West Advanced Technologies Inc

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A technology services firm headquartered in Princeton, NJ, helps our clients redefine, re-imagine, and re-engineer their digital & data strategy and make them future-ready.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire West Advanced Technologies Inc to accomplish?

• Vulnerability Assessment
• Penetration Testing
• Network Assessment

SOLUTION

How did you find West Advanced Technologies Inc?

Search and Reviews

Why did you select West Advanced Technologies Inc over others?

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

How many teammates from West Advanced Technologies Inc were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We have developed several products in Life Sciences, and Financial market places, and for each of the product, need to test our security exposure. We engage with WATI regularly on each of our major release for these products, to test Network Security, Application Security, and Cloud Security. WATI provides us the assurance that the applications are tested by professional hackers, and that the application, and infrastructure are setup with industry leading security approaches

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our projects and products Security Assessment report, WATI provides us with any identified exposures, and helps us track to closure, and retest.

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

Great cross collaboration work effort between your team & WATI for issue remediation process. WATI provided us with live updates on testing progress with direct availability of their resources to clarify our concerns and explain the processes. Projects were always delivered on time, I have probably done about 12 assessments with WATI. and everytime the teams delivers on time.

What was your primary form of communication with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

A very thorough testing, identifying risks from various angles using advanced testing methodologies. When you services are open to public, You can be assured of all kinds of actors hitting your services with very sophisticated mechanisms, and with WATI's help identifying these new threats, we are able to secure our offerings

Are there any areas for improvement or something West Advanced Technologies Inc could have done differently?

Ans: Not that I can think of. Their team was quite responsive and were experts in the cybersecurity space.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Quality & Regulatory

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a software medical device company developing AI based solutions for Radiology screening and diagnosis.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire West Advanced Technologies Inc to accomplish?

• Vulnerability Assessment
• Penetration Testing
• Cloud Security Assessment

SOLUTION

How did you find West Advanced Technologies Inc?

Sales calls

Why did you select West Advanced Technologies Inc over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from West Advanced Technologies Inc were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We're a HealthTech organization leveraging AI to make radiology services affordable and accessible. Being in HealthTech exposes us to a lot more threats making proactive security a necessity. WATI offered us a comprehensive VAPT testing for potential vulnerabilities to enhance our Security Posture.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome of the security testing done by the WATI team was that we got to know about the vulnerabilities present in our infrastructure and were able to fix it before it becomes an issue.

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

The team was attentive in finding, validating, and notifying new vulnerabilities. The project was delivered within the pre specified time frame. The WATI team also assisted us in the timely resolution of the issues.

What was your primary form of communication with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their collaboration with our internal team was impressive. The accuracy of their threat identification and response to the queries were praiseworthy.

Are there any areas for improvement or something West Advanced Technologies Inc could have done differently?

No. The team is doing great. I wish them success for their future endeavors.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of a fintech company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Product Development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire West Advanced Technologies Inc to accomplish?

• Vulnerability Assessment
• Penetration Testing

SOLUTION

How did you find West Advanced Technologies Inc?

Sales

Why did you select West Advanced Technologies Inc over others?

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

How many teammates from West Advanced Technologies Inc were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope involved vulnerability assessment and penetration testing services. The WATI team actively discussed our requirements and understood the key considerations for the security testing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The delivered results were impressive. WATI found some critical findings, and all of them were accurate. The team not only reported these findings, but they also explained them, giving us a clear understanding of the security status of our environment and suggested measures to enhance our security.

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

Their project management was extremely professional, and the delivery process went smoothly from start to finish. The team completed the project within the specified deadline, delivering precise results. They were consistently available around the clock through phone and email, establishing their reliability and trustworthiness, ensuring they were readily available just a door away whenever I needed them.

What was your primary form of communication with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Timely delivery and seamless communication define WATI's uniqueness, making them stand out in their field. The team assisted us with mitigation techniques and re-evaluated the findings after we addressed the vulnerabilities.

Are there any areas for improvement or something West Advanced Technologies Inc could have done differently?

Not that I can think of. The team was quite responsive and are experts in the Cybersecurity space.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the senior executives and owners of TeamLogicIT. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

West Advanced Technologies did penetration and external testing for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went through a discovery and requirements-gathering process. From there, we created a plan and did the tests. After the tests, we did a review of their work and checked if all issues were rectified. They did everything online. 

What is the team composition?

Around 5–7 teammates, including an IT director, were assigned to the project. 

How did you come to work with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

We found West Advanced Technologies through Google. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our investment was around $20,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from May–August 2023. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work quality was good. 

How did West Advanced Technologies Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

West Advanced Technologies’ online and verbal communications were good. We used emails, phone calls, and Microsoft Teams. They also met deadlines and stayed on budget. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their tools were good, and they knew what to do with technology. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. Everything was good from management to communication. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Use the right tools and do the right amount of testing. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of business development, energy, and utilities at Eccentex. We provide dynamic case management solutions to customers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

We hired West Advanced for their consulting services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a two-part relationship with West Advanced. One part focuses on security system certification. It’s a standard process where they tell us the things we need to do for security. They then provide information to a certified auditor, who checks everything and issues us the certification. Essentially, the West Advanced team helps us meet the requirements of the auditor. 

Meanwhile, we also work with them as a software solutions provider. We work with them on joint bids; our teams have specific capabilities, and we work together to provide presentations and proposals to third parties. 

What is the team composition?

We work with four teammates from West Advanced, namely the account manager, a consulting lead, a consultant, and a general manager. 

How did you come to work with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

We found West Advanced through a referral. 

How much have you invested with them? 

Our investment has been between $50,000–$100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in August 2022, and the partnership is ongoing. The certification happens annually, and the first cycle of this year was completed in April 2023. The second cycle is just starting now. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The engagement has been successful because we’re now certified. West Advanced’s work is high-quality, and the team is truly cooperative and willing to work with us when we run into difficulties. They’re comfortable with telling us how we can address issues. Moreover, they’re always easily available even if they have to put in much more work than they’ve expected to do. 

How did West Advanced Technologies Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a fixed cost requirement, so staying on budget isn’t a problem. Staying on schedule is a problem for our internal team because we’re not properly organized — that’s why West Advanced has had to do more work. They keep pushing us and asking us to do things that our members aren’t doing. Overall, they’ve done a good job from a project management perspective in spite of experiencing difficulties with our team. 

For tools, the process is highly standardized, so everything is done through emails, phone calls, and spreadsheets. We also use Zoom and Teams for meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a good standard process that yields positive outcomes. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more demanding of us when we allow things to slip. Although they let us know what needs to be done, they’re not particularly insistent, which they could afford to do. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your needs and objectives. Engage West Advanced openly and frequently. The team is willing to engage with you and do extra work to ensure your project is successful. If you want that, communicate more frequently and accurately about what they need to do. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an IT service provider that offers a range of support, from app development, infrastructure consulting, and IoT-related projects to security and business intelligence. Our customers are primarily in the US, but we also have a presence in India.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

We needed help with some of our app development, so we relied on West Advanced Technologies Inc.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We subcontracted some of our app development work to West Advanced Technologies for one of our clients. While I can’t go into detail about the project, they followed the same standard procedures that we had in place for all of our subcontractors.

How did you come to work with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

The overall engagement process was standard. We identified who had the right talent that we needed while still being within a price point that worked for us. 

Since West Advanced Technologies Inc had done good work for us before, we went ahead and engaged them for a specific time period to deliver on our projects. I thought that they’d be the best partners for us based on their strong reputation for professional work, client support, and technical resources who had been with them for a while. That meant there was less risk of turnover midway through a project. 

How much have you invested with them?

The engagement cost around $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around 2019, and the project ended in 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Typical metrics we look at include if the project was delivered within budget with all of the individual deliverables on time. We also look at what we call change orders, trying to limit the times we have to ask them to change something. Finally, we consider how many times they need to change the staff.

All of these metrics were kept low — they didn’t exceed the budget, they met the deliverables on time, and we didn’t have to do many change orders. They didn’t have to change their staff either. 

How did West Advanced Technologies Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a good project manager, and they met our project metrics listed above. In terms of communication, we followed standard methods depending on the task. We used Trello and Microsoft Teams in addition to Jira and Confluence for the code itself. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It came down to their professionalism, longevity, reputation, and technical capability. I needed to trust them to meet their commitments, and they did. They had a good reputation in the market and didn’t misrepresent their talents nor capabilities. They didn’t throw junior teammates onto the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

A lot of smaller companies like West Advanced Technologies Inc tend to have a few good people in each technology category. But, if the project gets larger, they might not have enough people with those specific skills to scale with the project. West Advanced Technologies Inc could invest in expanding their team of technical people. That might look like having more senior people who can work in C++, Java, or Big Data.

They could also improve on their speed of communication. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set up a very good communication process using the right tools. You also want to make sure they have enough capacity in your project’s relevant technologies. Make sure to ask beforehand how many people they have who can work in each technology. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a talent acquisition company. Using our platform, we help companies and recruiters find people, especially in the tech space. We have several thousand customers and a million or so US candidates on the platform. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

West Advanced helped us move our data from a data center to the cloud. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

West Advanced migrated our platform from a legacy data center to cloud infrastructure, optimizing our processes. We didn’t purchase any hardware, but we had licenses, which they installed for us. 

We’ve also had several other engagements with West Advanced before this, though the cloud migration project has been the biggest one. At present, they provide support services for us, and we’re engaging them for security monitoring and maintenance. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve collaborated with 4–5 people from West Advanced, including system and database administrators and system testers. 

How did you come to work with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

We found them through known sources, who explained to us what the West Advanced team did in the past. We didn’t search for any other vendor outside of our known circles. As a result, we hired them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $300,000–$400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the migration project in October 2020, and the partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our first success metric is to go live according to our project timeline and cut off the legacy system, and West Advanced has met that. We’ve also checked user acceptance, testing, and data synchronization. Ultimately, we’ve seen no downtime after the migration. That’s another success metric. 

How did West Advanced Technologies Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good, and they bring any problem to our attention. We’ve been using a legacy system, so plenty of documentation has been missing. They’ve effectively helped us figure out how to solve that, and I’m truly happy about it. To communicate, we use phones, emails, Slack, and WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

West Advanced is proactive when it comes to communication and documentation. We’ve experienced delays on both our side and theirs, but they’ve always brought issues up so we don’t have any last-minute surprises. On top of that, they efficiently help us put together any necessary documentation, which I find highly useful. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Scoping the project could be done better. That being said, we also admit that our team doesn't have a clear scope. Overall, both our teams could do the scoping better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Define the deliverables clearly as you set up expectations. That way, West Advanced can quote a clear budget and commit to the project. That’s my advice because IT-related projects are highly fluid; once you start, you’ll keep adding to the scope, which results in some friction. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT Manager of The Dollar Business

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The most exclusive technology platform for exporters and importers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire West Advanced Technologies Inc to accomplish?

• Vulnerability Assessment.
• Penetration Testing.
• Network Security.

SOLUTION

How did you find West Advanced Technologies Inc?

Sales

Why did you select West Advanced Technologies Inc over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from West Advanced Technologies Inc were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

The scope of work primarily focused on Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) of our digital and network infrastructure. The key deliverables of WATI team included a detailed report on identified vulnerabilities, penetration testing results and a comprehensive analysis of the report providing actionable insights to enhance our overall cybersecurity posture.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project yielded significant progress and success, highlighted by the identification of some high-severity findings. These outcomes highlight WATI’s commitment for thorough security assessments to fortify our cybersecurity infrastructure.

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

The WATI team’s commitment to timelines was commendable and eventually became a factor in gaining our trust. The team came on-premises and did all the testing demonstrating a hands-on approach. The team's responsiveness to our needs further solidified their dedication to our satisfaction throughout the project duration.

What was your primary form of communication with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

West Advanced Technologies Inc has executed the project well and with complete transparency in their workflow and assessment processes, which is a rarity in the cybersecurity industry. The company's commitment to providing a clear and open view of their methodologies contributed significantly to our confidence in their services.

Are there any areas for improvement or something West Advanced Technologies Inc could have done differently?

No, we were happy with the delivery and overall project management by the WATI team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Systems Security Manager of eSignGenie

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Providing easy-to-use, intuitive, and feature-packed software that caters to their individual needs and establishes comprehensive and lasting solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire West Advanced Technologies Inc to accomplish?

• Vulnerability Assessment
• Penetration Testing
• Cloud Security Assessment

SOLUTION

How did you find West Advanced Technologies Inc?

Sales Calls

Why did you select West Advanced Technologies Inc over others?

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

How many teammates from West Advanced Technologies Inc were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

WATI, our trusted partner, did a comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT, Cloud Security, Network Assessment) for us. This involved a thorough examination of our environment using a combination of standard and custom-tailored WATI test cases. 

The team proactively notified us of critical findings during the assessment to ensure timely resolution of these issues. They shared an extensive pre-assessment report, and again re-validated it and presented a final, comprehensive post-assessment report after our team addressed the identified vulnerabilities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project yielded measurable outcomes with accurate findings. We appreciate the assistance provided in mitigating the discovered vulnerabilities. The team's approach in explaining the mitigation techniques helped us understand the reported issues and guided us in effectively addressing and rectifying them.

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

WATI’s project management capabilities are truly commendable. Despite the geographical challenges, the team consistently delivered on time. Their dedication to ensuring that all our teams were on the same page, along with their highly responsive approach to our needs, contributed to a seamless and efficient process throughout the project.

What was your primary form of communication with West Advanced Technologies Inc?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What stood out about them was the accuracy and severity of their findings. Along with timely reports, the WATI team actively informed us about important findings. This proactive approach played a crucial role in completing the project on time while maintaining high-quality standards. They consistently provided work of exceptional quality and their commitment to their work is truly impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something West Advanced Technologies Inc could have done differently?

No because WATI has done a great job in our cloud and VAPT Assessment. They assigned a dedicated account manager which take care all of our business need and deliver on time.