SHALB

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Airbeem. We offer over-the-top (OTT) software as a service to people acquiring video distribution on websites, mobile applications, and set-top boxes.

What challenge were you trying to address with SHALB?

Our infrastructure is based entirely in the cloud on Amazon Web Services (AWS). We also use a variety of third-party services from online video platforms (OVPs) and content delivery systems. We reached out to SHALAB for application support and 24/7 operational support for our cloud-based systems.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built and continually manage half of our Terraform infrastructure as code (IaC). This technology works with our AWS intense continuance integration and facilitates a scalable business. They also manage half of our AWS systems that have been rolled out in the last year.

What is the team composition?

I work solely with Volodymyr (CTO & Co-founder, SHALB).

How did you come to work with SHALB?

I’m not sure. We were advertising in Kiev, which is where they’re located, and got connected somehow. We have a development resource in Kiev, so maybe that was it.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2016 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

I’m very happy with SHALB’s services and the work they’ve done for us. They’re reliable and very responsive. Volodymyr is a talented guy and his team is reliable.

How did SHALB perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m not aware of how Volodymer manages his team. We communicate via email and Slack. Initially, we put our Jira systems together and that integration has been beneficial to our internal processes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SHALB has specific expertise in the business of OVPs, AWS, and content delivery networks. I expect the relationship to prosper going forward.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a mobile and API services platform. We provide an online platform that enables software developers with server-side capabilities for mobile and web applications. Our tools allow developers to focus on UX and their client-side logic.

What challenge were you trying to address with SHALB?

We needed someone to provide continuous monitoring and support for our infrastructure, both from a development perspective and for our production servers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

As a development organization, our product lifecycle goes from development to testing, staging, and eventually production. It is an iterative process that needs support from their system administration team. Because it’s a large system, our software is deployed for both development and production.

They oversee the system for updates and configuration changes. They also monitor installations and support us if the system goes down. We have developers in different time zones for continuous coverage.

What is the team composition?

We don’t have dedicated resources assigned as account managers. There is a team of about 10 people, with a few at the helm of the company. We mostly interact with a large team of engineers and system administrators who answer in rotation. We have 24-hour coverage.

How did you come to work with SHALB?

We posted vacancies on a few job search sites for a system administrator. They reached out to us and introduced us to their outsource model. They were very proactive and seemed very knowledgeable. They had experience with systems and architecture similar to ours and injected the whole process with a level of confidence.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay a monthly retainer. The arrangement is scalable, so the retainer can grow with the size of the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2015. They still provide support.

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

They are a very important part of our business as we grow. They serve an extremely important function and we wouldn’t be where we are without their partnership.

How did SHALB perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t have a dedicated account manager, so we communicate with whoever happens to be on-call. They’re pretty involved in day-to-day tasks and are fairly disciplined. We communicate via chat or email with multiple people to resolve issues.

There is a tracking system in place, but it’s not the most effective. Sometimes, we submit requests that aren’t acknowledged very quickly. We aren’t always sure our issues are being addressed, which is something they could improve. They do listen to us, and I’m satisfied with them overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They offer a unique model for outsourced system administration and functionality. I don’t know of anyone in the field who does something similar, especially for SaaS companies. Coupled with their technical acumen, they provide powerful value.

Are there any areas they could improve

Switching to a better tracking system like Jira would be fantastic. The current system has poor visibility. We don’t get notifications that our requests have been received and are in queue. They could kind of improve communication and their management of customer expectations. Even just giving timing estimates would go a long way.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure there is a clear understanding of responsibilities on both sides. Establish policies in your agreement, including daily operations and strategies for those critical times when there are system issues. If you are looking for basic assistance in support and system administration, I would recommend them. We would not be where we are today without them.