much have you invested with them?

Our company has probably spent $250,000–$300,000. Our monthly spend is between $20,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work with 10Clouds began in January 2019, and we’re continuing to work with them to this day.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The difference between when we started working with them and now is night and day. We’ve been able to start accepting new contributors in a certain part of the business, and we’ve picked up some other enterprise clients. It’s been a really exciting time to be working with 10Clouds. We had a product launch, and we launched on schedule–what more can I say?

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been a pleasure to work with. In the past, I’ve hired other formulas, including hiring other offshore vendors who ended up costing me money. The budget was certainly a factor in hiring 10Clouds, and I’m able to do more because of their rates, but I’d say the most important thing is their expertise. We wouldn’t be working with them if they didn’t have the level of expertise and professionalism that we demand. Otherwise, they’d be costing us money and risking the business.

Our partnership works pretty well. I think any type of vendor relationship comes down to personal relationships, i.e. how they connect with your team, how they communicate, and whether there is a level of trust. We’ve been able to establish a relationship that certainly makes everything go smoother. 

They’re six hours ahead of us, which took some adjustments on our end. However, there are some advantages to the time difference. No vendor wants a client hovering over them. We have daily scrums, morning our time and mid-afternoon their time. This seems to work well for everybody since they can relay what progress they’ve made that day, ask questions they have for us, and provide updates. We also discuss what they’ll be working on when we’re sleeping.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expertise makes them stand out from other service providers, as does the type of people within their organization. They’re the kind of people we like working with. 10Clouds’s team is flexible and understands that clients sometimes have changing or last-minute needs. I see them as a real partner in our success, and that’s why we continue to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d say not in the context of this project. We’re pretty much on track with everything. During the first couple of months, both sides had to make scheduling and communication adjustments, but that comes with engaging a new vendor. They worked to understand the project scope and what our needs were. We got through that phase as expected. 

Any advice for potential customers?

This is general advice, but definitely make sure that project management is in place, whether that’s an individual or a team on your side or theirs. When you deal with any type of developer, clarity is the most important thing; without it, they’ll go down rabbit holes. 

Make sure your product and goals are clearly defined. The project manager should always have a firm grasp of what the team is doing and the progress they’re making. As things come up, which they always do, you need to be able to trust the project manager. With strong project management in place, productivity will be high.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President of Software Innovation Labs, Inc. We are located in Chicago, Illinois. We provide information technology services to our clients in the United States and abroad.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 10Clouds?

We hired 10Clouds for the purpose of extending our existing team to provide the best possible solution to our end customers. We had insufficient resources to complete a number of integration projects that we’d set for ourselves.

What were your goals for this project?

The aim of the project was to protect kids, and family and manage their usage of phone apps

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

10Clouds was recommended to us and they put forward a couple of developers from whom we have filled the gaps in our team. We had a chance to interview them both to ensure that they were the right fit both culturally and in terms of the technical skills that were needed.

Describe the project in detail.

The project concerned analysis and control of real-time data on how phones are being used. It enabled the user to limit when and how often a given app or a website can be accessed.

What was the team composition?

We had two python developers and one mobile developer from 10Clouds who were integrated with our internal team. Two of them worked on location in our client's office in the Bay Area, and the other remotely.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The developers successfully integrated our software with Telco in the US and Italy. The code was clean and bug-free, with the potential to scale it up.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Developers blended into the team and acted as one.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was particularly pleased with the smooth cooperation with 10Clouds, the fact that operations were easy to scale up and that we could add developers when needed. The technical team exceeded my expectations in terms of the quality of their work and their efficiency.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There was absolutely nothing to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of sales at a software house called Ideamotive. We’re based in Poland and provide software development primarily for startups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

We were creating a mobile app for a big corporation. In order to get it right, we needed specific development talent and consultation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designated a developer to assist us in building a mobile app for a big telecommunications provider. It was a pretty complex project. In its completion, the app allows users to connect to telecommunications services without needing a physical SIM card. This creates an open avenue of communication between customers and the telecom company. 10Clouds worked in React Native to construct the app for both iOS and Android. 

What is the team composition?

10Clouds assigned one developer to our project. We communicated directly with them throughout.

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

We’ve spent years building a local network of complementary solutions in our market. Long before this project began, we were connected with 10Clouds because we operate in the same market space.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $50,000 over the course of this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in August 2018, and we wrapped up in August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The programmer provided clean code without errors and lags. Everything was delivered quickly without sacrificing quality. That made our staff’s job a lot easier. 

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything went very smoothly. I couldn’t ask for better project management. Communicating directly with the programmer was easy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They brought exceptional quality and speed to the table. Their developer breezed through tasks at a much faster rate than we expected. It was a huge time and code saver for our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Given the relatively small scope, there isn’t anything they could improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Flesh out your specific needs and communicate them. You’ll be heard, and 10Clouds will get it right.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of a cybersecurity IT solutions provider, building solutions using the power of blockchain technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 10Clouds?

We needed an initial build out of our proofs of concept into MVCs, including building the foundation of an investment assurance platform (IAP), and the foundations of the first application built on the IAP. We had little resources available to us and turned to 10Clouds to enable us to rapidly develop the solutions.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals were to build out the first iteration of the IAP, integrate it with Ethereum technology, and also to build the first application to run on the IAP as both an API and a web app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had already had a good experience with 10Clouds at my previous company, so it was natural to choose them for this project. I knew they had the technical expertise to help us and would be able to build our solution quickly and professionally.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They built the IAP with C++ and Python scripts and built the API with Python Django and the web app with React. The aim was to make the concept a concrete demonstration and then build on it from there.

What was the team composition?

They provided three teams to work on each of the aspects of our project. One focused on blockchain (Ethereum DApps, C++, Python), one worked on the backend for the API (Python Django), and the third worked on the frontend (UI/UX, React.js). We worked with seven total resources, most of them full-time, including developers and managers. The teams were managed by a scrum master.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project quickly got us up to speed on our concept and helped us flesh out a lot of the initial concerns with the design. We had very little documentation when we started, and the great communication we had with all of the team members really helped solidify and expand on the concepts we were building.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was managed very effectively and efficiently by their scrum master, who organized a lot of the product backlog. We communicated through Jira and Slack and held weekly update meetings on Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their expertise is very strong, as well as their professionalism and ability to understand the job and work quickly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, none that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work with a cryptocurrency exchange.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 10Clouds?

We needed design and frontend development for our solution.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our solution to have an intuitive UX.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They offered a great initial proposal.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They created design mockups and wireframes, as well as a prototype. They developed the frontend in React.

What was the team composition?

We worked with two frontend developers and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been getting really good feedback from our customers so far.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was on budget and on time and they achieved our objective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They offered excellent design quality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The resource allocation between milestones can be a bit confusing at times. It would be great to receive a confirmation before any re-allocation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Inga, a company creating chatbot services. Our customers can create chatbot apps to do inbound marketing for potential candidates, along with a separate chatbot which performs pre-screening of candidates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

We needed an outside vendor for web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re helping us convert our agency business prototype into a SaaS. We discussed our major and minor goals over the short term at a kickoff workshop. We wanted to make sure our users didn’t find the concepts of chatbots and AI scary. They helped us with the initial design for our website, created a couple of design options, and then we implemented prototypes of the designs with a plan to improve based on customer feedback. We’re developing the site in JavaScript and Python, running everything on Azure functions. Our frontend is in Typescript and Vue.js. Their services included backend and frontend development, UI/UX consulting, and consulting for data science and machine learning solutions.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two frontend engineers and one backend engineer, whom I support as an in-house technical person. At the peak, we had an additional engineer. We had one UI designer and one UX specialist at the start of the project. 

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

I had worked with them before and was impressed. We did contact a couple of other providers, but I already knew what 10Clouds was capable of. They won the bid over more affordable offers we had because I had the ease of mind of knowing what kind of quality I’d get from them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They always hit the key results and goals that we set for them. Following website development, we plan to work on a mobile app.

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management proved effective. We try to provide background information and context for everything we want to create, and they can easily anticipate our next priority without being told. We find it very beneficial that we don’t have to micromanage them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re flexible and can adapt to our situation. They discuss our best options in any situation, and they’re very supportive during rough patches.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re completely satisfied.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Consider using them. Their value is unbeatable and they offer a true partnership. Be transparent and they’ll honor that with a lot of support.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a German blockchain company. We help enterprises integrate and use blockchain solutions with our own self-developed framework. My main responsibility is managing all of the teams that work on the development of this platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

To promote the use of blockchain technology among enterprises, we wanted to build a graphical interface for interested companies to create a visual representation of their processes. Then we’d be able to generate code that aligned with their designs. We distributed the development needs among five teams in total. 10Clouds was responsible for building the visual frontend.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

All five teams met to establish a backlog of tasks and divided the work into two-week sprints. Internally, we referred to this approach as “scaled agile management”. These initial phases of the project required a lot of inter-team communication to make sure everyone was on the same page.

Once we established a schedule, our designers and UX specialists provided the 10Clouds team with some basic sketches for the solution’s visuals. We actively asked for their input and incorporated it into the final design. After we completed the frontend, 10Clouds connected it with the backend system that another team had built. They then collaborated with the other development teams to do some integration testing to make sure everything was performing correctly. We’re still working with 10Clouds to complete the solution.

What is the team composition?

10Clouds initially provided a team of five developers who worked with us consistently for two months. Since then, the staff members rotate according to each task.

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

From December 2017–May 2018, we attended a variety of global conferences in the blockchain space. We met someone from their staff at a conference in London. After that, their team reached out because they were looking for blockchain companies that needed help with frontend design. We had two or three follow-up calls to get a bit more details about their company, service, and portfolio. 10Clouds agreed to try an agile approach for the project, so we gave them a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent close to $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We officially started working with them in April 2018, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any official metrics, but the 10Clouds team’s design work aligns with our vision. The frontend looks and functions exactly how we want it to, and we’re really pleased with that. There’s a lot of giving and receiving feedback across all of the development teams, so we’re generally happy with the results. 10Clouds has provided the right resources to get the job done.

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

Their lead developer is very knowledgeable, and he efficiently manages their team. We use Jira boards and Confluence to track our progress and Slack for inter-team communication. For daily meetings and sprint-planning sessions, we use a video-conferencing tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by their willingness to deep dive into the blockchain space. We’re not just building another website or application; the project was a lot more complex. Their team showed real dedication. They were like a part of our internal team rather than an outside resource. We felt like their priority.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should focus on bringing all of their developers up to the same level in terms of technical performance, communication skills, and project management. Other than that, we have no complaints.

Any advice for potential customers?

I recommend clients spend a good amount of time picking the right developer for their project. Although we work in the technology sector and have experience with various methods and frameworks, the quality of the final product comes down to the people doing the work. Based on my experience, I think 10Clouds is a great choice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the product owner at a recruitment company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

We were creating a product within the recruitment market and we needed a vendor to help us develop a recruitment website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided all the wireframes and the design, while 10Clouds managed the development of our website. The website enables our users to search for jobs, create an account, and send applications. They mostly used JavaScript and React for development.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 1–3 members of their team, including developers and a product manager.

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

Our company had a relationship with them before this project started.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October and it was completed in December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered everything we agreed on and our internal team is happy with the website. 10Clouds was not only engaged in the development part, but they also wanted to understand our business perspective, adjusting their solutions based on our business needs.

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

Their whole team was responsive and easy to work with. There were some delays on our part, but they were understanding and flexible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very invested in the project and became part of our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.