Matoffo

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP Engineering of Lightcast

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Lightcast is a leader in Labor Market Analytics

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Implementing Continuous Integration system for data processing

SOLUTION

How did you find Matoffo?

Online Search

Why did you select Matoffo over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Matoffo were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Project Overview: This project aims to establish an efficient, scalable, and secure data processing system using DevOps practices. The focus is on automating deployment, ensuring high availability, and facilitating continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) for data processing applications. 

Key Deliverables: 

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): 
  • Develop and maintain scripts for automated provisioning and management of cloud infrastructure.
  • Implement version control for all infrastructure codes. 
• Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): 
  • Establish CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and deployment of data processing applications. 
  • Integrate code quality checks and security scanning into the CI/CD process. 
• Containerization and Orchestration: 
  • Containerize data processing applications for consistent deployment. 
  • Implement an orchestration system (like Kubernetes) for managing containerized applications. 
• Monitoring and Logging: 
  • Set up a centralized monitoring and logging system for all data processing applications and infrastructure. 
  • Implement alerts and dashboards for real-time monitoring. 
• Data Security and Compliance: 
  • Ensure compliance with relevant data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA). 
  • Implement encryption and access control mechanisms for data security. 
• Performance Optimization: 
  • Regularly analyze and optimize the performance of data processing workflows. 
  • Implement auto-scaling solutions for handling variable workloads. 
• Documentation and Training: 
  • Prepare comprehensive documentation for the system architecture, deployment procedures, and best practices. 
  • Conduct training sessions for the in-house team on managing and using the new DevOps environment. 
• Support and Maintenance: 
  • Provide ongoing support and maintenance post-deployment. 
  • Implement a strategy for regular updates and patches.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Deployment Frequency: 
  • Increase in the number of successful deployments over a given period. 
  • Reduction in the time taken from code commit to deployment. 
• System Uptime/Availability: 
  • Increase in the system’s operational time without failure (usually measured in percentages). 
  • Achieving or exceeding the targeted system availability metrics. 
• Performance Optimization: 
  • Improvement in data processing speeds and efficiency.
  • Reduction in resource utilization for the same workload, indicating better optimization. 
• Monitoring and Alert Response Times: 
  • Decrease in the time taken to detect and respond to incidents or anomalies. 
• Compliance and Security: 
  • Successful completion of security audits. 
  • No major security breaches or compliance violations. 
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Adoption: 
  • Number of infrastructure components managed through IaC. 
  • Reduction in human errors due to automated infrastructure management. 
• Containerization and Orchestration Efficiency: 
  • Reduction in deployment-related issues thanks to containerization. 
  • Improved management and scaling efficiency with orchestration tools.
• Feedback and Iteration Cycles:
  • Shorter feedback loops, enabling quicker iterations and improvements. 
• Employee Training and Adoption:
  • Percentage of team members trained and effectively using the new DevOps tools and practices. 
  • Improvement in team productivity and collaboration metrics. 
• Customer Satisfaction: 
  • Improvement in customer satisfaction scores related to system performance and availability. 
• Budget and Resource Utilization: 
  • Adherence to the allocated budget. 
  • Efficient resource utilization without over-provisioning. 
• Documentation and Knowledge Sharing:
  • Completion and utilization rate of project documentation and training materials.

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

1. Organizational Structure: The project team was well-structured with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. They had a mix of DevOps engineers, data engineers, and project managers who worked cohesively. 
2. Communication: The company excelled in maintaining open and transparent communication. Regular meetings, updates, and reports ensured all stakeholders were on the same page. 
3. Agile Methodology: They employed an Agile approach, allowing for flexibility and adaptability. This was especially beneficial in responding to changes and evolving project needs. 
4. Project Planning and Execution: The planning phase was thorough, with realistic timelines and milestones. During execution, the team consistently met deadlines, showcasing their efficiency. 
5. Risk Management: The company had a proactive approach to risk management. They identified potential risks early and had contingency plans in place, which minimized disruptions. 
6. Quality Assurance: Quality was a top priority. Regular code reviews, testing, and adherence to best practices ensured high-quality deliverables. 
7. Client Engagement: They maintained a client-centric approach, frequently seeking feedback and making adjustments to align with our requirements and expectations. 
8. Timeliness: All key deliverables were completed on time. This includes the development of CI/CD pipelines, containerization of applications, setting up monitoring and logging systems, and implementing security measures. 
9. Responsiveness to Needs: The company was very responsive to your needs. They adapted their strategies and workflows to address specific requirements and provided customized solutions. 
10. Collaboration: They fostered a collaborative environment. The project team was open to suggestions, and their willingness to work closely with your in-house team led to a seamless integration of processes. 
11. Final Outcome: The project's success was evident in the enhanced efficiency, reduced downtime, and improved data processing capabilities of your operations. The adoption of DevOps practices significantly accelerated deployment cycles and optimized overall performance.

What was your primary form of communication with Matoffo?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The most impressive and unique aspects of the company managing the DevOps project in data processing were: 

• Innovative Use of Technology: They demonstrate exceptional skills in leveraging the latest technologies and tools in DevOps and data processing. Their innovative use of containerization, orchestration tools, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) was not just about adoption but also about customizing these technologies to fit the unique needs of the project. 
• Agile and Adaptive Approach: They excelled in applying Agile methodologies, not just as a process, but as a culture. This agility allowed them to adapt quickly to changes, be it in project scope, technology updates, or responding to unforeseen challenges. 
• Highly Collaborative Culture: The company fostered a culture of collaboration that extended beyond their team to include all stakeholders. This collaborative spirit was evident in their regular and transparent communication, willingness to incorporate feedback, and the way they worked as an integrated unit with your team.

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

While Matoffo's management of the DevOps project in data processing was highly commendable, there are always areas for improvement or alternative approaches that could be considered. Reflecting on their performance, here are a few areas where Matoffo could potentially enhance their approach: 

• Feedback Mechanism Enhancement: Implementing a more structured feedback mechanism throughout the project lifecycle could help in gathering more nuanced insights and making iterative improvements. 
• Resource Optimization: There might be room for further optimization of resources, ensuring that the project is not just effective but also cost-efficient. 
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Leveraging more data analytics and metrics to guide decision-making processes could enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the project

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of Dash Solutions

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company provides security and compliance software for regulated industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Design and architect cloud architecture
• Build and implement container-based application
• Manage DevOps needs for our organization

SOLUTION

How did you find Matoffo?

Online Search

Why did you select Matoffo over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Matoffo were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We approached Matoffo for help building and implementing a container-based architecture and further cloud services in Amazon Web Services (AWS). Matoffo helped our team to evaluate architecture options, set requirements, and ultimately implement the final design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Matoffo has been a helpful partner for our organization. Their team has helped our company implement and release a more efficient cloud architecture, better manage our cloud applications and meet our development goals. Based on their quality work, we plan to continue working with them coming up.

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

Matoffo has always been available to connect and walk through our projects. We have been able to effectively communicate over Slack, JIRA and frequent webcalls. Our team has been able to share requirements and tickets, and they have been able to deliver solutions in-line with our timelines.

What was your primary form of communication with Matoffo?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We have worked with several different staff members from Matoffo. All of them been professional, easy to communicate with, and helpful in metering our DevOps objectives.

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

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of Mapme

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A no-coding platform to publish custom, media rich content over interactive maps

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Devops with AWS
• CI/CD with Azure

SOLUTION

How did you find Matoffo?

upwork

Why did you select Matoffo over others?

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

How many teammates from Matoffo were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

• Azure devops: develop and maintenance CI/CD custom Build & Release pipeline. 
• AWS: Create & maintain stack deploy via Terraform. The stack includes nodejs apps, frontend apps in S3 along with management of Cloudfront, Route53, SSM and other associated AWS subsystems.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. production stack is up on AWS infra 
2. new stack version releases are reliable & smooth 
3. CI/CD build & release flow is performant, reliable and works as expected

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

The project management is responsible and timely. All deliverables were submitted on time. Many deliverables were submitted ahead of time. The work quality often exceeded expectations. Communication is professional, polite and straight to the point. My project needs are well met by the team, hence the project is ongoing.

What was your primary form of communication with Matoffo?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

That despite working from Ukraine which has many challenges, the team managed to stay focused, professional and deliver the project in a professional and timely manner.

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

I struggle to find a significant example. In retrospect, it's probably possible to find some minor details which may be associated with misunderstandings. Those don't change my overall review or sentiment

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the Operations Lead for a food and biotechnology organization revolutionizing how we think about diet and disease.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Matoffo?

Our company hired Matoffo to both support and augment our Data Science and Engineering teams. We required skills ranging from standing up a Data Lake consisting of a wide range of databases for research purposes, building APIs for our Data Scientists to work with the ingested, cleaned, and transformed data, and automating infrastructure with Terraform, Github actions, etc. This was a zero-to-one build out.

SOLUTION

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

We identified Matoffo based on past experience with key team members at the organization.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The Matoffo team embedded themselves in our weekly processes, quickly got upto speed on our needs, helped build out requirements documentation, and started getting the work done.

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

We cycled through a number of resources based on individual project needs that evolved over the year plus that we collaborated. The team continues to support the organization as it prepares for it's next phases.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were able to scale our dataset from a meager, locally developed and hosted academic database up to a multimodal, interactive set of data tools and infrastructure that supported hundreds of integrated columns from a wide range of sources resulting in billions of data points for our scientists to work with. They also achieved massive savings in data processing time through optimizations at the ingestion and data integration levels.

What were very expensive toolsets, became readily available, cheap, runnable reports. Our team was also able to use this infrastructure to create easy to use GUIs for non-technical stakeholders, reducing overal time-to-market and improving our ability to rapidly prototype real-world solutions like nutraceuticals and food products.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were able to get to a point where they work seamlessly with our team fairly quickly. As with any cross-functional, distributed international team, you're going to have to optimize for what works for your humans. These guys are so flexible they met us in our tools, on our time, and were there as another set of eyes on the ground with us everyday.

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

Their ability to solve problems. Anything you throw at them. They either have the immediate experience for a solution, they know can pull in someone who does, or they can walk you through options that are much more creative than your team can come up with on their own.

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

As with any staff augmentation, the only way it could've been improved is if we literally hired them all full-time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of ClassWallet, a company that deals with the distribution of discretionary funds for parents, teachers, and students in the educational space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Matoffo?

We needed someone to provide us with staffing and thought leadership around DevOps and architecture.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Matoffo is providing me with HR support and staff augmentation services. They also provide us with thought leadership around the best practices and key resources on the ongoing operation of a business.

What is the team composition?

I hired a DevOps engineer, QA engineer, and architect.

How did you come to work with Matoffo?

I’ve worked with Matoffo in the past and I know their CEO who I collaborated with years ago when we started this business. I stayed in touch with him because I felt that he was a man of integrity and he has never let me down.

What is the status of this engagement?

The ongoing partnership started in January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Matoffo is currently providing us with 25%–30% of my workforce, and they’ve been able to identify and deliver scarce resources in a time where IT technical staff is difficult to find.

How did Matoffo perform from a project management standpoint?

They manage the project professionally. We use confluence and JIRA internally, and we typically communicate through Slack and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their integrity, dedication, and hard work in the staff augmentation sector. It’s a fairly competitive space and we’re happy we have someone dependable we can trust to outsource to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they could do differently, because they always deliver what they promise.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Any time you’re working with staff augmentation, it’s really important to have adequate requirements, so they can help to find the matching resources.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Co-Founder and COO of company that runs Job Search internet service, our goal is to have all IT vacancies to be posted in one website by using machine learning capabilities and provide for job seekers opportunity to find the job of dream by using smart search features.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Matoffo?

Our development and release process was very hard and time consuming, and we were struggling with validation our hypotheses as it took significant time from idea to validation. We hired vendor to help us with building proper continuous integration and deployment process which includes intermediate quality checks. The goal was to speed up development and release to meet business goals and keep application quality on sufficient level to support and scale in future.

SOLUTION

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

We were searching cloud companies within a personal networking. After discussion with Matoffo team we understood that is perfect match from expertise and budget perspectives.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Everything was pretty smooth, before starting the project they identified where we are and what we aiming to achieve, then they proposed solution which meets our needs. Once we approved solution, timeline and cost they started implementation. After that they went through implementation steps with regular sync ups, by the end of solution implementation they did final demo and provided short training.

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

They provided a project manager, lead cloud consultant and DevOps engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Required cloud infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines have been built successfully. The most important for me continuous integration and deployment part, they automated for us this process and inserted new to us quality gates that assisted to increase the quality of product and allowed to release product faster that is crucial for us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was highly reliable, always ready to adapt to changes and find the most appropriate solution. Mostly communication was conducted via slack, also we had weekly google meet sync ups to make sure we are the same page regarding the progress and provide early feedback.

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

They have enterprise-level expertise which is affordable for a small business like us. This makes a strong basement for business grow and scalability as well as it could be reused once we go to another level.

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

There is always area for improvement, but I didn't identify anything that impacted on my cooperation experience with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a SaaS product that services the Financial Services industry> As CTO I am responsible for the delivery of all product and related technology services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Matoffo?

We hired Matoffo to help us modernize and automate the continuous delivery and integration for or dev piplines.

What were your goals for this project?

We need to automate the flow of code from source management through to the build and deployment in high availability environment. We needed to further harden and make bulletproof from a security perspective and add visibility to our operations team.

SOLUTION

How did you select Matoffo?

I have worked wiht Serghii and his team before and was happy t engage them again as they always deliver.

Describe the project in detail.

We need to automate the flow of code from source management through to the build and deployment in high availability environment. We needed to further harden and make bulletproof from a security perspective and add visibility to our operations team.

What was the team composition?

A PM and two dev ops engineers for Mafatto and 3 internal resources.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project was a success. We accomplished all our goals and on time.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

After the initial discovery, we had twice weekly calls for the team and also an open Slack room to facilitate communication. The time zones were not an issue and the team in Europe was accommodating.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Mafatto demonstrated expertise and thought leadership that enabled us to move quickly without course corrections. They were able to make compromises where needed to accommodate our specific needs on both technology and communication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a real estate company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide SaaS solutions for the real estate industry

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Manage our dev ops
• Prevent down time
• Forward develop for scalability

SOLUTION

How did you find Matoffo?

Referral

Why did you select Matoffo over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Matoffo were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Everything DevOps related

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Uptime,SLC envs

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

Very responsive- great at what they do

What was your primary form of communication with Matoffo?

• Virtual Meeting

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

They are truly great people. Great experience

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

I don’t know if any

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder/ CEO of a software company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

SAAS software that gives you the info you need, when you need it no matter where it lives

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• work with CTO to build MVP
• Work with CTO to iterate with customers and ship new features weekly

SOLUTION

How did you find Matoffo?

Referral

Why did you select Matoffo over others?

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

How many teammates from Matoffo were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We have a 30 hr / week front end engineer and 10hour/ week back end engineer building tickets from our engineering backlog. They also help with testing,QA and pull requests

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have raised 2.5 million and have onboarded 175 customers as a result of the software they have helped us build.

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

The model here is more staff augmentations vs.scoped large projects. Their engineers act as ongoing members of our team. they are in standups, grooming.. etc. and we can easily flex where they spend their time

What was your primary form of communication with Matoffo?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Quality of the developers, care and attention of mgmt, focus on our company outcomes and not their own profit.

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

Find us more engineers like the ones we have been working with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP Engineering of an online retail platform

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an online retail platform for urban Africa.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Migrate our e-commerce platform to AWS

SOLUTION

How did you find Matoffo?

Referral

Why did you select Matoffo over others?

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

How many teammates from Matoffo were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Migration to AWS with managed Kubernetes (EKS)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

- Successfully moved our e-commerce platform to AWS

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

Everything was delivered on time and with attention to quality.

What was your primary form of communication with Matoffo?

Virtual Meeting

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

Very high level of expertise and culture of excellence.

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

None.