Binary Studio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of a software startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binary Studio?

We approached Binary Studio to build an MVP for our software startup.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided the team with UI designs and then they architected and built our entire code base. It’s a web application.

What is the team composition?

We have three primary developers— two full-stack developers, and one that was more of a project manager.

How did you come to work with Binary Studio?

We started with Clutch and received proposals from several different firms. We selected Binary Studio due to their impressive client testimonials and their understanding of our product idea.

What is the status of this engagement?

We brought them on in February 2020 and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were cautious about working with an offshore partner, but Binary Studio has proven to be a tremendous partner. The developers chosen for our project are excellent and we completely trust them as members of our team.

How did Binary Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

It has been great. Communication is seamless and we chat every day. The time zone difference hasn’t been an issue. We use Microsoft teams to keep in touch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They don’t simply follow instruction, rather, they’re thoughtful and ask great questions. They’ve demonstrated a deep understanding of our product and have been able to come up with strategic solutions to problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing stands out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Empower the team and treat your developers as an extension of your team. Do that, and they’ll deliver.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Geiger is in the promotional products industry. We provide services for our sales partners who market to other businesses. I’m the web architect.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binary Studio?

We were looking to scale up our development resources in preparation for a major project coming up.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We introduced them to our existing systems to make sure they’re familiar and prepared to work with them. Then, the project was about 60% backend development and 40% frontend development. They had a primary project that was a product configurator that required a backend API, which they developed.

They added security to our applications by adding two-factor authentication. We’ve been more proactive and have started doing modifications in hopes that they will continue with us going forward.

What is the team composition?

Initially, contact started through their engagement manager. Once we brought on developers, we worked with a junior developer and an architect.

How did you come to work with Binary Studio?

I was considering a number of different service providers. Their service offering looked promising, including .NET and front- and backend.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October 2019 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So they were able to improve performance on our product pages by about 30 %. They uncovered an HTTP redirect error that we were unaware of. Overall, they saved us over 100 hours of manual work by scripting image identification.

We planned to move forward with them on another big project, but the start date has been delayed due to COVID-19.  

How did Binary Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

The architect-level position conducted the project management with the junior developer. We had regular communication through calls and Skype. That strategy worked out great; we had a lot of collaboration and things went smoothly.

After a few months, we moved onto smaller projects and we just needed help from the junior developer. We worked directly with him, and there were a few miscommunication issues at first, but that was quickly resolved. The rest of the engagement was very positive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The code quality is very good, and I have a lot of confidence in their hiring process. They have a training process before their developers start to work. Their junior developer was on-pace with our developers, but his code was a lot better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they reached out to me frequently and were able to address everything that came up.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Plan the work ahead of time. Make sure that you’re accounting for the amount of time that you’ll need a dedicated resource. That way, they’ll be lined up and ready to go when that work is complete.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT lead of a business that is developing transcription software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binary Studio?

We hired them to help us develop our transcription software. It’s a web application that allows customers to upload audio files that are sent to transcribers. There was a previous team working on this product, but we stopped working with them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have one team of four developers on our software team, all from different agencies. Binary Studio rewrote the frontend from an old version of Angular to a newer version of Angular. The frontend had been part of a previous project, but it wasn’t complete. We contracted one frontend developer from Binary Studio. The design is coming from a different company, but we give them a free hand to design the UI.

What is the team composition?

We’re generally working with one developer. Any time we have ad hoc work, they have a developer that can work with us.

How did you come to work with Binary Studio?

I looked on Clutch for different companies and found Binary Studio. We sent them a request and they sent a proposal back to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between £15,000– £20,000 pounds.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started in June 2019 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything they’ve done has been a huge improvement compared to the previous team. The product is more stable and consistent.

How did Binary Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Our management group is based in the UK and everyone else works remotely. We’re managing the project. They are doing everything on time, but the management is up to us. They’re fully integrated into our team. If we need anything, we can just email them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail really stands out. It’s great because we’re learning stuff about the software that we never thought to consider.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing they can do differently as of now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s very easy to communicate with them. They’re not a big company, so they have a more personal touch. I think that’s good because you’re not just one of the clients—they look after you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of FanAngel, which is a donation platform. It’s similar to GoFundMe, but we focus on school sports teams. We support other groups as well, like specific classrooms, school bands, choirs, and other clubs. We’ve been around for about four years now, and we have almost 700 schools on the platform at the moment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binary Studio?

I was looking for high-quality developers that I could hire at a reasonable price, which is hard to do as a startup. I also wanted someone who could support the platform over the long term. It takes a ton of time to find the right talent at the right price, and I wanted to outsource that process through Binary Studio.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve provided consistent development talent from the outset. One of their developers helped me build the system from scratch. I don’t ask them to do project management or design work, but whenever I make an initial design, I’ll usually discuss it with the lead developer.

I have graphic designers that handle templates and aesthetic elements. Most of Binary’s work is on the backend. The product is a web application written in PHP and MySQL. We also run it through AWS.

The frontend is in Angular, with some HTML and CSS, as well. We also have third-party integrations for email and other tasks. The application is old, but we’re making updates and changes all the time. I have a developer from Binary working on it every day. 

What is the team composition?

Right now, I only have one developer from Binary, because we’re done with the core development process. At one point, I had a team of five developers working on the product, two of which were from Binary. 

How did you come to work with Binary Studio?

I reached out to some CEO friends of mine to ask about finding high-quality development resources. I was trying to replicate the level of work that I’d seen at my previous role but on a startup budget. Because of those constraints, I started looking overseas to try and cut the price in half. 

One of my colleagues recommended Binary, and I added them to my shortlist. Then I did my due diligence. I wasn’t willing to compromise on quality. I gave coding tests, I did interviews—I tried to vet each company as best I could, and Binary stood out from the rest. 

I spoke with Artem (CEO, Binary Studio) at the beginning. He knew I had specific needs and even admitted to not having the right resources at the time. What stuck out to me, though, is that he promised to find the right person for my project, even if it took a while.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $130,000 at this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started back in 2015, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have any discrete metrics, but I can say that the product is incredible. The developers from Binary consistently deliver excellent work.

How did Binary Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

My first developer agreed to work according to my time zone. I know that’s atypical, and that made the process very easy. Now we overlap for a couple of hours each day. The time zone difference has never been a problem, and I’m used to working with remote staff.

We use standard project management tools like Jira and Confluence. We also communicate over Slack. We handle most of the work through Jira tickets. I try to sync up with my developer for at least an hour each day. They usually stay pretty late, which gives me a period of about three or four hours of reliable communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their developers is the most important piece for me. Artem has told me about their internal training approach, which seems to be effective, given the results that I’m seeing. As long as they keep performing at the same level, I’m happy.

They’ve also been great about handling issues with developers. I’ve only had one person who didn’t work out over these past four years, and Binary did backflips to make sure everything was right. They found this developer outside of their team because I asked them too. I was refunded the money that I paid for that person, and they found a new developer right away. 

That kind of service builds loyalty among customers. It’s one of the many reasons why I’ve stayed with Binary over the years. With other developers, I need to provide quality assurance. That’s not the case with them. Aside from the one outlier, all of their developers have been fantastic.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. We have such a great working relationship. I know I’ve already said this, but I’m super happy right now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The most important thing when you’re working with an outsourced team is that you need to have an in-house lead. Whether it be your CTO or an internal project manager, you need to have someone on your side that’s architecting and running the system.

If you do that, your project will go smoothly. The success rate goes way down if you outsource the project management. You need at least one technical lead on your team—and this applies to partnerships with anyone, not just Binary.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a staffing software business. We create software for large distribution centers or anyone who has a lot of variable or temporary staff, and we work with a staffing partner company. Our texting platform engages people who work in these positions through scheduling and other HR tasks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binary Studio?

We needed them to build a backend API for data management.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided us with a dedicated developer who specializes in backend full-stack JavaScript development. The developer is working on a data management platform for our backend. It’s a Node.js API that manages employee data from our partnered companies. They’ve also worked on systems integration tasks.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked remotely with Pavel (Web Developer, Binary Studio).

How did you come to work with Binary Studio?

We found them through a Google search and we also evaluated them using review sites. We reached out to about 20 agencies in total. We were looking for experience and an effective onboarding and training process. Binary Studio stood out because their training is tied into their academy, which is a pretty intensive development program. Compared to others, their developers offered a much higher degree of experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We conduct burn rate tracking on user story development. I’d say Pavel’s productivity has been above average compared to other developers I’ve worked with. He’s very experienced and easy to communicate with. For example, I took a three-week vacation and left him in charge of high-level tasks, and he did a great job with those. By every qualitative and quantitative metric, our developer has been great.

How did Binary Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We follow a well-documented agile process and Pavel has followed all of the procedures and processes with no complaints. He’s been flexible in meeting our needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They worked with us on production, which was helpful to us as a small business. They’ve been transparent, letting us know ahead of time when our developer was up for a promotion and a higher rate, and they offered us a transition discount. Our point of contact is based in the US, which makes it easier for them to understand the company and communicate. That worked well when we were scoping the project and working out the contract.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. However, their developers are highly specialized, so we’ve gotten pushback from our developer with regard to any non-backend-related tasks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Talk to them every single day and ensure that your project management process is very well-defined to make up for communication gaps and time differences.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a senior project manager at SnapNurse. We have an on-demand nurse shift booking platform. We're a small company, and I am responsible for many roles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binary Studio?

We were looking for a consultant to provide development help for our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our company has many facets. When I started working with the company, we were trying to build a booking system between hospitals and nurses. We onboard the nurses, and then facility managers can go on to find nurses and book them on demand. They have developed the platform from the very beginning.

We integrated a time management system as well as a payment system into the booking platform. We're now able to use these two platforms separately as well. The payment feature runs with InstaPay. It's integrated with various banks and enables nurses and workers to be paid on demand. They can submit their time and if approved, they can get paid instantly.

We have used React, Node.js, and JavaScript as our main technology stack. Additionally, we have also used Heroku and other technologies.

What is the team composition?

We have three developers as well as two testers. We started off with one developer, and soon after we added an additional developer. Recently, we added a couple more people to the team and they are also performing very well.

How did you come to work with Binary Studio?

We had used resources from Binary Studio before and had been very pleased.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in December 2017, and the work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have clients who are already using it, and clients in the pipeline who are going to be using the system as well. Currently, the platform is used by very well-known hospitals in the United States and many other small doctor’s offices.

Within two to three months, we were able to release an MVP for the platform which has allowed people to start looking into it and use it for booking. It was initially integrated with third-party software, but we were able to quickly make it independent. We're adding features to the platform every sprint. It's an ongoing process, but we're showing the results to management very quickly. Users are able to use the new features as we implement them.

I think we made a fantastic choice in choosing Binary Studio as our resource company.

How did Binary Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We have adopted an agile methodology and perform development work in three-week sprints. I work with the developers on a daily basis through our CTO. We use the full suite of Atlassian products such as Jira, Confluence and many other tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I love them. They're smart, hard-working, and aware of the urgency of the situation. Despite being under a lot of pressure, they remain very professional. If need be, they are able to provide us with help late into the evenings or weekends; whenever we need it. The team very polite and humble while also being very smart and hard-working.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For now, it is mostly working well. We're a startup, so we do have a lot of pressure and work. Our business and leadership team is in Atlanta and California, but the dev team is in Ukraine and they do have a lot of holidays as opposed to the US. Out of the blue, every month or every other month, there is a national holiday and progress gets disrupted at that time. It can get a little edgy with management sometimes. I am not sure if it is doable or not, but it would be nice if they could be compliant with the holiday structure that we have so we're working as a team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It seems like they have a very diligent hiring process, and they have a sharp team. I have not seen a single person who has been onboarded onto the team and is not able to help us right away. They are very easy and quick learners, and ready to jump into the production crunch within a month of them joining. I believe Binary does their due diligence on bringing in resources. I would be a good reference for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of TripAdmit, a tourist web app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binary Studio?

I needed help with the development of our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provide a solution for airlines, primarily to help boost their ancillary revenue. We have a portal through which customers can book tours and activities. For example, let’s say I’m going to Rome and want tickets to the Coliseum. I can go onto my airline sites and I’ll see a link to this portal where to book tickets to the Coliseum. Tourists can add tours and activities to their flights as well. They’re able to plan their holiday and add some activities while they’re on their flights.

We spoke with Edward (Engagement Manager, Binary Studio) and he helped us figure out what our needs might be. They started us out with one developer, as we had some other developers from local sources. The developer first helped with backend development and was responsible for writing a lot of our server codes and database interaction. He then started some frontend work as well. He was a great generalist.

We interacted with the API of a supplier, gathered information from there, and stored it in our database in accordance with our own models and how we wanted things to look. We also racked a lot of their functionality so we could access it easily from our own base. They built new UI features as well.

We’re using Node.js, React.js, MongoDB, and Linux servers for our responsive web app. We’re looking at building a mobile product, but for now, it’s a website and web app.

What is the team composition?

It’s just one developer right now. We plan to expand soon.

How did you come to work with Binary Studio?

My brother knew about Binary Studio through an engagement with a company he’d worked for. Everything about them sounded great to me. They seemed to be asking the right questions.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent 10,000 euros (about $11,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2019 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s going really well. Their developer is the type of developer everyone wants. He hit the ground running and is incredibly effective. It was amazing that after only a couple of days, he was writing code. His software knowledge is excellent.

How did Binary Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really good communicators. We use Trello for general project management and Discord for communication, which works well for a small team. Everything is ad hoc.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our initial contact was really friendly, attentive, and dedicated to meeting our needs. It’s been great working with them. He offered us the best-suited developer and it’s been an effective process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re very talented people and we’re happy with them. The only criticism I may have is they work too hard. We think employee well-being is really important.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re my top choice and I plan on spending more money with them. I found it easy to integrate with them. Just do it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the operator of a construction software company. We’ve developed a paving, concrete, and asphalt project management software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binary Studio? 

Our in-house team developed a basic pavement software solution (PSS) but needed external resources to transform it into a cloud-based ERP. We hoped to market the final ERP solution to construction and pavement firms to help manage their projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Binary Studio worked closely with us to develop a cloud-based PSS with integrated CRM capabilities. While we handled the frontend of the website, they built the SaaS solution from scratch using our initial software as a base reference. The tech stack included Java and AWS.

What is the team composition?  

In the beginning, we worked with two developers but have since scaled back to one. We’re also in touch with their owner who mostly serves as our billing contact.  

How did you come to work with Binary Studio? 

One of the partners in our company had used them for another software project and referred us to them. He was satisfied with his experience, so we decided to try them out. 

How much have you invested with them? 

During the height of development, we spent about $150,000 per year with them. Now, we pay them about $75,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement? 

Their work started in June 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Binary Studio’s support has allowed us to meet our January 2019 go-live date. We’re pleased that we’ve gotten so much done. We were able to onboard beta users all throughout 2018, finalized development, and are now doing well.

How did Binary Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with our main point of contact every day, and we use Trello to coordinate.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

The lead programmer has been invaluable to our project. Not only does he have a solid understanding of development, but he’s also able to look at the project as a whole. I appreciate that he can evaluate how a technical change might trickle downstream and affect our overall business. When we’re working together, I can trust him to make certain decisions by himself.

Are there any areas they could improve? 

One of my main concerns is that I mostly work with their lead developer, so I don’t feel like I get any value from their administrative or billing contacts. 

Binary Studio’s programmers work only during their office hours in their time zone. So, if we encounter a technical problem after their hours, they won’t address the issue until the next day. This might be an unrealistic expectation on my part, but I’m used to vendors who work until the day’s job is done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
 
Try to speak with the programmer you’ll be working with early on to see if they’re the right fit. As with any company, a resource might specialize in one area whereas another is more talented elsewhere. We’ve been fortunate enough to find a programmer who fits our needs remarkably well.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated on May 1, 2019, by the client. The original star ratings were: Overall – 4, Quality – 4, Schedule – 4, Cost – 4, NPS – 5.

How did the team perform from a project management standpoint?

They handle project management very well. Communication is fairly streamlined.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We love the development team. They have impressive English skills and always look one step ahead in our project, which is very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have faced the same challenges that most software companies encounter—namely understanding our project scope completely. Binary Studio guides the engagement by skillfully leveraging modern communication platforms.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients should spend time scoping out the project and meet with Binary Studio’s management and developers to understand their capacity fully.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binary Studio?

We needed to extend our IT capabilities to improve the speed and agility of our software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My team initially provided Binary Studio with design guidelines, mockups, and different artifacts. They rewrote our legacy code and implemented new technologies. The team developed reusable objects and components and implemented our design specs. Our work together is not project-based; instead, Binary Studio provides continuous development services. They use Angular for frontend development and deploy our framework, Empower, for backend development.

What is the team composition?

My team works with six team members from Binary Studio.

How did you come to work with Binary Studio?

I met a member of Binary Studio’s team at a recruiting event. I was hesitant to partner with an offshore vendor, but they offered two months of service at no charge to showcase their abilities. They provided us with one of their best developers, who showed a high level of competency.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began at the end of 2016, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Binary Studio can execute a development task in 2–4 days that would take my team two weeks to complete. Furthermore, their fast-paced work is higher-quality than what my team is capable of producing. We’ve sustained the partnership based on the competent, motivated, and high-quality developers that Binary Studio places us with.

How did Binary Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, we worked with one developer. Binary Studio has since provided more developers based on our needs. My team does most of the project management while they focus on the development work. Their team always follows through on deliverables and either meets or outpaces time estimates.

We communicate primarily through Slack. Our teams also use Teamprocess, Trello, and teleconferencing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Binary Studio offers some of the finest talent in the industry; they have become an extension of our team. They understand our requirements without excessive guidance or explanation from my team. Unlike other offshore vendors I’ve worked with, Binary Studio has had no issues with the different time zones, languages, or business acumen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Binary Studio placed one of their founders on our team, but he lacked necessary business understanding. However, all of the other Binary Studio team members have been great.

Any advice for potential customers?

Treat them like they’re part of your team. They’ll produce very well for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a social platform. We provide large companies with employee recognition and feedback tools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Binary Studio?

We needed to develop our QA program further. Therefore, we were looking to hire a QA resource that had experience with automated testing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Binary Studio provided a QA resource to augment our existing team. We had a defined strategy in place but needed extra resources to execute the work. That person was responsible for developing the Selenium tests for our application. We wanted to get as much coverage as possible via automated testing. While we’ve gotten a lot accomplished together, we still have some work to do. It’s a big application, and we started it from scratch.

What is the team composition?

They assigned one QA resource dedicated to automated testing.

How did you come to work with Binary Studio?

I can’t remember exactly how we found them. I know we were looking for an experienced firm for some time. They were probably referred to us by a colleague.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $60,000 a year for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2013, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We interact with our assigned resource directly, so she has become a part of our team. Her contributions to the app are fantastic. She’s also detail-oriented and conscientious.

How did Binary Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

Their QA resource assists our five-person QA department. Therefore, she has access to our intranet, attends stand-ups, and communicates with us daily. Since she works remotely, we interact via text, email, and Google Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They allocated one of the smartest people I’ve worked with since starting this business. She’s professional, productive, and talented.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I can’t think of anything that needs to be addressed at this time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Research who they are and establish a fair price from the start. Luckily, they’re flexible enough to work within certain limitations.