DigitalMara

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Sr. Director, Data and Engineering of Kynetec

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Kynetec is the global leader in animal health and agricultural market research. We have a long history of market research expertise, specializing in animal health, farm animal nutrition, crop protection, farm machinery and equipment, seed/biotech and fertilizers. Our number one priority is to ensure that we deliver the highest-quality insight to our customers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Power BI – Data Visualization
• Data Engineering – Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning
• DevOps – Infrastructure Automation

SOLUTION

How did you find DigitalMara?

• Online Search
• Linked In

Why did you select DigitalMara over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Easy to work with

How many teammates from DigitalMara were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

1.    Power BI – Data Visualization

Initially tasked with improving existing dashboards, DigitalMara quickly developed new, dynamic reports with advanced filtering and real-time data integration. Their enhancements enabled more precise data analysis and decision-making. Impressed by their technical expertise and quick turnaround, we expanded the scope to include Data Engineering and DevOps.

2.    Data Engineering – Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning

DigitalMara migrated our machine learning models to Databricks, creating a fully automated pipeline for predictive analytics. This allowed us to generate accurate market forecasts based on historical data for the agriculture sector, empowering businesses to make strategic decisions, such as predicting fertilizer and pesticide prices. Additionally, they set up distinct workflows for our Data Engineering and Machine Learning teams, optimizing collaboration and data processing efficiency.

3.    DevOps – Infrastructure Automation

DigitalMara addressed a critical gap in our infrastructure by automating the deployment process using Terraform. This improved our infrastructure’s stability, scalability, and performance while allowing for integration with our CI/CD pipelines. Their solutions reduced deployment times and ensured reliable support for our expanding data operations across AWS and Azure environments.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcomes are highly positive. We decided to extend our cooperation and expand the team. What started as a smaller project now includes three engineers specializing in Power BI, Data Engineering, and DevOps. Our partnership has grown into a long-term, open-ended contract, which demonstrates the ongoing value and expertise they bring to our business.

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

They provided quick onboarding for our team, completing the selection, contract, and onboarding process for all engineers within an average of 2 weeks. Overall, they remained highly flexible to accommodate our evolving business needs.

What was your primary form of communication with DigitalMara?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We were impressed by their deep technical expertise combined with a flexible engagement model. They adapt quickly to our changing needs, ensuring we always have the right skills at the right time. They delivered on the initial scope, proactively identified challenges, and offered innovative solutions that added extra value to our project.

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

DigitalMara has delivered excellent support and expertise. And their flexibility and ability to adapt to our business needs have been impressive, leaving little room for significant changes.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Gun Leash

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Gun Leash is the only patented anti-loss anti-theft handgun safety technology that does not use GPS and does not track.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Rebuild and reprogram our app backend.
• Improved security to the highest levels currently available.
• Removed bad code and fixed bugs.

SOLUTION

How did you find DigitalMara?

Referral

Why did you select DigitalMara over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from DigitalMara were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

We were given a dedicated program engineer who worked directly with our i-house iOS engineer and developed the complete back-end functionality of our Gun Leash app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our app was in limbo, and we could not go to market until Digital Mara fixed it. We owe them a great debt of gratitude and will definitely work with them again.

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

They responded promptly to our iOS engineer and kept the project moving forward. Every step of the way. On time.

What was your primary form of communication with DigitalMara?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The quality of programmer for the cost. We had been taken advantage of in the past by programmers. They acted as a CTO once they started working knowing how important the highest security was of paramount importance for Gun Leash. They guided us to make good choices, We worked with Artem. He was amazing. And Kseniya made assured the project never hit a bump.

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

None from my perspective

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.
I am the Director of Engineering of a consumer products & services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

HomeSeer designs and develops smart home electronics and control platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Refresh web app with a new architecture

SOLUTION

How did you find DigitalMara?

LinkedIn

Why did you select DigitalMara over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from DigitalMara were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

We already had a web app, but it was built with a now outdated architecture. There was not enough flexibility and scalability; so, we needed to refresh the whole app, including rewriting existing functionality with a more advanced approach, renewing the technology stack, and creating new app architecture. The application was migrated from an old .NET framework to a newer version. MDB was also implemented to make the UI more modern.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received a scalable and supported web application with new architecture and technology stack.

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

I took the role of product management. There was one developer from DigitalMara’s side. All the tasks were discussed during virtual meetings. Almost all tasks were delivered on time.

What was your primary form of communication with DigitalMara?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We had a short-term project with a loose scope. DigitalMara helped us quickly find a candidate that perfectly fit our needs and was flexible with our time frame.

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

The developer worked more autonomously than we expected. They should have been more communicative. Because of this and some project scope issues, some work was missed and certain features had to be redeveloped.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of Software Engineering for a market leading executive search and leadership consulting group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed to scale our Data Engineering team to accelerate the development of our Leadership Analytics platform. Bolstering the team with data engineers from DigitalMara not only enabled us to develop the data pipe-lining systems, but to also rapidly improve the data quality within our systems.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

While going through the process of finding additional resource for the project, we connected with DigitalMara via LinkedIn. Time was a factor and the responsive nature of our engagement set them apart from other agencies. DigitalMara's competitive pricing was also a factor.

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

The engineers are working on our bespoke data pipe-lining systems. Working primarily in Python interacting with both SQL and NoSQL data storage solutions.

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

We have 2 Data Engineers both operating within the Data Engineering department.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Project milestones have been met as a result of the work the DigitalMara engineers are doing. The project is ongoing.

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

The engineers fit into our team and adapted to our methods of working quickly.

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

The agile nature of DigitalMara meant very little lead time from first conversation to their engineers joining the project.

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

Overall both the company and the engineers are great. To begin with the engineers needed some reassurance with taking initiative, as within our team we encourage inquisitive self-autonomy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of TopOut, a construction reviews platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DigitalMara?

We partnered with them to build our website from scratch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

While the work they did was a bid over our head, I know they used database technologies in AWS. They also used JavaScript on our actual site.

How did you come to work with DigitalMara?

We were referred to them by a mutual friend who had done business in the past with them. They came highly referred. After we talked to them, they seemed to have all the qualifications and understood the project.

How much have you invested with them?

It was in the $12,000 range initially. We’ve implemented additional features since then, and now we’re in the $19,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe we began working with them back in June 2019. We’re still working together, we just completed a milestone a couple of weeks ago. The main project is finished, since then we’ve been making additional tweaks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been marketing the product since its release, and our feedback has been very good. We consistently gain new users. Google Analytics has shown usage increases slowly but steadily. As far as basic functionality, we’ve had to fix small things but overall, it’s been very positive. The site functions as we hoped it would.

How did DigitalMara perform from a project management standpoint?

They used GitLab to create tickets, answer questions, or query us. We had weekly meetings over teleconference, meetings that turned into brainstorming on the fly. Deadlines were often missed, not by a lot, but they were missed. Some are attributed to us requesting new features close to the deadline, but as we were flexible it wasn’t an issue.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They handled the UI and the design side for us. We were really happy with the design and the ease of the UI.

They’re also a far better value than any of their competitors. They were able to do the project for substantially less than anyone else.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wouldn’t mind seeing more of a maintenance plan. That was a little vague. Seeing something a little more concrete regarding ongoing maintenance would be beneficial.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have very clear specifications before engaging with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I held a couple of different positions while I worked with DigitalMara. I was at TouchCommerce as the CTO and worked with them for about nine years. After they were acquired, I stayed on and worked with DigitalMara further.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DigitalMara?

We were building what we called a digital customer engagement platform, which is a solution that plugs into enterprise websites. Most of our clients were Fortune 500 types of companies, so the digital engagement platform was software that supplied a variety of different solutions to go above and beyond enhancing the customer’s experience when they go to a website.

If you’re struggling to solve a problem via a website this would be a set of tools that helps you go further like an automated chat, a live agent chat, surveys, guided experiences, or videos. Pretty much anything that will help the customer get to a conversion event.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were basically a core part of our development team during our time. Really, they did everything across the product lifecycle. They represented about 75%-80% of our team, including software development, QA and testing, and production service delivery.

We even went as far as to have team leaders for different areas. Our data warehousing and data management team lead was from DigitalMara.

What is the team composition?

We started off with three people, and when I left Nuance we had 110 people. During most of that time, we were between 50-100 people. The three initial people were sort of a test.

How much have you invested with them?

We were paying them around $10,000,000–$15,000,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2007 until November 2018, when I left, but DigitalMara still has a relationship with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were measuring the success of our development team as a whole, so we weren’t separating our DigitalMara’s people. We did track statistics, however, including the number of outages, total downtime, and the number of bugs found post-production.

I was extremely happy with their performance, and I don’t think TouchCommerce would have accomplished anywhere near what they actually accomplished without them. Our clients had extremely high expectations in terms of the quality of our solutions so we constantly endeavored to improve the quality of the solution.

How did DigitalMara perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is very strong, so there aren’t any issues there. Deadlines, on the other hand, are always challenging for a software company. I treated them as a member of our full team, and we had both successes and failures. That’s just the way development works, though. Overall, they did a great job of driving our product forward. They were always upfront and forward about any issues they hit, and sometimes we had to adjust schedules to fit the practicality of the situation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very flexible to our needs throughout and were able to quickly fill the roles we needed to fill. They also contributed to new processes as our company and client expectations matured. Also, they didn’t impose anywhere near as much overhead on us as a typical outsourced firm will. This allows them to offer more competitive prices. They possess and understand a creative, aggressive development strategy. Rather than requiring line-by-line code specifications, they get involved in understanding the project and contributing to specifications.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Generally speaking, communication can always be better with an outsourced team. They put a lot of effort into it but it always needs improvement. I don’t have a lot of negative things to say about the company.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get clarity about the skills you need to accomplish the task and expectations. Those are two of the most important things. If you’re clear about what you need from them then they’ll do a very good job.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated by the Vice President, Communications Software Company on June 10th, 2020. New content is below:

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the vice president of global R&D of a communications software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DigitalMara?

Our company has multiple tools and platforms, one of which is a digital platform that is used by customer service representatives to engage with their consumers through a variety of channels. The DigitalMara team has helped us to build out that product and its capabilities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The work that they’ve done for us has focused on the cross-platform integrations and APIs that allow agents and consumers to engage with one another. They’ve also helped to develop the tools that agents and supervisors can use to inform and make operational changes.

About 80% of the development of that full stack of technologies is currently being done by DigitalMara, and all of their work is being done entirely from scratch.

What was the team composition?

We work with their entire team, which has grown from about ten to over 100 people since the partnership began.

How did you come to work with DigitalMara?

They had been working with a company that we acquired since about 2010, and we brought them on in order to continue that partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend close to $5 million a year, which comes to about $15 million in total with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their collaboration with Nuance started in August 2016 when the previous company was acquired, and we are continuing to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any specific benchmark metrics for them besides the measurements that we track internally as a team to test the health and usage of our tools. As long as our offerings are satisfying our customers’ needs, they are doing their job in supporting us, so we have been very pleased with that level of service over the years.

Their team has been able to deliver complex features that were fully integrated into our existing offerings within a matter of days from the initial concept. The level of technical skill that they demonstrate is consistently outstanding, and that is why they are involved in or responsible for nearly 80% of a nearly $100 million flow of business for our company.

How did DigitalMara perform from a project management standpoint?

DigitalMara does a great job of sticking to all of the deadlines that we give them and communicating about the challenges they face well in advance of them. They are also willing to provide very candid feedback about whether or not specific goals are feasible within the amount of time we’ve allotted to them, so there are never any big surprises in that regard.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their passion and consistency of quality are well above and beyond what you can expect from this industry. The whole team is committed to delivering the best work possible and will work extra-long hours without being asked because of it. They are driven, independent, and accurate in all of their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have worked with them in a few areas, but they have always worked with us to improve in those areas and are committed to getting better all the time, so we don’t have any complaints about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

What I found successful was giving them a lot of freedom, clarity, and ownership. As long as you can give them a full understanding of what you want them to do, they are fully capable and deserving of taking an entire feature and breaking it down, executing it, and delivering it on their own.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of GoLeft.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

From captivating games to intuitive mobile apps and groundbreaking software, we're dedicated to crafting solutions that transcend borders. Our international clientele trust us to deliver excellence, making us a true global partner in the pursuit of digital success.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Developing CDN-network for performance marketing platform

SOLUTION

How did you find DigitalMara?

Online Search

Why did you select DigitalMara over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

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

• Developing CDN-network for performance marketing platform

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our CDN-network is working great. It's a big success.

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

DigitalMara delivered items on time

What was your primary form of communication with DigitalMara?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was impressed with their professional skills and non-trivial approach to finding correspondent solutions.

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

Everything was good although there is always room for improvement

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Cloud of Stemys

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Stemys is an Internet Of Things (IoT) solution for the real-time management of connected devices, including equipment, sensors, and machines.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Migration some process control system from Docker composer to on-premise kubernetes
• Ensure feasibility of the project
• Design PoC

SOLUTION

How did you find DigitalMara?

linkedin

Why did you select DigitalMara over others?

• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• skill

How many teammates from DigitalMara were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Migration of client’s module of Automated process control system on Kubernetes from Docker composer. Automation of a techincal support team routine.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A concrete PoC was delivered autonomously and on time.

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

At the end the result outperformed the initial estimation. With extra work done further since the developer was working really fast, and respecting the initial budget and timeframe.

What was your primary form of communication with DigitalMara?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• The collaboration and the fast onboarding from the consultant they provide. 
• The quality of the follow-up by the account manager 
• The clarity of the legal contract with clear scopes and end results 
• The seniority of the expert provided 
• The level of commitment of the expert provided was impressive.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Development engineer of fleXality

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Electricity demand and CO2-Emmision optimisation for coldstores

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Consulting for MLOps environment and suiting practices

SOLUTION

How did you find DigitalMara?

Online Search

Why did you select DigitalMara over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from DigitalMara were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Consulting and specification of a suitable practice for our machine learning (ML) operational needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Guideline for MLOPs approach for our projects

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

They responded well and fast to our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with DigitalMara?

Virtual Meeting

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

Very friendly and open communication. Fast adapting to our particular and uncommon needs.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Deputy Head of Development Centre of NetCo Professional Services GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We develop innovative hard- and software solutions for using Body-Cams and camera systems for construction site documentation in conformity to DSGVO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Compatiblity of our device to several ONVIF profiles

SOLUTION

How did you find DigitalMara?

Linkedin

Why did you select DigitalMara over others?

Matching skills

How many teammates from DigitalMara were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Determine which functionality was mandatory according the required ONVIF profiles and implement the missing methods.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Project was resolved in time.

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

We had good contact with project coordination at DigitalMara, who managed all our needs concerning contracts, meetings etc. and also attended our daily meetings. All deliveries were as expected.

What was your primary form of communication with DigitalMara?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They offered very good coordination, and DigitalMara was the only company that could provide us a developer for our specific requirements.

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

-