FAQ
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Who are you?
We are a small firm of software developers, designers, and project managers who work, as a team, on projects for our clients. All of us are full-time employees with a focus on one or more Microsoft or Cisco technologies and are the best at what we do.
Are you a consulting, contracting, or recruiting firm?
No, we are none of these. We don’t place people into open positions. We provide technology-centric business solution in whatever form makes sense for you. We don’t go away after a predefined duration of time. We are simply a flexible, very capable, and dependable team for hire. We can outsource your entire project, or simply help you through “peak” times by working directly with your in-house engineering staff.
Can you work at my location?
We have our own offices, our own computers, our own software, and everything else we need to get the job done. For network and IT services, we perform the work wherever it can be accomplished the fastest. For software/web work, we generally do the work at our own location. Regardless, we often travel to our clients’ offices for meetings, troubleshooting, installation, training, or even an occasional office party, if we’re lucky.
Do you charge by the hour, or bid for entire projects?
We can do both. Most often, we work by the hour. Our clients like the flexibility and freedom of “do as I say” and “pay as we go”. Periodically, we will offer a fixed bid for a very well defined project. For some clients, we come up with a hybrid of both hourly and fixed bidding. In general, we do whatever makes the most sense for our client and the project in question.
Do you bill for your time spent in meetings, phone calls, or writing emails?
Time is our only product, and it is a limited commodity. We bill for any time we spend assisting you. This may include instant messaging, meetings and phone calls. We never bill time for spent on “business” activities such as sales calls, initial consultations, contract negotiation, accounting, billing, our own education, our equipment maintenance, or cleaning out the refrigerator.
How do you calculate your billable time?
We round each task's total time to the nearest quarter hour. We normally don’t count quick phone calls or emails that take only a few minutes to respond to. We promise not to nickel and dime you!
Do you charge for travel time or expenses?
We never charge for travel time unless this has been pre-negotiated and agreed upon. Travel costs we incur to client sites within Northern California is part of our cost of doing business.
Do you charge for your computers, software licenses, or other equipment?
We have all of the tools we need to do most jobs. When special, unusual, or proprietary software or equipment is required, we will ask our client to provide it to us, at our location, for the duration of the project.
Who are your clients?
We work for a wide variety of clients, everything from Fortune 1000 companies to small businesses, and even select individuals. Most of our clients are located in California, but we often work with companies based all over the country. (Some of our developers are also located all over the globe.) Our typical client is a small or medium sized firm with networking or programming needs but no technical. Also, check out our testimonials within our "Portfolio".
Can I contact any of your clients?
Absolutely! We have lots of current and former clients who are willing to take reference calls from our prospective clients. Just ask, and we’ll send you the information.
Do you require a signed contract?
We don’t absolutely require a written agreement to do business. Even so, we do think that it is a good idea to have one, especially for larger or more sensitive projects since many of the provisions protect YOU (e.g. ownership of work). We do have a standard contract for technical support services.
Will you sign a non-disclosure agreement?
You might need to share sensitive information in order for us to do our job. Even without a written agreement, we always exercise a very high level of discretion in regard to your business operations and your trade secrets. And, of course, we will back that up in writing.
Who owns the software that you write for me?
In general, once a project is completed and paid for, you will become the proud owner. In addition to the “executable” files, you will also receive source code, scripts, graphics, audio, project files, and anything else that is necessary to build, maintain, or extend the software. In most cases, we do retain the right to reuse the source code in future projects, for our other clients, as long as it does not contain trade secrets or any other proprietary or protected information. As always, we can customize the terms to fit your needs.
How do I pay for your services?
If we are working for you by the hour, we will send you an invoice on the 1st and 16th day of each month. Our terms for payment are “Net 10”. We reserve the right to ask for a moderate retainer whenever we deem necessary. If the project is a fixed bid, we normally require half up front, and half upon completion of the project. All source code will remain in our possession until payment is made in full.
Can I make “payments” for your services?
If cash flow or tax advantages are a big factor for you, there are many reputable equipment leasing companies who specialize in financing software or network projects. Once the loan is approved, we invoice the leasing company in accordance with agreed upon milestones, and they pay us directly. You make your payments directly to the leasing company. The end result can be a better solution, working for you sooner, that is paid for (or pays for itself) over time.
What is the minimum project size that you will accept?
We don’t scoff at small projects. Even if we lose some money working on “small potatoes,” it is well worth the opportunity to gain a happy client. Happy clients usually come back, and sometimes they bring their friends.
What kinds of software do you develop?
We are focused on Microsoft products and technologies. We will work on projects that involve legacy systems or other non-Microsoft products to perform integration and/or migration. However, if you are looking for development or support of a non-Microsoft system, then our expertise would not provide you with the best vaue.
What operating systems and platforms do you specialize in?
We primarily develop for the entire family of Windows operating systems (e.g Windows Server, Windows Small Business Server). We also have some expertise with Linux, UNIX, and Macintosh to ensure web compatability. For web development, we most often use ASP/ASP.NET and SQL Server.
What development tools and programming languages do you use?
Our primary development environment consists of Microsoft Visual Studio.NET in conjunction with our source code control system and our defect tracking system. Our primary programming languages are C#, C++, VB.NET, and JavaScript. We are experts in the configuration and development against SQL Server, CRM, Exchange, BizTalk, and SharePoint.
What do you mean by “Quality, value, and integrity”?
We often (jokingly) make the following offer: “You can have high quality. You can have it fast. You can have it cheap. Choose any two of these.” With any project, large or small, achieving the right balance between cost, quality, and timeliness requires three essential ingredients: experience, expertise, and honesty. We’ve got the goods.
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