evozon

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and CEO of CryptoPhoto.com, a high-security authentication service.

For what projects/services did your company hire evozon?

We engaged evozon to provide development services using a range of skills, technologies, and industry knowledge.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed help creating a highly complex cybersecurity solution. We wanted to improve our business’s level of service and expand our plugins to different marketplaces.

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for highly skilled developers, so I considered several global firms. In preliminary discussions, we laid out the roadmap for our business and our overall goals. evozon offered an excellent range of in-house technical talent. Compared to other vendors, they performed well on a variety of tests I used to assess their abilities.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

evozon provided end-to-end development services. We first worked with a business analyst (BA) to define the business roadmap. We then started working on the broad suite of components that made up our solution. 

The project consisted of multiple mini-projects where evozon experts with specific skills worked on high-tech tasks for a short time. This approach allowed us to complete over 100 different components that involved many technologies—from iOS and Android development to biometric AI to Linux core services.

What was the team composition?

The team varied over time. We first worked with a BA and a UX specialist. It then grew to a full-fledged dev team comprising three backend developers working in Perl and Python, a frontend developer, a tester, and a project manager. evozon later added another frontend developer and tester as the workload change. We appreciate evozon’s ability to scale as the project progressed. 

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

The solution has launched and won more than a dozen international awards. It functions as we intended without requiring maintenance or updates. evozon helped execution a vision that I spent ten years planning beforehand. I couldn’t be happier with their work.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

evozon completed work using agile methodology and Kanban. I served as the product owner. We had weekly Skype calls to discuss status updates and upcoming tasks, and I received daily progress reports via email. Due to time zone differences, we had to plan a workflow to avoid blockages and downtime. We had a few hours of overlap each day for real-communication. We also communicated tickets over Jira. 

The team was highly self-organized and proactive. evozon never missed a deadline and addressed any issues that arose throughout the process. They also frequently added essential items into the work that I didn’t even know I needed. Their technical expertise helped us avoid costly mistakes and achieve a better outcome.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

evozon offered access to highly skilled workers who could build complex solutions to obscure problems across a wide range of technologies. The team was terrific to work with; towards the project’s end, they made themselves available on holidays, weekends, and late nights to address assorted emergencies that arose. Their level of professionalism and genuine care for our project was outstanding

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, the overall collaboration was positive, so I don’t have any suggestions at the moment.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director and founder of the Searchality Ltd., a technology startup.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evozon?

We needed help with developing a new platform. Our goal is to be the leading career search platform for this niche segment. Before we were an established business, we pitched this project and hired Evozon to firm up our vision and build it from scratch.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evozon helped us scope the entire concept. My partner and I flew to their offices in Romania and we white-boarded the solution in partnership. Our platform is a global community for international and private schools and the teachers who work there. The process is equally transactional between candidates and schools that are hiring.

Evozon proposed a technical solution for our business problem. Together, we defined the functionality and a plan for development. They advised us on which features were cost-effective or unnecessary and helped us choose between a V1 or V2 and an alpha versus beta. 
Evozon built the platform on a Firebase real-time database with Firebase Authentication. We leaned on their knowledge to select the right technologies. It’s coded entirely in JavaScript. They also used Node.js, Angular, Ember, and React Redux.

The platform has two sides with log-ins for teachers and schools. Matching functionality pairs candidates with open positions. Teachers can swipe left and right on jobs that fit their background. The sign-up and registration process prompts users to complete a social media-style profile and upload a photo. It also features a video. Teacher profiles include their personal site, CV, education, and professional experience. They can list up to five target positions based on qualifications and desired location. After the overview, there’s a longer section for educational philosophy. We also enable them to add personal details about marital status, children, and if their partner also needs a teaching job if they relocate. 

A matching server runs in the background of the system. On the school side, profiles include website links, salaries, benefits, and curriculum. Hundreds of fields list details such as teaching load, school and class size, and expectations such as mentoring clubs or extracurricular activities. The system sends notifications about how many candidates match postings and how well they qualify. A sophisticated, yet simple drag-and-drop feature indicates relevant criteria. Clicking on a teacher’s profile notifies them of a school’s interest. 

Evozon also helped to initiate our WordPress site, including the wireframe and design. Since we finished version one, we’ve been building on the business side. As we pursue round one fundraising, we’re investing in sales and marketing.

What is the team composition? 

At first, we worked with senior project managers and designers, and a mix of junior and senior engineers. A few months into the project, the CTO got involved, which was a significant improvement. We could send him specifications or business problems to solve, and then have functional and efficient conversations about the best solution.

The team size varied based on the phase, from the usual 4–5 resources to a high of 10 one peak month. During the initial design-heavy periods, we primarily worked with a UX designer. She coordinated with the frontend developers. Evozon has a whole team for backend development and testing. 

How did you come to work with Evozon?

A technology company I used to work for had a team in Romania. One of the members left to join Evozon. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in August 2017 and finished version 1 in December 2018. The project ran well over the timeline and budget, but we hold equal responsibility for the delay. 

Our current contract with Evozon covers the first few months of 2019 management and maintenance. We’re in talks about how to move forward. They learned so much from this project that they understand our platform better than anyone. We would like to build version two together.

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

Evozon’s overall output was truly excellent. The user profiles are beautifully designed. Since the team is relatively small, we sometimes struggled with the variance between engineers. Despite that tension, the results always wound up being generally high quality. If anything wasn’t perfect the first time, Evozon fixed it and made it outstanding. 

We set out to build a solution that significantly improves the simplicity and speed of international school recruitment. It works: when a new school created their account recently, we were able to share high-quality candidates with them 45 minutes after they completed the setup process. Through our platform, we sent the school the candidate's references, profile, and skills to review. Candidates were invited to interview less than 90 minutes after the school first registered with us.

How did Evozon perform from a project management standpoint?

Without a set scope, we had to delegate responsibilities between our teams. After a few months of a learning curve, one core teammate got involved who made progress go smoothly. We’ve had three project managers so far, and the most recent one is particularly excellent.

Starting to use a Codebase ticketing system improved our workflow. We held weekly standup meetings. The past year of working together has been especially smooth and enjoyable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Evozon has some absolute rock star developers and top-notch teammates. The CTO is amazing. Our challenging project took much longer to build than anyone anticipated. Even during tough times, they maintained their energy and enthusiasm for our platform. They take pride in their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Building a platform as a startup isn’t easy, and we all learned a lot along the way. They planned effective processes for adding features and signing off on enhancements, but they didn’t always stick to these processes. Some teammates are better at this than others, so it’s something they could work on a bit.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the time to clarify the scope and requirements before starting. Make sure Evozon understands both the technical and business challenges. As a highly intelligent team, they’ll probably find a solution once they grasp the problem. Making time for weekly standup calls was helpful, too.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the product owner of an e-commerce fine foods and beverages business. My main responsibility is overseeing and improving our shop and various workflows.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evozon?

We wanted to upgrade the foundation of our e-commerce platform to the SAP Hybris 5 solution, then continue to make improvements to increase conversion rate, stabilize information flows, and improve our shop performance and load times.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evozon developed the strategies and programs that drive our SAP Hybris platform, while also performing various system operator duties. The team implemented special features for consumer convenience, like a generated list of frequently bought items or other customers’ interests. Additionally, they integrated a payment function to ease the checkout process. Evozon continues to work as our developmental team, and provide platform guidance and maintenance.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, who also acts as scrum master, and a team of seven developers.

How did you come to work with Evozon?

Our parent company hired them years ago.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Evozon around 2015 and they continue to serve as our development team.

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

Our web-based shop has improved in terms of performance and stability. Evozon’s programming has allowed us to launch new features, reform work and information flows, and quickly make bug fixes or critical changes.

How did Evozon perform from a project management standpoint?

Because Evozon is not local, we usually communicate through Skype and Jira. We schedule occasional in-person meetings to discuss the progress of current projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated the team’s motivation, reliability, and team spirit.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Currently, I have no recommendations nor complaints because many things have been improved in the past. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I recommend making the trip to personally meet with them. A better knowledge of the team can increase the efficiency of the project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Senior Digital Expert for B2B for Deutsche Telekom, a worldwide telecommunications company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Evozon?

Two telecommunications companies in Romania merged, so we hired Evozon to introduce new branding onto the Magento e-commere platform.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal was to launch the new site on time.

How did you select this vendor?

We did a public tender where we invited all the big Magento players in Romania. Then we held one-on-one interviews.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Not only did two companies have to merge, but we had to merge CRM’s, websites, customers, and visuals. We’ve used all the resources that were available including project management, BA, frontend and backend development, design, infrastructure, and system architects.

What was the team composition?

The team had about 5-10 people, including a project manager. We included other resources, with the proper onboarding, if we needed them.

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

Web traffic increased and there have been no complaints from customers about missing data or bugs. We started working with Evozon in March and the launch date was that same September, so we were on a tight schedule. Not only did we launch on time, but we didn’t have any failures or bugs along the way that would have threatened the launch.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Evozon took the time to understand the business and brought their team up to speed quickly. Even though we were in two difference cities, it felt like we were in the same building. We felt like partners in the same boat, not like a normal vendor and client.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Evozon’s culture and work ethic were fantastic. Andreea and her team were brilliant. She worked long nights, early morning, and weekends to accommodate all the feedback and changes we needed made throughout the project. They launched a flawless website and kept everyone motivated.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I can only comment on the resources I’ve worked with, and I don’t have anything right now.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT project manager at Goodwheel.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evozon?

We needed additional resources to reduce our developers’ workload.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evozon creates generally Magento based Frontpages and performs changes into the Magento Backend. They are also providing excellent QA in their team.

What is the team composition?

Our in-house team consists of me (project manager) and two IT members. Evozon provides one front- and four backend developers, and a QA analyst.

How did you come to work with Evozon?

They were already in place, and we wanted to continue the work because they have an experienced senior group leader.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2016, and the work is ongoing

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

I haven’t reviewed the code, but it works and is high quality. Any feedback we’ve received on the project has been positive.

How did Evozon perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m in charge of project management, and we use Redmine and an agile methodology. Also, Evozon uses the same ticketing system and methodology. This enables a very effective way of workflow.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their workflow is transparent, and they’re good at collaborating. They’re professionals that provide quality work. Whenever we have needs or requests, they take the time to understand them and suggest possible solutions. We have a good process established, which makes for a smooth partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can trust their suggestions regarding processes or implementation.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Director of Technology for a healthcare research firm and I'm responsible for the development of our mobile platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evozon?

After working with a previous vendor, we hired Evozon to provide frontend development for a mobile-based solution that collects real-world data for our patient registries.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our platform gathers information on how patients’ conditions affect their everyday life, including symptoms and the treatments they take. Evozon adapted to the SDK created by the previous vendor and developed the frontend from scratch. They created wireframes outlining the UI/UX and data visualizations based on our end user requirements.

Because of their broad skill range, we’ve also hired them to create a new backend solution and improve our database functionality. They're using React Native to develop the application for iOS and Android in parallel.

The solution required a number of integrations. They put our cloud-based infrastructure together using AWS, though we’re currently considering switching to Google’s Firebase, based on their recommendation.

Evozon also works collaboratively with third-party health specialists to create our data analytics, putting together an API that will help with our company’s long-term goals.

What is the team composition?

I work with two project managers. The first oversees five designers and six developers, while the other manages a handful of architects to rebuild our backend. In total, we work with roughly 12 people at any given time.

How did you come to work with Evozon?

They were recommended to me for .NET work during my previous role. We interviewed a number of vendors, but they came out on top and we worked together for four years. When I needed help in my new position, I thought of Evozon immediately. Even though the project required different technologies, they’ve proven to be a fantastic partner.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $200,000–$999,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2016 and our relationship is ongoing.

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

We launched our first mobile application within the first four months of working with them. It’s been a great success and already has 120 users–an excellent number for a niche product–and they find the application intuitive.

The application has seen a notable absence of technical issues. Any small bugs that arise have been trivial and fixed within days, sometimes hours.

How did Evozon perform from a project management standpoint?

They rely on Agile methodology. They have daily standups that I’m able to attend if needed. We work collaboratively to prioritize tasks and they keep me informed of their progress and strategies.

The Agile method allows us to focus on our primary concern, time and budget, while maintaining some scope flexibility. They accurately estimate costs and meet committed deadlines. For example, we had a hard deadline for one task due to coordinated marketing activity. Evozon honored the schedule and completed the job on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a very deep well of knowledge to draw from within their company. This allows them to work across a wide range of technologies and offer expert recommendations in solving unique technical challenges. They have cutting-edge developers with expertise and experience.

They also offer an open and transparent partnership. They’re honest about which strategies they think are best and upfront if a particular solution isn’t working.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They've never given me any reason for concern.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They work best when treated as a real partner, so approach the project in an open and honest way. They have a depth of experience in development, design, and business analysis, so work collaboratively in order to take advantage of all they have to offer.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the development manager for a SaaS company that specializes in products for the human resources industry.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evozon Systems?

We have a team of in-house developers that maintain and improve our products. Occasionally, projects like rebuilds or feature developments require extra resources for a finite period of time. We wanted a partnership that allowed us to supplement or scale down our team as needed, without having to search and onboard a new provider each time.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went with a staff augmentation model instead of having Evozon complete projects independent of us. We treat outsourced hires the same as in-house staff members when going through the onboarding process. This included a skype interview to ensure each individual was the right fit for the team. Once we decided who to bring in, they were given resources and attended relevant meetings depending on their role. After receiving proper context regarding specific products, they were brought in to our continuous improvement process. Our delivery pipeline follows a sort of Scrumban style methodology and they joined the team as developers, quality assurance testers, and business analysts. They pick up items off the pipeline like everyone else on the team.

We utilize Evozon’s strengths across multiple areas and organize by “squads”. They have team members on the BAU squad that makes feature improvements to the core platform and provides bug fixes. There’s also a squad rewriting an existing application with new technology and Evozon is involved in every aspect of that development. The software being rewritten is a workflow application that uses a third-party library, allowing us to create animations and interactions that users experience.

What is the team composition?

There are 2 Evozon developers on our BAU squad. Their additions to our app rewrite squad include a business analyst, a quality assurance tester, and 2 developers. Overall, 8 people have supplemented our staff including designers, architects, and principal developers.

How did you come to work with Evozon Systems?

We conducted the selection process and Evozon impressed us in a number areas including size, flexibility, and high standards of quality. They’re more than capable of scaling as much as we need but are not huge. We didn't want a massive partner who might be working with lots of big accounts and therefore would consider us a smaller concern. However, it was also important they had enough resources to allocate so it wouldn’t take a long time when we needed to bring people in. Additionally, most offshore vendors prefer to provide a specific team to complete designated projects. We didn’t want to work this way and preferred to augment our existing team. Evozon possessed the flexibility to understand what we were trying to achieve, and were willing to make necessary accommodations.

After considering those items and talking through their internal process, we worked with them for a trial period. It became evident they were capable of producing quality work so we continued the partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $200,000–$1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together September 2016, and the relationship is ongoing.

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

Evozon hasn’t deviated from our delivery or operating standards in any way.

How did Evozon Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

There isn’t much need for hands-on management because the squads utilize a prioritization model. However, their business analyst on the app rewrite project is extremely organized and communicates effectively. We’ve had face-to-face meetings in each office, respectively. However, our main collaboration tool is Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There’s not just one aspect of them that’s impressive. Their overall package of quality, flexibility, and how well they’ve integrated into our team makes them unique.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They continue to strive and improve while having methods in place to train new people. What they do works for us so I have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Cultivate an open channel of communication in order to get the best out of the partnership.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a software development product owner of SDL.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evozon Systems?

Our software is targeted toward translators and content purchasers. They can be businesses, language service providers, localization partners, or freelance translators, for example. The product supplies the localization chain with software. We wanted to outsource development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We outsource all of the development—purely .NET—to them as one piece of work. This work extracts localizable content from file types such as Word and Excel. They work on file type support at the very end of the process when files are added to be translated. It’s the extraction of that content, as well as at the end of the process, when the translated content is given back to those files.

What is the team composition?

Currently, we have six people working on this particular project. We specified that we didn’t want a project manager because we handle that aspect in-house.

How did you come to work with Evozon Systems?

They were recommended to us and we picked them when we moved one of our offices to Cluj, Romania.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in early 2011 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

Across millions of lines of code that Evozon didn’t create from scratch, users have only reported a dozen or so bugs, which is a very high success rate. The quality is very good, which is why we’ve had such a long-term partnership.

How did Evozon Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t use a traditional outsourcing approach, so we treat them as an offshore team. They take part in in our stand-ups and planning and we’re constantly in contact with them via Skype, JIRA, Confluence, or email. Both of our companies are already geographically spread around and the entire development infrastructure is prepared for geographically diverse teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The people we have within the team are very engaged.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really, no.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of licensing project at TabTale. I work with big IPs, companies like Sony, Mattel, etc. We license their IPs to create games. I find the studios to create those games, manage the project, and oversee the whole process until the game launches.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evozon?

I was looking for a studio to work on a new runner-based game for one of the bigger pieces we were working with.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The games are built for iOS and Android on Unity. They do the work from start to finish: the design, the QA, and the development, as well as the live updates, pre-production, and everything else that’s needed.

After we started with them on the first project, we were really happy with it and decided to use them for other projects as well. They’re working on another game for our company, and there are more for them in the future.

What is the team dynamic?

I work directly with the studio owner and project manager, who's also the game designer. The team has about 14 people, constructed of game designers, programmers, QA, and server side.

How did you come to work with Evozon?

I found them at a Casual Connect conference in Israel. I started the project by giving them a request for proposal for the game. Other studios were also competing for it, but Evozon created a good concept and pitch for the game and gave an attractive offer in terms of cost for value. They also had previous experience with these kinds of games.

Before I closed the deal, I flew to their studio. We signed the contract and started working on the milestones we'd agreed to.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested $200,000 to $400,000 with Evozon. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January of this year, and the work is ongoing.

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

We’re still in production. They deliver on time and are very professional and enthusiastic. It’s a pleasure working with them. I manage the project, so everything goes through me. The only reviews above me are from the COO  and the IP owner who are happy with the results so far. 

How did Evozon perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is easy—the project manager is available for me 24/7. This doesn’t happen with any other studio I work with. He’s amazing, as is the studio owner. They really love their job and quickly handle any question or issue I have.

They’re transparent, which is also something I don’t get from other studios. The project manager tells me all the issues they're facing and asks for my opinion on how to solve it, instead of me finding out weeks later that we’re delayed because of an issue.

Now that we’re in the end stage, all bug reports go through Jira in Toptal. We also talk on Skype all the time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like the way they communicate. I’m involved in the project much more than usual—in a good way. I can rely on them to do the job correctly. They have a great cost per value which is not common in this industry. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a new studio, with only five years of experience. I would suggest that they keep getting experience because they still have some stuff to learn, but they’re so passionate about what they’re doing. They take many different projects, which is something they’re working on very well.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Global I.T. Architecture and Innovation Director at an international organization aimed at improving the lives of children. I oversee business intelligence, solution architecture, development testing, and enterprise architecture/business analysis.

What challenge were you trying to address with Evozon Systems?

We needed a tool that would enable automated monitoring of all our targeted programs. We also needed to accomplish this at a price point within our budget, which limited our ability to tackle it internally from London.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our in-house architecture capabilities combined with Evozon's development and testing capabilities to manage data and report results with indicators relating to our programs, which had previously all been done in Excel spreadsheets. The database architecture is built on Microsoft SQL Server 2014, the layout created with .NET Entity Framework 6, and the frontend built with AngularJS 1.6.

What is the team dynamic?

Evozon dedicated 3 developers and 1 tester to this project, and we had about 4 people working on the project from our side. 

How did you come to work with Evozon Systems?

I had actually used their services at a previous organization, and after we tried working with providers in India and had little success, I decided that Evozon's price point and skill set made them a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent in the range of $50,000 to $199,000.

​​​​​​What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in August of 2015 and while most of the development was completed by the end of March 2016, product support is ongoing. We continue to use Evozon for other projects. 

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

The amount of time needed for the end-to-end process from collecting data in the field to including it in donor reports has been reduced by about 50%, and data validation has improved greatly since we no longer use Excel spreadsheets.

How did Evozon Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

Evozon has been fantastic. They're very responsive and quite prompt in allocating resources as necessary. Communication was mostly through Skype for Business and Jira was used for task management purposes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The value for money is very impressive with Evozon; given the skills and dedication they bring to the table, it's a very good price point. Additionally, they haven't been afraid to challenge our team on technology recommendations, and those suggestions have been valuable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It wasn't a big issue, but they could improve their transparency around holiday and leave management, as there were a couple of times when that was unclear.