Scio

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a hospitality platform.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scio?

We were building a guest experience platform for the hospitality space, and we were looking to hire new engineers to help us develop our product. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Scio is providing us with staff augmentation services. They started by explaining their processes and methodologies, how they hire, and the types of employees within their organization. 

We’ve hired from Scio a front- and backend developer, and we’ve given them our requirements. We’ve used serverless infrastructure, Python, Lambda, and other technologies throughout our partnership. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with some developers and an account manager.

How did you come to work with Scio?

One of our board members recommended Scio to us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $250,000–$300,000 CAD (approximately $196,000–$237,000). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since July 2020, and our relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every single one of Scio’s developers meets their deadlines each sprint. We haven’t had any issues with them for the past 12 months. Even though their resources don’t initially have enough experience with a certain technology, they learn extremely quickly. 

How did Scio perform from a project management standpoint?

Scio’s teammates have become a part of our team. We don’t just give them tasks and let them build on their own — we support them. 

That said, to avoid any issues between our teams, Scio provides intermediary resources such as an account manager and training support that help us structure the relationship. The level of support that Scio offers is beyond what most outsourcing companies provide. 

We use Jira and Confluence to collaborate. We communicate using Zoom and Slack. Their team is remote, and we do weekly sprints and daily standups.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with Scio’s professionalism. Their developers have taken ownership of the project — they suggest new things we should do and build new features. They’ve exceeded our expectations on timeline, code quality, and even in terms of personability.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Scio can improve by having more resources on standby. That way, in case there’s turnover or a need for additional people, the recruitment will be faster. Just the same, their hiring processes are faster than ours if we hire an internal teammate. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Scio is not an agency that you can give an open-ended project to and expect a finished product in return. Although you’re outsourcing, you’re building their people as part of your team. Know your position as a business, and understand what resources you’ll need from Scio. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of Upick. We connect bands and artists to venues through our web app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scio?

We brought in Scio to develop our web app so that we could make the booking process in music easier and more transparent.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Scio developed the app from scratch. We gave the team a document of what we wanted to see in the app in terms of function and UI. The lead developer provided us with multiple options of what technologies we could use. He made recommendations based on what was best for our budget and platform, and we let them run it from there after we had chosen. We’re using AWS. 

Scio then proceeded to development, where they built a messaging feature, a calendar, a display of the reviews, and a search bar with price, genre, and name filters. The team also built the app in such a way that artists and venue owners could create a profile. Payments could then be made to profile-owners via integrated payment systems. 

We also asked their team to create a function that gives artists, bands, and venue owners the ability to upload different kinds of media such as videos, pictures, and setlists from Apple Music, Spotify, and similar applications. 

What is the team composition?

We started working with three developers. One of them was a lead developer who oversaw front- and backend development. Another developer took care of the search bar and reviews function. The third one did most of the UI-related tasks, making sure that the application looked pretty.

The fourth person that we hired later on was a tester. She made sure that the app was free of bugs and that everything was functioning smoothly.

How did you come to work with Scio?

My dad actually worked with Scio in the past, which is how we heard about them. They did a great job with his company, and we were told that their pricing was fair, so we decided to use them as well. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began in March 2021. We will continue to work with the team to make improvements on the product after its launch, which will be in the next couple of weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Scio brought exactly what we were visualizing to life and made a working web app. Anything that we needed, they delivered. The user, to whom we showed our application last week, wanted to run all of their bands through our platform. That's very impressive considering that our product isn't even quite finished yet. Our whole customer base is very excited about it. 

How did Scio perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they performed great. They always had a smile on their face and were very easy to work with.

We talked to them once a day for about 15 minutes, and they ran us through what they were working on based on what we asked of them. Within this time we also asked questions if we had any or raised anything else that we wanted to add. We didn't initially know what we wanted, but we made changes along the way, particularly with the UI. 

In the beginning, we told them that we preferred to communicate via email. On top of our daily Zoom meetings, we also hopped on calls as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Scio was very easy to communicate with. They were always pleasant and positive, and we were able to build a great working relationship with them as we watched them do a great job on the development of our web app. We enjoyed getting to know the developers outside of the work that they were doing. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, this is my first time hiring developers but as far as I’m aware, they were excellent in every aspect.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend that you work with Scio and to follow the structure that we did, which is to have daily phone calls to keep up to date with the development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of growth strategy at TryNow, a software platform that enables online retailers to provide try-before-you-buy programs for their shoppers. We provide logistical support and technical infrastructure for merchants to send try-on items to their shoppers, helping them decide if they want to keep an item or not.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scio?

We needed their team to help us generate and implement software solutions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Scio works as an extension of our engineering team — their team is dedicated to implementing our core product’s gross margins and software solutions. They provide feedback and conduct troubleshooting tests to ensure that our Shopify platform is at its best state.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Luis (CEO), and we currently have two of their IT resources working with our team. 

How did you come to work with Scio?

Scio was referred to us by another engineering agency that we once worked with. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the engagement in May 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve launched around 70 brands on our platform with the help of Scio’s team. They’re a skillful team that implements high-quality solutions efficiently in a matter of days, and they collaborate well with our internal resources. This is a great success metric for us because our implementation processes used to take longer due to our lack of manpower and expertise.

Our relationship with Scio’s team is more than that of a client-vendor relationship, so they have a level of understanding of our business that doesn’t come from an outsider looking in. It’s rare to see this dedication in a team, and we’re honored to have this kind of working relationship with them.

How did Scio perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via FaceTime and have bi-weekly meetings to ensure that we’re meeting each timeline we set. Scio works collaboratively with our implementation team to ensure that all matters are always sorted out. One of their engineers is especially notable in that he goes above and beyond to overcome difficulties and learn new strategies that could optimize our product. The dedication they exhibit is a great marker of their seamless project management — Scio’s members have the perfect balance of skill and diligence.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with the level of supervision and personal touch that Scio applies to any project they work on. Their commitment to delivering successful results mirrors their sincere liking to see us succeed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they ever consider expanding their team in the future, Scio could benefit from a more standardized evaluation process to ensure that all members meet their client’s goals and expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Articulate all the skill sets that you need, and make sure that your internal team has a harmonious working relationship with the team you’ll onboard to flesh out the best results. From our experience, I could say that Scio is an impressive team that can help elevate your business through their high-quality service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Woven, which is a next-generation digital identity company. We are focused on things like getting rid of passwords, but also things like digital driver’s licenses or digital university degrees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scio?

We are a startup, and I was looking for a team to really handle the vast majority of product development on the platform and product that we have built. I have a couple of senior developer architects here in the US who work for me part time, so I needed a team to kind of take direction from them and handle the bulk of the actual development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I have relied on them as my outsourced engineering team for everything from cloud integration to iOS and Android development. They built our cloud on Microsoft Azure and using the various different components of Microsoft services in there. That is all written in typescript, but also uses a variety of languages depending on what was needed.

We’ve also done some container-based development that was all done in C#, and then the mobile applications have been written natively, so using Swift for iOS and Java for Android.

What is the team composition?

The amount of team members we’ve worked with has shifted up and down depending on our development needs. At its peak, we were probably working with about 15 people and has been anywhere between 2–6 at other times as well.

How did you come to work with Scio?

I was referred to them by a friend who had used them over a longer period of time, That level of confidence spoke more to me than a simple RFP process could,

How much have you invested with them?

We average about $35,000 a month, so I would guess that the total investment is nearing $1,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in January 2017 and is ongoing, although we are on hold at the moment while we go through our current round of funding.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are thrilled with the product that they have built. Their team is truly amazing to work with. Our team handled the design, as well as the overall architecture, but Scio did all of the coding and the implementation, and the result, in the end, was a really fantastic product.

I have really appreciated their ability to change the team depending on our needs, not only just in numbers but in terms of their developers’ specific skills. That flexibility, combined with the fact that we can work normal hours because they are in the same time zone as we are, has been hugely beneficial.

How did Scio perform from a project management standpoint?

Any time you work with an outsourcing company, there are going to be bumps along the way or things that don’t go quite the way you expected them to. What matters is how the company that you’re working with responds to those issues and how they treat your concerns, and any time we had any feedback for their team, they took it seriously and always responded quickly to those concerns.

Working with some contracting companies can feel like you’re pushing on the end of a rope and nothing is happening, but that never once happened with Scio. They were incredibly responsive the entire time, and no matter what problem we had, they were always able to correct it and get us back on track. It felt like they were part of my team, which is pretty much ideal for that kind of situation.

They were also very flexible about the specific tools we used for product management and sprint management, which helped make the engagement feel much more natural. We took advantage of all the Atlassian products such as JIRA and Confluence, GitHub for source management, and whatever tools we needed to stay on top of the milestones we were working towards.

What did you find most impressive about them?

No matter what level of person you’re working with at Scio, from an individual developer to the CEO, they all behave like they’re very invested in your project. Even in some cases with direct employees, they don’t all have a strong sense of ownership, but the best employees are the ones who work as if it’s their own product. Scio gave that impression across the board, which I really appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m incredibly happy with their work and anything I’ve ever asked them to do they fixed instantly, so I don’t have any complaints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Liveli Enterprises, a web & app-based time management tool geared toward women.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scio?

We hired Scio to build the tech we needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their development team built the MVP for my time management tool. They used the information and details that I included in a PowerPoint.

What is the team composition?

In total, we work with seven people, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Scio?

I found Scio through an online search when I was looking for MVP developers. After looking at their website, I saw that they were the best choice because of their cost-effective options. I also thought their team could smoothly perform the tasks because they had no reservations about the technology or vision that I was describing.

It also came down to their competitive cost and ability. I outsourced this project to their team based in Mexico because they were more affordable. Their price was reasonable for us as a startup without sacrificing quality.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $22,000 to build the MBP. By the end of the year, I assume we’ll pay between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Scio in October 2019 in an ongoing capacity. The first SOW was completed last week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team at Scio achieved the vision I had. They built an MVP that’s easy to use and functions well. Using the PowerPoint, they brought everything to life. Along with envisioning my goals, their team built upon those ideas and added specialized functionalities. It hasn’t been released to the beta test group yet, but I’m pleased with what they’ve delivered.

How did Scio perform from a project management standpoint?

I was pleased with the project management process. I met weekly with the project manager through a webcam, making sure we were both on the same and asking any questions. It was nice to have one point of contact to give updates. She wrangled their team as well.

We collaborate using email and video calls. Their communication is timely. I never feel out of the loop, and they always answer my questions. Even with a slight language barrier, communication was never an issue. I was impressed with their team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Since my product is catered towards women, I was grateful to be working with Scio. It was refreshing to see women working with them because that’s not seen with a lot of developers and tech companies. Their diversity of perspective was critical to building the tool.

I’m so appreciative of their diverse workforce and that I found them after a long search. I was looking for a team that wouldn’t charge me a considerable amount for getting my business off the ground. Scio is an incredible partner for young startups, delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything went well. There’s nothing that Scio has missed the mark on. I have no suggestions for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president and founder of LifeEase Business Insurance Solutions. We provide expedited life insurance policies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Scio Consulting International?

We engaged Scio Consulting International to build our website and integrate it with Salesforce and third-party strategic partners.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a clean and attractive website with an inviting and intuitive user interface.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A previous client recommended their team to us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Scio Consulting International worked with our in-house web designer to build the website from the ground up. They integrated various data sources to provide accurate quotes and properly process online applications. The team also kept data security concerns in mind and met the needs of our relationships with lenders.

What was the team composition?

Our in-house web design group worked with a Salesforce architect, a Salesforce developer, and a programming team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site launched only a few weeks ago, but we’ve received encouraging feedback from customers so far.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Scio Consulting International managed work through a hybrid scrum process using Zenhub. We communicated mainly via weekly conference calls and addressed immediate tactical questions via email and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team stayed on task and was highly responsive, flexible and supportive throughout the process. They offered timely suggestions to improve the initial layout’s design and development, saving us time and money.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Scio Consulting International could spend more time on quality control going forward. However, we’re overall very happy with their team and our collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and president of SimpleSend, Inc, an email marketing services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scio Consulting International?

I had been outsourcing development support from the Ukraine, but the timezone difference from California was becoming too difficult to manage. I was looking for a new vendor in our timezone to help build out our email marketing platform in a timely manner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Scio provides development resources to work on our email marketing platform on ASP.NET.

What is the team composition?

It varies depending on the project. We've worked with anywhere from one to three developers at a time.

How did you come to work with Scio Consulting International?

I had been looking online for a firm like Scio for a while and came across a post almost identical to our needs. Since their timezone is pretty much the same as ours, we decided to give them a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested over $200,000 in the last 11 years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since 2007 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, working with them continues to be a great collaboration. They have a lot of high-quality developers on their team. I know I can count on them to put in the work and be available during the times of day I need to reach them.

How did Scio Consulting International perform from a project management standpoint?

Since we work with their teams on smaller engagements, I primarily handle project management. We use some online tools to manage the backlog of work, and I haven't had any issues working with them or in communications.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Scio rigorously screens their developers, so I can trust that each person working on our projects is top-notch. Their employees are also enrolled in continuing education in their field, which results in more professional, proactive work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They may already offer this, but one thing I would suggest is that they add a few great designers to their team so that entire projects could be handled on their end from start to finish.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of Planning Blox, a specialized enterprise application software company that deals with large law firms and corporate clients. We have a very special software that handles legal project management, budgeting, and monitoring.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scio Consulting International?

We needed software development for our product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired them when we were beginning development of our product. We had already prototyped and designed it, but were looking for the right partner to help us bring it to life. It was developed using .NET, and is cloud-based and heavy in SQL server interaction. It’s all very current technology.

What is the team composition?

The team ebbs and flows, but there might be 12 or 13 overall. We had a team of nine at one time. They have very little turnover.

How did you come to work with Scio Consulting International?

In our prior companies, we worked with outsourced development firms from India, China, Ukraine, Lebanon, and the States. We needed someone in the same time zone that fit our culture and communication style. We are based in Texas, and they are in Mexico, so it's almost a neighboring city. Communication and technical skills were absolutely key.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We wanted them to be part of our delivery team for this product. We don’t package outsourced requests and have them deliver it to us. We work hand in hand with them, and we have a relationship and rapport. They get things done and consider themselves part of our team, even though they have their own organization.

They have no ego, and they're not trying to put forth something they're not. They are genuine people and great technologists, and we consider them as much a part of our team as if they were employees. Those have been the main differentiators.

How did Scio Consulting International perform from a project management standpoint?

They use the tools we asked them to use because they work collaboratively with us. We use Microsoft TFS, which works great. They manage us, as well as their own people, very well.

We verify that their hiring practices are what we expect. We communicate with them constantly and consider them part of our team. We see them as account managers, but they don't hesitate to push back or let us know when they need something. It's great. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work ethic is fantastic. They get things done, and they work within our own security compliance. They strive to achieve their own internal personnel development and culture, which is great. That's something you don’t see in a lot of body shops.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the President of Martell Broadcasting Systems. We’re a virtual, multi-channel programming distributor providing hundreds of television channels through an application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Scio Consulting International?

We needed someone to develop a minimum viable product (MVP) of our application, as well as create the deployment-ready web app for iOS, Android, and Roku TV.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create an innovative video streaming platform that does several things never been seen in a subscription free, internet-based, television delivery app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was originally introduced to Scio’s founder by a fellow alumnus of a tech accelerator program. I’d previously used Scio for a software project as a VP at a film studio in Hollywood. I was impressed with their work and wanted to work with them again in this new venture.

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

Based on concept art wireframes and my notes, along with regular correspondence, the engineers at Scio have been able to plan and refine the development of our application including user flow, architecture, and essential steps. They’re also working with me to refine the UX of the finished app, since we built it in stages. The app is very complex, but the team has been able to tackle the challenge with expertise, professionalism, and patience.

What was the team composition?

We have over a dozen folks working on the application currently, but they added engineers as we reached completion, to ensure that our deadline was attainable. There has been turnover throughout the year-long development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Scio was able to develop a high-quality, disruptive, and innovative app, with features that are unique for the industry. We haven’t launched yet, but I’m confident we’ll be very successful.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

For the past year of development, I've had regular morning meetings with the development team, as well as longer, weekly meetings to showcase new features as they are completed, to refine features, and so on. I've also had regular correspondence with the product manager. When the team has questions or suggestions on the UI, we're able to meet via live video conference to figure things out. I've found this process to be very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Scio's engineers are extremely capable, intelligent, and they produce quality work while adhering to budget projections and time tables. I've discovered very few bugs that have made it passed their QA testing, and those bugs arose only during very particular situations. Furthermore, we've asked their team to produce innovative features that I’m certain have never existed before, in an application like this. They’ve engineered these with immense quality.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

In my opinion, there’s not much that needs improving. To help Scio build what you need, provide a strong foundation by familiarizing yourself with Scrum, as well as the development of wireframes. Have a clear understanding of your budget as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

CPH & Associates is a managing general agent like an insurance brokerage. We are an insurance agency that also has the ability to issue policies on behalf of national insurance carriers. I’m the director of technology. I manage our technology projects and our overall technology infrastructure.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scio Consulting?

The goal was to build an application that would allow us to manage customer access to our insurance products including applying for a product, renewing a product, or managing a product while the customer is using it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted to build a multi-phased approach to a platform that would first allow customers to purchase a policy, and then, over time, also build a customer portal for the customers to manage it. We eventually went on to build an internal portal for our administrative employees to help support customers and manage their insurance products as well. It’s an ongoing project. It started off as a fairly fast paced Agile project that addressed some key functionality and grew from there. Currently, the project is in a maintenance and enhancement mode.

We built the entire project on Microsoft Azure platform with a SQL database. We used a lot of aspects that Microsoft brings including workflows, worker roles, and integration points with several different applications. We have a backend accounting/insurance management system that we had to connect to and then we use a variety of integrations for things like tax calculation, email, document generations, and various other things that are not part of the application but need to be done. We wanted to use the Agile framework to do the basics of what we needed to do to sell a product, and then eventually move into administering it and giving customers access to it and having them self-manage.

How many resources were assigned to your project?

The first team was six. Everyone but our account manager was based in Mexico.

How did you come to work with Scio Consulting?

We did a thorough RFP process and evaluated 8-10 firms mostly near shore. We wanted real-time interaction through phone and Skype. We wanted to the ability to visit the development center and have them visit us. We stayed with Central and South American regions. Of the companies that we evaluated, six or seven responded to the RFP. The choice was based on the amount of effort and thought they put into the response. It was an RFP with more than 30 pages and we got some responses that were just an email, or a page or two. Scio’s response was very thorough. We met with the three finalists and Scio seemed to be the best partner. The experience has been good. It lives up to the way we wanted to run the project. We wanted a reliable team that was dedicated. We’ve had challenges but we accomplished everything we want to do. The costs were in line with what we expected. The quality of the team has been better than we expected compared to other experiences I’ve seen I my previous jobs.

How much have you invested with Scio Consulting?

We have spent between $500,000 and $750,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2014, and the project is ongoing. The team is half the size of what it used to be but it’s still going.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We went from having 80% of our clients interact with us online to close to 95% today. We had three or four separate applications and processes before, and now we have one streamlined product. That has saved us a lot of time in terms of testing. We do 20 deployments per year, so in the last three years, we’ve done over 100 successful deployments of both new functionality and maintenance releases with very minimal downtime. Our app uptime is definitely in the high 99s.

How did Scio Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

We used TFS initially and have now transitioned to JIRA. That has become better as we got into post-release and maintenance because we have more end users reporting issues. TFS was okay but it’s hard to have end users use it. It’s not user-friendly. We initially had a dedicated PM and now we don’t. We have a lead developer that plays that role and is responsible for those duties. It’s gone well. We haven’t had quality issues or significant issues with delays and releases. We’re small and we’ve kept the team smaller on purpose because we don’t have the capacity as a company to support releases either. We don’t have the end user training and testing available. When I look at release delays, it’s almost always equally contributed by sizing the work too high, having too much on a release, or not being able to test and get it out on time. It’s managed well considering what we’re trying to accomplish and the size of both teams that are working on it.

What did you find most impressive about Scio Consulting?

They’re actually looking to find actual solutions to issues. Some development shops, you have to be prescriptive in what you’re asking them to do and they work off requirements. A lot of times we’re giving Scio requirements and they’re coming back with options to solve those problems. In the beginning, Azure was new and they were just learning it. We knew it would be tough because we’re picking a platform that isn’t well-documented. They were willing to take on that challenge and other things like that. They were looking for different approaches for integration and new components and vendors that were free or inexpensive. It helped us to move along without having to go back and look for more funding. We’ve been able to manage with a pretty tight budget overall. Outside of the actual hosting costs, Microsoft is pretty tough. Everything else has been in line with what we wanted to spend if not less.

Are there any areas Scio Consulting could improve?

We probably needed more release management on both sides to better align certain goals and functionalities. We built stuff before we needed to and threw it out. I think that’s part of Agile. You go fast and find a better solution down the road. You may have had to do that to get to what you needed. It’s hard to say. The teams are good and communicate well. We’re able to have phone collaboration and I’ve been to visit them a couple of times. The team is very easy to work with. When there are problems, it’s solved really well. We get together as a team and solve problems as they come up. That’s all I can ask for.