YourServerAdmin

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the tech lead of a computer software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with YourServerAdmin?

We needed help migrating our SaaS platform to Amazon Web Services (AWS). We hired YourServerAdmin to provide DevOps services using a Microservices architecture, along with Node.js and PostgreSQL.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

YourServerAdmin migrated the big monolithic project and broke it into small Microservices models, so they’re building different blocks for an entire SaaS platform. Instead of having one model, they broke it into different business domain models.

They’re using a continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. Most of the DevOps work they’ve done has been optimizing AWS cloud services costs. They’ve helped optimize and integrate other costs.

What is the team composition?

We have access to four developers and two DevOps team members. We work with them on-demand, not full-time.

How did you come to work with YourServerAdmin?

YourServerAdmin approached me through LinkedIn and offered their services. We started with their DevOps services, which are hard to come by in our industry. They were professional and provided quality work, so we decided to use their services for development.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2018, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The CI/CD pipeline is very helpful. We wanted to extend a new project to them, but they didn’t have enough developers to proceed. We didn’t hire anyone else to take on the project because we want to work with YourServerAdmin; they do great work.

How did YourServerAdmin perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate mainly via Slack, Trello, Jira, and conference calls. They’re very responsive and are even available on the weekends if we need them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer’s success is important to them. They take ownership of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the developer’s English language skills weren’t great. It was a little harder to communicate with him; we couldn’t have one-on-one calls.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When you’re working with an offshore vendor such as YourServerAdmin, you have to do some micromanagement. It works well if you use various communication tools as we do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Wimdu GmbH, which is similar to Airbnb but for the European market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with YourServerAdmin?

Originally, we needed help with an AWS migration for our rental portal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us with the site’s reliability engineering function. As our e-commerce site generates revenue, it needs to be running 24/7. They are now part of our reliability engineering team. We have three external companies that we use, but they are the only ones we use for site reliability engineering (SRE).

Currently, our products and services are on bare metal servers on Rackspace, and we are in the process of moving everything to AWS. They are working with us on the migration using technologies like Terraform, and Amazon services like CloudFormation and Relational Database Service.

What is the team composition?

We have two members of their team working with us.

How did you come to work with YourServerAdmin?

They were already on a retainer before I came on board.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested between $100,000–$200,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May 2017 and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

During the sale of the company, we scaled down from 300 to 100 people. We lost a lot of people and we didn’t have enough capability in this area. They came in at a crucial time because a few of our backend developers had to move to this role and learn on the job. YourServerAdmin’s expertise in this area has been quite critical to help us establish best practices.

How did YourServerAdmin perform from a project management standpoint?

In general, we are happy with their project management. We use Slack and integrate everything with notifications. They are accessible whenever I need them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I had a lot of plans to modernize the platform, and I was quite impressed with how they already thought of some of the modifications that I wanted to introduce and ways to address critical issues. They started thinking about it and brought plans to my attention with respect to my ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It is always better to over communicate than not. They could communicate a little more and be more proactive and not just reply to requests.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Utilize their expertise and let them know what you want to achieve as well as the core strengths of the product. Let them propose some plans and then work on it together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of engineering for a data analytics company. We work on delivering real-time business analytics and are focused on life, entertainment, and sports companies. We get data from these companies and transform it into beautiful dashboards, while also running some operational intelligence on top of the data, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with YourServerAdmin?

We needed server management support for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re monitoring the service that runs in our data center, notifying us and talking to the data center whenever issues arise. In many ways, it’s hands-off from our site. Additionally, they’re involved with our system operations, helping us set up new machines, performing tasks on Amazon Web Services, and simply delivering their expertise in areas where we don’t have it.

What is the team composition?

They’ve been very flexible when it comes to the way they work with us. We started by having one dedicated DevOps person and then expanded our team offsite with someone from their team on board. About a year ago, we changed the model and asked their team lead to assign the best and most skilled person for the technology we’re using at the moment. This has been the best way to work for us, as we have more people at our disposal whenever we need them.

How did you come to work with YourServerAdmin?

I searched the internet and stumbled across them. We had a trial period and started with the monitoring work, which went really well. We then decided to try their DevOps services and they turned out to be really good. They fit the bill really well.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2017, and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

YourServerAdmin has been really helpful; we’re extremely happy with the results we’ve been getting. Everything has been positive, and for a very reasonable price. We give them a task, define the criteria, and then verify the results. They usually deliver high-quality work.

They’ve also allowed us to be very agile in the sense that we can expand in areas quickly, whereas before, it would’ve taken us a lot of time to hire and train someone. Their staff is always ready to go; they go in and finish the tasks we assign, allowing us to achieve things we would’ve never been able to do on our own because we either don’t have the knowledge or the time to do it all in-house. With them, we’ve moved forward in many directions.

How did YourServerAdmin perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re effective in this regard. We had a few issues in the beginning when we were still figuring out the relationship, but we spoke with their CTO and discussed how we could work better together. I mostly communicate with the team lead and with the individual developers through Slack and Jira. They’re always responsive and relevant to our needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They speak English well and are very good at communicating. We’ve had problems in the past with other contractors when it came to verbal communication. They also offer great value for your money.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if they could offer a full service. It’s hard to say if it could be improved to that level, as it would be a very hard achievement in my opinion.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Definitely try out their services. Last time I checked, they offered a free trial period; it won’t hurt you to try them out for a month or so. Use as much of their services as possible, as they have really experienced people in many areas. It isn’t worth to try to keep internal staff at all times, especially if you are a small organization.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a software development company that creates real-time 3D applications for the art and home improvement retail sectors. I'm the managing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire YourServerAdmin?

We needed to outsource our IT development for the continued development of 12 visualizing websites and portal backends.

What were your goals for this project?

To improve the efficiency of the system, debug several errors, and maintain all the visualizers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We researched the market for IT development companies. We selected YourServerAdmin because of the depth of knowledge they had across many technology disciplines and their responsive team that always got back to us quickly and efficiently.

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

They took on board an existing visualizer system and backend portal that had many bugs and errors. They quickly understood how the system all worked and started to eliminate the bugs. In addition, they improved the efficiency of the websites and database structures. The server team migrated the entire system to new servers and made sure all the links and features continued to work with minimal downtime. In addition, they continue to manage the multiple servers that are based around the world.

What was the team composition?

The project team is made up of around seven people, including software developers, server specialists, project managers, and quality control personnel.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The entire system now is much more robust and stable thanks to their work. We're very happy, not only with the results but the speed in which they were achieved. We're now able to take on more work from the client knowing that the team can deliver.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management works well with YourServerAdmin. Initially, we liaised with the project manager closely to formulate the features and functions, as well as to estimate the cost. We now communicate directly with the developers and QA staff through Skype, which works really well. The project moves along much quicker when we have direct contact with the developers. The project manager is also kept in all the discussions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their responsiveness and ability to offer the best solution. We have open, honest, and friendly discussions about the project and they come up with great ideas around how we can overcome complex technical issues.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Estimation of time was an area that needed to be improved but as the team got more familiar with the system and project this did improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of information services at Endurant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with YourServerAdmin?

I first reached out because I needed assistance with a small web architecture project for a third-party.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

YourServerAdmin initially worked on full architecture installs on Linux and Windows before moving into building architecture from the ground up. They now use Kubernetes to build and map cutting-edge, size efficient, and cost-effective architectures that run off of OVH Public Cloud. The teams continue to optimize existing structures to save on cost and CPU usage, while experimenting with the industry’s trending architectural strategies.

What is the team composition?

Usually, one resource from YourServerAdmin collaborates with a development team.

How did you come to work with YourServerAdmin?

I found them on a freelance website.

How much have you invested with them?

I would estimate that we have spent around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with YourServerAdmin in 2014 and the partnership is ongoing, but we are not engaged in a physical contract with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

YourServerAdmin helped us cut the cost of our hosting services in half by optimizing the efficiency of our architectures. We are happy with the quality of their designs and services.

How did YourServerAdmin perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is available at all times, day or night, despite the fact that we are not bound by a contract. We have a Gitlab ticketing system, with additional communication channels via Telegram and our own web-based chat tool. YourServerAdmin is generally experienced, but if we run into a situation they are unfamiliar with, they are quick to learn the necessary information and skills.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because of their past experience in the industry, their team is usually one step ahead when trying to discover and conceptualize new solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, YourServerAdmin is the best, and most amiable, agency I have encountered in my work in the industry. They are competitively priced and strive for high-quality service.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would advise anybody to consider abandoning their legacy systems and allow YourServerAdmin to architect a new iteration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president and CEO of a web development and digital marketing firm. We manage servers which host our client sites and applications. The company is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with YourServerAdmin?

We were looking for reliable server administration resources that would help to continually improve uptime and security. They also needed to be very responsive to any issues that may arise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

YourServerAdmin provides server and cloud administration

How did you come to work with YourServerAdmin?

They work closely with our development group.

How much have you invested with YourServerAdmin?

We pay $40,000 per year for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in 2009 and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are no specific metrics, but we are very happy with the level of service provided. They are very responsive.

How did YourServerAdmin perform from a project management standpoint?

Again, they are very responsive and we can talk to someone who can solve the issue immediately. Other admin groups would make us work our way up from level one support to level two and so on, which wastes time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Neobitti is a web host company with 5 employees that hosts approximately 6,000 clients in Finland and over 10,000 websites. We have a lot of dedicated servers for our clients.

I provide technical support and server management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with YourServerAdmin?

YourServerAdmin monitors our servers 24 hours a day.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

YourServerAdmin is on top of the security of our servers. They keep them updated and schedule maintenance. The servers are c-panel servers that are shared, and then there are dedicated servers that are dedicated for our clients. 

How did you come to work with YourServerAdmin?

I didn’t work with the company when they were hired.

How much have you invested with YourServerAdmin?

The total we’ve spent with YourServerAdmin is between $300,000 and $500,000. We have an annual contract with them that’s about €10,000 per year [approx. $10,600].

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2003, and we continue to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are so many examples that it’s hard to pick any specific case. YourServerAdmin is always on top of the problems. They are the best in their area with this management. They’re proactive and resourceful.

How did YourServerAdmin perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done very well. It’s been really smooth and we haven’t had any problems, which is why we’ve been working with them for so long. We mostly use phone and email to communicate and manage work.

What did you find most impressive about YourServerAdmin?

The server management and monitoring is their best area. If there are any problems, they let me know. I get the best information as fast as possible.

Are there any areas YourServerAdmin could improve?

No. It’s been successful so far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a big retail company in the electronics world. Our core lines are within the camera and pro video industry, but we also offer consumer electronics through our main brand. We own secondary companies in the scuba-diving and camping industries, as well as one for rental of high-end recording studio equipment. 

I have been the chief technology officer of the company for the last 3 years. I have been with the company for almost 6 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with YourServerAdmin?

When I joined the company, we were smaller, and I acted as an engineer and project manager for a small team. Emergencies were handled 24/7 by us, including on weekends, holidays, and nights. We were slaves to the system when it came to maintaining the uptime and stability of the website. When I was promoted to my current position, one of my first initiatives (given that we had grown so significantly) was to formulate and standardize the support activity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Every task handled by YourServerAdmin is documented within a Playbook which works as a reference if we were to transfer services to someone else. They have a lean and creative approach in making support faster, more automated, and proactive.

Six months into our collaboration, we started assigning other tasks to YourServerAdmin, including ongoing sysadmin work. Starting in 2015 and completed in July 2016, YourServerAdmin implemented a CI [continuous integration] for us. It was a brilliant execution which worked almost flawlessly from day one. We are really satisfied with them and now we’re working on CI “2.0.”

YourServerAdmin has also built a Selenium .NET test environment. They also manage our Windows Server 2012 system updates in a safe and controlled way. They own that project.

How did you come to work with YourServerAdmin?

We were working with an agency in Ukraine, which recommended YourServerAdmin as a support partner. We flew their team to New York and had a discussion. YourServerAdmin had a very attractive price for 24/7 monitoring. We gave them a 90-day test period in order to see how the collaboration would go, and what their response time would be. We were satisfied with the results, so YourServerAdmin came to handle 99% of our emergencies on their own.

How much have you invested with YourServerAdmin?

The cost of YourServerAdmin has been around $500,000 since we started working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement is active.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

YourServerAdmin's architects have continually recommended ways of achieving fewer outages and having a more efficient system. It was a full-time job for YourServerAdmin's team to build a playbook and understand our issues.

We have gone from having an uptime of around 98% to 99.997%. We've had 100% uptime during the Black Friday weekend, which was a challenge.

We are an Orthodox Jewish company, which means that we keep holidays that can last 72 hours of being totally plugged out. Since working with YourServerAdmin, we have been able to relax about our uptime during those periods.

What did you find most impressive about YourServerAdmin?

YourServerAdmin has been able to bring a level of automation in alerting the support team and reporting defects to the development team. YourServerAdmin has figured out very smart ways of reporting those issues. This also makes sense from their point of view, since it reduces their workload.

Are there any areas YourServerAdmin could improve?

YourServerAdmin could do a better job in making reliable estimates. YourServerAdmin has notified us early about any upcoming delays.