ByteAnt

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director, Technical Lead of ORION WEB

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

ORION WEB is a versatile digital consultancy offering expert Web - Drupal development and design services with a strong interest in Local Government and UK Insurance.
 
We've offered Web development and migration services to organisations including the British Council, Kew Gardens, Imperial College, HISCOX and the Telegraph, as well as web development training in collaboration with educational organisations such as OpenClassrooms, The Coders Guild and Flatiron School.
 
ORION WEB holds strong connections and has nurtured strategic partnerships within the Open Source and Drupal ecosystems, constantly striving to offer excellence in our digital services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ByteAnt to accomplish?

• New features' implementation on Umbraco website
• Bug fixes on Umbraco website
• Deployment of code and CMS changes to staging environments
• Live release of code and CMS changes

SOLUTION

How did you find ByteAnt?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select ByteAnt over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Quality of previous work

How many teammates from ByteAnt were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The project included the development of new features as well as bug fixes on an existing high-profile Umbraco CMS website.

The key deliverables included:

• Familiarasation with the codebase, various environments and deployment workflow
• Implementation, QA testing and deployment of the code changes to testing and staging environments
• CMS configuration changes to support the code changes above
• Providing support to the client and involved stakeholders for further testing and refinement of changes
• Releasing the implemented code changes to the live (production) environment

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Following rigorous testing, the client has confirmed that 100% of the changes are now implemented, tested and deployed successfully.

QA testing and client-smoke testing included various user behaviour scenarios as well as edge cases, on a wide variety of OS environments/browsers/mobile devices and their different versions.

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

We couldn't be happier with the way ByteAnt managed this important project.

The ByteAnt team meticulously captured, documented, analysed and refined the initial set of requirements. We then worked together with ByteAnt and the client stakeholders to plan the development, testing, deployment and release of the code and CMS UI changes.

The ByteAnt team methodically maintained a clean JIRA backlog with appropriate progress categories as well as accurate labeling, ensuring a smooth management process for this project.

The team's responses were always prompt and accurate; they were constantly making sure we are on the same page and also communicating proactively to provide clarifications and progress updates.

What was your primary form of communication with ByteAnt?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The ByteAnt team went the extra mile to ensure the success of this project.

We were pleasantly surprised by the devotion of the ByteAnt developers that worked on this project and the way their team collborated and worked with our client to develop and finalise the project goals.

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

Nothing really, we're totally happy with everything the team produced.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for a web design and development agency based in the UK. We’ve been in business for 15 years, servicing customers in the UK, Ireland, and the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ByteAnt?

We’re a busy agency that’s always at full capacity, so we required a few extra frontend coding and development resources. They needed to be able to meet our customers’ pressing requirements.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

ByteAnt supported us on a project that involved developing an Umbraco CMS site. The initial web designs were already complete, so they translated them into fully functional frontend-coded pages using the technical specs we provided. From there, they built the CMS and tested the site across a range of browsers, devices, and screen sizes. 

What is the team composition? 

I worked directly with Valeriy (CEO) who managed the project. He had strong English skills and a firm handle on all of the Umbraco CMS development requirements.

How did you come to work with ByteAnt?

We reached out to a number of supplier organizations, before finding ByteAnt. My manager gave me their details, and they seemed to fit the bill. They were certainly as good as any other company, and they came in with a competitive price. The initial communication was good, too.

How much have you invested with them?

This project was under £5,000 (approximately $7,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from June–August 2020. We’re hoping to go ahead with them for some of our bigger projects in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Once they handed over the project, we did some testing and asked them to amend a few things. They made the appropriate changes very quickly, fixing any snags that would naturally come up at a fast pace.

How did ByteAnt perform from a project management standpoint?

We were more or less on target with what we were trying to achieve.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It can be hard to come by off-shore development agencies that have a good grasp of Umbraco CMS married with strong English skills. We needed both in order to clearly communicate some of the stumbling blocks with the project. It helped us ensure that they had a good understanding of the requirements. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be beneficial for us to have an ongoing relationship — just so that they can get used to our way of working, and we can get used to theirs. As we head on over to the next few projects with them, the relationship will become more solidified.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have regular project updates and make sure you agree upon the deliverables and deadline.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager for a company called Stockwinners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ByteAnt?

Our website is time-sensitive because it has to run when the stock market’s open. It’s subscription-based, which is how we generate revenue. We need the website to work and started using ByteAnt’s services after switching to the Cloud.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ByteAnt manages website maintenance, updates, and programming. They also help us with our rankings on Google. Their team directed SEO campaigns but presently, they’re just maintaining our rankings. They revamped our website 3–4 years ago, and their team added a blog section.

What is the team composition?

I primarily deal with two people from ByteAnt including Valeriy (CEO).

How did you come to work with ByteAnt?

We sought a company similar to theirs. I used a site that publishes developers’ resumes and their team responded to our requirements that I also sent to 5–6 other agencies. ByteAnt was the best.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $10,000–$15,000 a year on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2015, and the partnership’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our metric is the website's down time, which it hasn't experienced in several years. I would say that’s because of ByteAnt. Our email system was hacked a few days ago, so ByteAnt had to change everything. Their team was helpful and minimized the impact.

How did ByteAnt perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re available when we need them. If I send them an email, their team’s on top of it. If I were to rate them out of 5, I’d give them a 4.5. That’s because of the time difference.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team’s quick and cost-efficient.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be helpful if they could limit the impact of the time difference. I don’t know how that’s possible but if I have a problem at 6 p.m., it’s midnight for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hide any project details. They know their business, so put everything on the table. Don’t try to test them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Ours its a German based MNC and we are dealing with metals. I am working as a Assistant Project Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We appointed ByteAnt to Develop a customized E- application for our daily shop floor activities.

SOLUTION

How did you select ByteAnt and what were the deciding factors?

I can't remember , the person who hand over this project was told me that ByteAnt was selected through internet search. Based on Price, Service level and know how.

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

Creating web based platform to monitor daily maintenance activity to improve the service level in the shop floor.

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

2 of them worked with us. One was the In-charge of this company the other person handling projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deliverable was exactly what we requested. But some times its good to suggest better layout and share some better samples with us to make this layout bring to next level.

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

It was well handled using/ inspect during testing in our end through screen sharing.the action was very quick and satisfactory.

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

delivered things timely. They are cost efficient and provide good customer service.

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

1. Some times we feel the pinch of the cost, may need some work around.
2. May provide standard template for various industries.
3. May create a common Project management tool to followup closely on both sides,

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a company called Spice. Spice is an organization that does group events for members.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ByteAnt?

Being a membership organization, we need to keep finding new members because people leave for various reasons. We needed to optimize the joining process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We defined the problems and worked with them to find solutions to those potential problems. After coming up with designs, they then had to not only implement the designs but also write code to work with our backend management system. They wrote server-side code and code related to the backend. Their team also dealt with complications around the events pages and the presentation of data. The website was built in Umbraco and the code was a mixture of JavaScript and .NET.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and developer who also worked with an internal design team.

How did you come to work with ByteAnt?

We found ByteAnt online, and I connected with one of their main teammates. It was my pleasant conversations with him that gave us the confidence to give ByteAnt a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between £4,000– £7,000 (approximately $5,500–$9,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project around December 2019 and finished around March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s difficult to measure the success of the project because as soon as we finished the project, the UK went into lockdown. ByteAnt made improvements to the website but then we immediately suffered an enormous fall in membership due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

How did ByteAnt perform from a project management standpoint?

As with all projects that involve code, there were complications. ByteAnt dealt with them all. The project extended beyond the deadline a bit, but their communication was fine.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ByteAnt was responsive throughout the process and understood what we wanted to achieve.

Are there any areas they could improve?

English was not their first language, which was difficult for them and us. It took us longer to discuss parts of the project. On the other hand, a lot of the concepts were tired and tested. It wasn’t like I had to explain in detail how to resolve a problem.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My relationship with Valeriy (CEO) was crucial to making this engagement work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product manager of an online music company. Our platform provides a way for independent artists to connect with bands and each other. We’re primarily focused on musicians, but we also look at writers and performers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ByteAnt?

Another company had designed and developed our website, but the engagement didn’t work out well, so we parted ways with them. Later on, we needed help revamping the website and adding new features. Although the website was already built, the challenge for ByteAnt was going through someone else’s work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ByteAnt developed a new home page for our website. They also worked on adding additional functionalities. 

They did a lot of backend work so that we could personalize the site and make changes from our end. These changes aren’t visible on the frontend, but they made the backend much more usable for us. 

What is the team composition?

Our point of contact was Valeriy (Founder & CEO).

How did you come to work with ByteAnt?

I wasn’t involved in this process at all.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May 2018–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ByteAnt was very helpful. I could call them today, and they’d make themselves available. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I called them regarding an issue, and they took a look.

The frontpage they developed was more in-tune with our brand identity, and it also made our website more appealing. Our internal team was happy to have more flexibility within the system.

How did ByteAnt perform from a project management standpoint?

They set up a Trello board to organize everything being worked on. They were and still are always available. 

When we pushed them for deadlines, they always met them, unless there were circumstances beyond their control that slowed them down. Communication was good — we used email and occasionally Skype as well. It was all very positive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ByteAnt came on board in the middle of the project, and they were very good at getting up to speed on the technicalities. They helped us devise the path forward.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any negative feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront about the scale of the project, and be clear about deadlines. Try to be as clear as you can about what you want and when you expect it so that they can make arrangements.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager at SIUS AG. We produce shooting targets and sell our products around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ByteAnt?

We started working with ByteAnt when we began creating a cloud platform. We have limited software development resources, but we have a vision to bring the shooting sport to the digital world. We also wanted to automate some administrative processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ByteAnt is building the solution based on C# .NET technology. We’re using Docker containers, managed by Kubernetes. We’re also using Terraform to build up the environments on the cloud, and DigitalOcean for the cloud provider.

We’re using DevExtreme as a frontend library to build up fast and reliable tables, and Bootstrap for formatting the frontend.

What is the team composition?

We work with between two and four full-stack engineers from ByteAnt. I also have a monthly meeting with the CTO and regular contact with a senior developer.

How did you come to work with ByteAnt?

ByteAnt was already working with our company when I joined.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost is about $220,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since February 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have continuous delivery and consistent quality engineers that are doing automated and manual tests. 

How did ByteAnt perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re using Redline as our ticket and issue tracking system, as well as a time tracking application.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ByteAnt’s large team means they have experts in a lot of fields. If we need specialized knowledge of a certain technology, we know we can rely on ByteAnt’s expertise. They also have access to other experts to solve specific problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had one situation where a new employee did not have as strong English skills, but ByteAnt sent them to an English course, which solved the problem.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have a specific technology stack you want to use, reach out to ByteAnt for their expertise in that area. Also, if you have an idea of how many resources you want or if you plan to increase or decrease team size at any point, communicate that in advance.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the branch owner and head of IT for Utility Management for Africa. We’re a private sector utility company in South Africa with about 13 branches.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ByteAnt?

We needed a partner to develop a software system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ByteAnt is developing a software system and integrating our legacy system into it. They’re using Azure Cloud, SQL, MongoDB, .NET, Angular, and Bootstrap.

Their team is working to implement key features too, which includes an integration with remote meter services to pull readings into the system. The system will also allocate meters from different buildings to calculate utility bills, coordinate different branches, and feature a data engine that accommodates the different data structures of the municipalities of South Africa.

In addition to the software system, they’re working on iOS and Android apps for technicians and clients. Using the product, fuel service technicians will be able to read meters on tablets and push the data through the system.

What is the team composition?

We work with 7­–8 people from the ByteAnt team, which includes 4 developers, UI designers, QA teammates, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with ByteAnt?

They were knowledgeable about the latest technologies and offered reasonable prices.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $700,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around May 2018 and have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have a projected launch date because the development entails more than we anticipated. However, we’re happy with their professional and thoughtful work. A third-party team reviews their work and provides positive feedback.

How did ByteAnt perform from a project management standpoint?

Following a Scrum methodology, their team works in sprints and participates in weekly meetings. We encountered initial misunderstandings because it was the first large project using an Agile process. We’re happy with their communication. Their team’s always available and responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re professional and listen to the project’s requirements. Their team also offers suggestions for implementation. I like the ease of our communication, even during conflicts.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would’ve been better to have more accurate expectations regarding the scope of the project, including timeline and budget.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have clarity on the scope of the project regarding requirements, timeline, and cost.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a company that works in the internet marketing field to manage projects and outsource more effectively.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ByteAnt?

We were trying to develop a new, complex piece of software. We had hired a different freelancer, but after an extensive amount of time, they delivered a really buggy application. We had to scrap the project, and turned to ByteAnt instead.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we worked on database design. They asked a lot of questions about our business model and how we wanted the software to operate. Then, they used a Microsoft Stack to develop it on a SQL server.

What is the team composition?

In total, we’ve worked with about a dozen people. Several have continuously been working on the project, while designers, QA, and project managers have floated on and off the project.

How did you come to work with ByteAnt?

I found them on a freelancing platform. I did some research and found a few case studies on their site that were similar to what we wanted. We selected them because they demonstrated a clear understanding of what we wanted. Compared to our past experience, that really stood out. It was clear that they wanted to deliver the right solution for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $100,000

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in June 2017, and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received positive feedback from users about the reliability of the platform. There have been very few bugs, and when we have had issues, they’ve been very minor. We still get user feedback about feature requests and things like that.

How did ByteAnt perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked in week-long sprints throughout the process. After the first three weeks, our process changed, but we’ve completed about 13 more since then. They’ve been pretty accessible as well. When we’ve needed something at the last minute, they’ve been available after hours to make it right.

Our ability to work well together has improved over time. Early on, it was challenging to figure out how to communicate because we weren’t familiar with working with a development house. However, I think we’ve gotten through it. We just need to be clearer during planning and include detail in the scope. Once we got that down, we rarely had to make changes. They’re also really proactive in asking us questions and covering every angle.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very thorough. They really think things through and consider aspects that we haven’t even thought of. By paying attention to every little detail, they’ve created exceptionally reliable code.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. We’ve done a lot together and we’ll continue to work with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be really clear about what you want to accomplish. The best thing you can do is to create wireframes for what you want. Be very specific and provide a user story. With that, they’ll be able to bring your vision to life.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of software engineering for Century Card. We’re manufacturing a security device for authenticating into companies. It has three different types of services including proximity and one-time passwords.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ByteAnt?

We’re building demonstration software for the product. We needed a partner to do desktop and mobile app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ByteAnt developed applications for us to create a password manager. Their team built a desktop and a mobile application to synch the data with our security cards. This enables clients to have their passwords accessible across their devices over Bluetooth. For iOS, they used Swift. Android was built with Java, C# for windows, and C++ for Mac. They also created a plugin using Javascript for browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. This product allows users to autofill usernames and passwords for the credentials synching between the devices.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 1–2 people approximately. We collaborated with a primary developer who was also our QA resource. And then, we interfaced with a project manager to meet deadlines, work through issues, and coordinate work.

How did you come to work with ByteAnt?

We found them using an online platform where you can bid for work. We posted a job online, different companies bid on the work, and ByteAnt piqued our interest. We spent time with them and felt that they had developed good products. We reviewed some of their projects as well as their clients and decided to go with their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $35,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ByteAnt in 2018, and they’re still working with us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ByteAnt has delivered exactly what they’ve said they were going to deliver. We’ve had a lot of success with the applications. They’ve worked as expected and the prices have been fair. It has been a pleasure working with them. We keep coming up with new projects for their team and plan on working with them more.

How did ByteAnt perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team has been responsive and met their deadlines. We have our own GitHub that we’ve used for all the source control for all the projects and we’ve created issues on that. Chat, communication, and conference calls have been done over Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and level of technical expertise make ByteAnt unique. Their team has been able to solve complex problems whether the issues have involved Bluetooth, Android, or Mac. They’ve been able to resolve these unique issues.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything they could do better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be careful that the company you find is trustworthy, has excellent communication, and will hit their deadlines. Those qualities are key to a successful engagement. With these types of projects, the biggest risk is people face is ending up with a team that doesn’t have enough technical experience to work through the challenges they'll run into when building a solution.