Global BrainForce

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the solutions and delivery partner for the Asia-Pacific region at an IT consultancy. We deliver various projects, including software development and ERP implementations, within the technology industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Global BrainForce?

We needed additional resources for a large engagement, specifically software developers specializing in .NET, React, and SQL.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We've engaged Global BrainForce to work on an old custom .NET application that hadn't been maintained for six years. Our goal is to uplift and modernize the application, which is built using old technologies like WinForms and WCF services. We want to bring it into a React-based web frontend with an API backend instead of WCF services.

Additionally, our business has had many pain points due to the long code freeze, so we've focused on addressing those pain points and delivering quick wins to the IT department. Global BrainForce serves as an extension of our team, and we bring them into other projects as needed.

What is the team composition?

We currently work with two .NET developers.

How did you come to work with Global BrainForce?

We found them through a Google search. After reading their very good reviews on Clutch, we reached out to them. They were very responsive and expedited their internal processes to quickly put candidates in front of us, which impressed us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $10,000 AUD per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2024, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We quickly hired two developers due to the quality of the individuals Global BrainForce provided. Their strategy of not hiring junior developers means we get experienced developers who understand real-world scenarios and have dealt with similar problems in previous roles. This approach allows us to work more quickly and avoid training junior developers.

Moreover, the quality of their work is excellent, and all their developers have worked with international clients before. Overall, we are very satisfied with the engagement.

How did Global BrainForce perform from a project management standpoint?

They deliver the project on time and within our budget. We use Jira and Confluence for project management and communicate via WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their speed and quality stand out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I’d have them improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open with them and tell them what you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the general manager of INCONTO, a B2B purchasing management software provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Global BrainForce?

As a software development company, we need developers to work on our projects, so we rely on staff augmentation services. Originally, we couldn't find enough resources locally, so we contacted Global BrainForce to help us find good candidates in the Philippines.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Global BrainForce provides us with a team of developers who work full-time on our software products. We create the software products that we sell, and Global BrainForce's resources are part of our development team. We're based in the Netherlands, and our external team of developers works for us from the Philippines.

We have function profiles and job descriptions available for every new resource we might need. We provide those documents to Global BrainForce, and they search for suitable candidates for our team. Their involvement extends to the point that my team in the Philippines is now doing the initial screening of candidates, so we don't have to do interviews if the resources don't pass the initial screening.

What is the team composition?

Currently, we have a permanent team of four developers and testers who work for us on a daily basis. We're also in contact with Global BrainForce's HR and finance teammates, but we don't communicate with them daily. Our team of developers has been bigger and smaller, but the average has been four teammates.

How did you come to work with Global BrainForce?

Global BrainForce's owner is a friend of us from our professional network, so we already knew him before we started working with Global BrainForce. When we needed new team members, we contacted them, and we started working together. First, I tried their services with just one developer. When we realized that our engagement was working, we ensured to add more resources to our team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with Global BrainForce for around 10 years, since 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're absolutely satisfied with our partnership with Global BrainForce. As mentioned, we've been working with them for around 10 years, so they're basically part of our team. They have a lot of knowledge of our software system, so we can rely on them. Moreover, we don't hire resources in the Netherlands anymore; whenever we need additional resources, we just go to Global BrainForce so that they can provide those resources to us.

How did Global BrainForce perform from a project management standpoint?

Global BrainForce knows what we're looking for and our budget, and they also have all the job descriptions that we use. Their approach makes it easier for me to onboard a new team member.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

One of Global BrainForce's resources works as a lead developer for our team from the Philippines. We're very happy with how he works with our team in the Netherlands. Moreover, he has been able to give the right attention to their teammates in the Philippines to ensure they can do their work in a way that we like it. He's basically our middle person and the one running our external team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the reasons I work with them is because having a team of developers in the Philippines is more affordable than having the same number of developers internally in the Netherlands.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For the kind of work we expect from them, Global BrainForce is performing just as we want them to. I consider that they would be more successful if they did smaller projects or specific types of projects, but there's no actual improvement required. They're delivering what we want.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If you want to hire remote resources, ensure to know exactly what you need and what you want. Ensure that you discuss those requirements with Global BrainForce so that they can understand your needs and intentions and how you want them to perform. If you're working on big projects, you need to ensure to have a team lead or project lead on your side.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I'm the director of an IT developing software business. Our products are specific to the corporate clothing branch. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Global BrainForce?

We needed knowledge and expert support to design a web-based ordering system. I started working on this app with my former company and continued the development of one app with the new company I started. I was alone at the moment and needed staff augmentation backup to give a guarantee to my clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Global BrainForce provides a developer specialized in data science who works full time on an end client's existing app's codebase and develops new functionalities. Global BrainForce's teammate works mainly on front- and backend development, supporting database knowledge. Global BrainForce is also responsible for deploying new app versions for customers. 

The team is redoing an existing app and working on a new proof of concept (POC) for a different end client who needs data consulting support. Global BrainFor uses Visual Studio because the app is based on .NET. We also use Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and Redgate database tools.

What is the team composition?

I work with one developer data scientist because that is what we've agreed with my end client. The developer works on an existing app's codebase, and my end client has decided not to spend more budget because it's good for now. 

How did you come to work with Global BrainForce?

I had previously worked with Global BrainForce's owner on a different project with a former company around 10–12 years ago. I contacted the team for this project because I had a good experience working with them.
How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around €48,000–€50,000 (approximately $52,000–$54,000 USD) yearly.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Global BrainForce in March 2021, when I started my new company. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Global BrainForce works continuously on the app's development, which offers insurance for my end client. The POC the team is working on allows us to present our services on a higher level, improve our company, and concrete sales for new products. 

How did Global BrainForce perform from a project management standpoint?

I mainly communicate with the team through email and with the developer through daily Slack messages. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Global BrainForce communicates easily and is constantly available. If I need to contact the owner, I can do so promptly. Global BrainForce's team speaks good English, and we communicate easily. The team is experienced in working with international clients and is direct in their answers. We have open discussions. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Global BrainForce can improve by offering us more insights about which invoices are already in-house, which will give us more sales opportunities for some projects and where we can get extra knowledge or help when needed. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Don't hesitate to work with Global BrainForce because they have good price rates and knowledge.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a Netherlands-based company primarily focusing on maritime solutions, like black boxes for ocean and inland vessels. We also have another business line for emergency beacons. I'm in charge of the development department within our company, so I oversee all things related to technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Global BrainForce?

We wanted to develop a remote access portal to use with our systems tied with our black boxes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Global BrainForce has helped us with the front- and backend software development of our remote access portal. The team has primarily used Python as the technology stack for this project. Currently, the team provides continuous development for the solution they've created because our product needs to improve continuously.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 teammates from Global BrainForce, depending on the tasks we're working on. Their team includes a lead developer who works on the backend development part, a frontend developer, and a QA engineer.

How did you come to work with Global BrainForce?

The CEO who took over our company had experience working with Global BrainForce, so they were brought on board for our project. They already had experience in this field.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $70,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Global BrainForce's development approach has worked well for us.

How did the company perform from a project management standpoint?

For developing this product, Global BrainForce has made a list of things that need to be done and understood. We've worked together to decide what the high-priority items are and work on those every week. That approach has worked quite well for us. Once, we got to a position where we needed to have the solution sooner. Still, Global BrainForce was very flexible in trying to make that happen.

As for communication, we mainly communicate with Global BrainForce via Google Meet once a week. We also communicate via email for unimportant things and use a ticketing system for tracking the development process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Global BrainForce is very easy to deal with, approachable, and open to discussing their solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Global BrainForce has a very good HR department, which is very proactive in assessing the performance of their engineers. Therefore, anything that came up during the initial year and a half of our engagement was dealt with. For example, we initially had communication issues, and they were able to sort those issues. Overall, they're a very active company from both the development and management point of views.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Enjoy the journey. Global BrainForce is a very nice company to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of miscea GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Development, production and sales of touch free water taps

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Global BrainForce to accomplish?

• Develop electronics and firmware for our water tap systems
• Develop a web based application to monitor a network of taps

SOLUTION

How did you find Global BrainForce?

Referral

Why did you select Global BrainForce over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Global BrainForce were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Several PCBs for different products and their respective firmware to make them run.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are currently running a number of field tests with customers. The products worked reliably and according to the customer's expectations.

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

Project management was heavily streamlined over time. At first a rather large team was working on the web based application, including a scrum master. I think that this made the team overly bloated and was counter productive. I ultimately worked with the lead developer directly, which was much to my preference! Things worked way smoother and faster.

What was your primary form of communication with Global BrainForce?

Virtual Meeting

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

Most of the team members I worked with were very skilled people and a lot of fun to work with. The people are very easygoing and hardworking.

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

I think sometimes things tend to be a bit over-organized in a bit of a "big company manner". This is over complicating things and making things a bit more difficult than they should necessarily be. miscea is a very small company and really used to a very lean and direct way of working. This is how we like to work and is part of our company culture.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the business analyst of an education company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

we provide ABA services to children with autism as well as we provide a continuum of services to intervene academically, behaviorally, and socially to help students catch up with their peers

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Global BrainForce to accomplish?

• support our existing student information system functionality
• help develop and implement enhancements to our student information system

SOLUTION

How did you find Global BrainForce?

already a part of the team when i joined

Why did you select Global BrainForce over others?

they were already on the team when i joined

How many teammates from Global BrainForce were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Global Brainforce has been providing application development services for our home-grown student information system since before i joined that application's team. they have been instrumental in developing bug fixes and enhancements to help our system be as efficient as possible

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

we moved our tracking system into a new environment in April 2022. since this move, Global Brainforce has helped us implement 59 enhancements, 25 bug fixes, 4 report updates, and 3 brand new reports into our student information system

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

all the tasks we have given GBF have been completed either early or within an acceptable timeframe from the due date

What was your primary form of communication with Global BrainForce?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

their communication has been 100%. we've never come across a scenario where we reached out and they have not responded

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

at the start of when i joined the team, we did see a fairly high turnover rate with our developers; however, over the past year, we've had the same team so far. also, even with the high turnover rate, their developers were able to learn our system quickly to get us what we need