Madeira Data Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the development lead of a media company. I have 14 teams reporting to me — each one working on a different platform within the network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Madeira Data Solutions?

We were looking to develop new features and to stabilize our existing system. It was in really bad shape at the time, and we needed to grow exponentially, from 20 million video views per month to one billion. We needed to scale the system while also maintaining backup policies and so on. Madeira Data Solutions helped us hire database administrators.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Madeira Data Solutions helped us find and hire candidates who helped us build a data warehouse. Their resources worked on-site for us, and we eventually hired two full-time employees through them.

What is the team composition?

We were in contact with around four people from Madeira Data Solutions, including an application database admin and a DevOps engineer.  

How did you come to work with Madeira Data Solutions?

I’d worked with their CEO for a different company, so I knew that he was trustworthy and had high standards. It was easy for me to reach out to him, and things moved fast from there.

How much have you invested with them?

I wasn’t exposed to the numbers. I’d estimate that we spent $250,000, but I’m not sure.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Madeira around 2010, and we went to full-time employees around 2016. We worked together for 5–6 years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Madeira Data Solutions brought on competent resources that helped us scale the system. They contributed to features that were very impactful to our revenue. We were able to maintain a 99.999% uptime.

How did Madeira Data Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Their resources worked on-site with us and used all our internal systems. They were like any other team member, so it was easy to communicate with them. Madeira Data Solutions CEO worked closely with the team as well and provided guidance. He made sure that they had all the tools they needed. They got really good mentoring.

The CEO of the company has really high standards. He mentored and helped his teammates, making sure that everybody was growing and performing at a high level. Even if we got someone who wasn’t a senior developer, we knew that they’d get the right guidance and get to a good level quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Guy (Founder & CEO) is one of the most capable people in know. He has extensive database expertise. He’s trustworthy and has integrity. We could rely on him to deliver. We knew we were getting the best of the best.

Most outsourced companies we’ve worked with in the past only provide people, and the guidance level is very low for the most part. Madeira Data Solutions is a boutique company, and we really felt that their CEO’s mentoring made a big difference.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the challenges they have is recruitment. If we wanted 10 people right now, I don’t know if it would be possible for them. I don’t think that they want to grow to that size. Madeira is a small company with expertise in a specific set of tools, and they do an amazing job.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I recommend working with Guy. It’s important to set the right expectations. Madeira is the right company for someone looking for quality rather than scale.