ASAL Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is located in Taiwan with a few design centers around the world. We are located in Israel and our company works on developing chips to the PC industry for laptops, desktop servers, and a few projects for security. I’m the software department manager. I manage all the software development for the chips.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ASAL Technologies?

We have a few projects running all the time and we need to develop the code and test it to make sure it has good quality. Before we ship it to the customer, we want to make sure it’s in a good position. We have more developers than testers, which causes us not to be able to test everything. We wanted to find a solution to bridge this gap. It’s impossible to code a lot of software and QA it ourselves; there was an opportunity to do it offshore in remote locations. Then we found ASAL, which is close to our location. It’s only a 1-hour drive, and they’re in the same time zone.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped develop applications and did testing in C programming language. We also used tools from the industry like TestComplete, which is a testing automation environment. We purchased it, studied it, had training sessions about it, and then started to use it to test our product. This is something we trained them to do during the process.

This project was for a chip that we develop for laptops. Each laptop includes a chip called an embedded controller. It runs a lot of functionality that is crucial for a laptop, including booting up, charging the battery without overcharging, controlling the keyboard, mouse, etc. We developed the firmware that is running on this device. In order for it to connect to the laptop itself, we developed a few tools and drivers that are running on the laptop and communicating with our device. We asked ASAL to develop and test a part of those tools. We had one resource, an experienced engineer and team lead, who managed other projects and coordinated the work with us.

How did you come to work with ASAL Technologies?

We asked them to send us CVs for their best employees. They sent us the CVs along with their grades and we selected 8-10 people. We met together for a one-day interview. Each candidate passed a few interviews by our engineers, including a written test. Then we evaluated all the options and selected a few engineers. Then they started to work on a pilot project. We started by giving them training and the infrastructure of the equipment that’s needed, including the software and testing tools.

How much have you invested with ASAL Technologies?

I don’t know any numbers. Besides the project that I managed with ASAL, which was around software and software testing, the department that developed the chip also worked with ASAL. Both teams are using ASAL, so there are more engineers with us than just what I use.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2010, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were a very good partner. It took some time for them to have the capabilities to develop the tools and testing to the standard we are used to. They are university graduates with not as much experience. To work in the industry, you need to reach some level of maturity. At the beginning, we invested a lot in training and explaining coding standards. We taught them how to behave day-to-day, including how to write and send emails and what to do to report a coding issue. After a few months, they were working in a good way. It helped us to cover things that we were unable to do. It saved us from hiring local engineers that are much more expensive. The team at ASAL was loyal, invested time and effort, and showed dedication to work on the project in order for both of our teams to succeed. Overall they made a good contribution to our needs to make sure we had good quality for our customers.

How did ASAL Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly calls where they presented their accomplishments and what issues they were having. They also discussed what they were planning for the next week. We presented what changes we wanted and the new things we wanted to be developed. Every two or three months, they came to our design center for a one-day on-site visit where we were able to cover more aspects.

Communication is relatively good. Some resources speak good English but others aren’t as good. The team leader was a good interface and could clearly explain things. Most of them were dedicated. Over the seven years, we had a few ups and downs, which you have with your own engineers. There were people that left ASAL, and they needed to replace them which meant we had to train them. There is still one engineer that started with us seven years ago. We didn’t have a stable team for the whole time.

Are there any areas ASAL Technologies could improve?

When we had a team leader, everything was functioning well. At one point, we had to reduce the team a little bit and did without a team leader. At that point, it was harder to manage all the activities. Project management could be improved to some extent.

For the technologies that we worked with them on, they were quite good. We were limited in the technology we did with them, which was programming in C and Python. They were familiar with those technologies. I don’t have any improvements for them in that area.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

University of the People is the world’s first nonprofit tuition-free online university. Our mission is to open the gates to higher education for all qualified applicants and enable them to receive the service for free. What makes the university unique is how it is managed and its commitment to lead with technology. We’ve built a model for accessible higher education. As such, we need to be very creative with our operations.

I am the senior vice president of enrollments. I oversee marketing, public relations, the applicant process, and other responsibilities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ASAL Technologies?

At that time, we bought a Microsoft product called Dynamics CRM [customer relationship management]. We needed to develop different cloud apps and capabilities within it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, ASAL Technologies worked on migrating our system from Microsoft Dynamics 2007 to 2011. It was a long process with a few cycles of integration. Since then, we have been updating the cloud instance of the CRM.

ASAL has provided new development on a yearly basis. One example is a student academic application running within the CRM. It looks at the grades of the students in the new term, enters them into the CRM, and runs a cycle of checking and calculating averages. A student’s status is changed according to that data — in good standing, on probation, suspension, and so on.  The code handles the technical process automatically and triggers different workflows as well. There is always an actual person double-checking the system.  

How did you come to work with ASAL Technologies?

One of our associates gave us a recommendation for ASAL 7 or 8 years ago. We followed up on that referral.

How much have you invested with ASAL Technologies?

I don’t have an exact figure, but ASAL’s work represents a large portion of our budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ASAL Technologies in 2011. The collaboration is ongoing. The relationship has been working well in all aspects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The CRM is the core of our business, and it has a huge impact on our lives. Everything in our organization flows through the CRM system. It is being used daily by our students. We have different key performance indicators in place. In terms of technology, we look at the amount and quality of work being done in a certain period. We track how many bugs we have and how stable the system is. On both matters, we’ve been extremely happy with ASAL Technologies’ performance. We have been working with them for 7 years, so we’ve definitely been satisfied with the overall quality of their work.

How did ASAL Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We manage the process daily through our VP of technology. He constantly in touch with ASAL Technologies. We use OnTime to track bugs. We have a team manager from ASAL and 9–10 developers under him, some junior and some senior.

What did you find most impressive about ASAL Technologies?

We were impressed by the level of service from their side. They’re there when we need them. ASAL Technologies is also doing a good job in terms of quality.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with ASAL Technologies?

I don’t have any particular advice, but we recommend ASAL. I think that the company is doing a good job. They will be an asset for any organization that chooses to work with them.