Our mission: to be a booster for the digital evolution of business.
Our values: flexibility, transparency, creativity and safety.
Our pool of specialists: web and mobile developers, system analysts, QA and DevOps engineers, project managers, UI/UX designers.They are selected specifically for your business project and integrate seamlessly into your processes.
Our expertise: IT audit and IT consulting, complex mobile and web development for enterprise, and AI/ML, Big Data, AR/VR, IoT solutions.
We work within the Time & Material model in short sprints (1-2 weeks). At the end of the sprint we provide definite measurable results. Each sprint ends with a demonstration of the achieved results. If required, any corrections are quickly implemented into the strategy. We are always in touch.
Our Team: - IT experts with 5+ years of commercial development experience; - MBA specialists with 12+ years of IT experience; - ITIL certified auditors.
About Us: - 13 years on the international market; - 14+ unique services; - 350+ professionals; - 250+ successful projects: Variety, Rolling Stone, Disney, Hamleys, Mary Kay, 9GAG, IKEA, METRO AG, The Medici Archive Project. - 75+ international awards: IAOP Global Outsourcing 100, Clutch, Stevie Awards, Design Rush, etc.
Please introduce your company and give a brief about your role within the company.
Umbrella is an international company despite the fact that 80% of our clients are Americans. The rest of our clients are from Singapore, Australia, and Canada. We develop web and mobile apps. The mission of our company is to provide a client with a team of outstanding experts including developers, QA, PM and other professionals. In each case our team adjusts our business processes to the ones of the client, serving as a trusted partner to CTOs, CIOs, CEOs, and VPs of Engineering. Considering that our company has over 100 experts, a client can find a developer with almost any skill set in Umbrella. I’d like to emphasize, that we provide not resources but teams of experts, staffed for a particular client. As for my role, I am the founder and CEO of Umbrella. Due to the fact, that I have a business education as well as technical, I balance business negotiations with the strategic development of the IT-company.
What was the idea behind starting this organization?
When I was a PM in another organization, a need emerged to hire people for a new five-month project. I decided to choose a remote team of experts and found out, that there were myriads of companies at the market, that provided IT outsourcing and outstaffing services. But while attempting to cooperate with them I ran into some problems: these companies were not motivated to achieve a result, they didn’t understand my business processes and my priorities. It’s basically impossible to control workflow. On the other hand, without services of an outside company, I jeopardize the success of my own project. For example, my in-house developers can simply quit. Or I need additional experts for a short-term project sometime. Obviously, I can’t hire new people for one project to fire them when the work is done. It’s not only unfair and bad for company image, but it also destabilizes the employee loyalty. After all - people would work realizing that they are about to get fired any moment. I decided, that I needed an external IT service provider, but his business model must be different. So I founded the company that could have worked and met the needs of clients flawlessly.
What are your company’s business model–in house team or third party vendors/ outsourcing?
My company uses a new business model that is called outsharing. We provide teams that are scalable enough to match criteria of any client case. These are the result-oriented teams of full cycle development. First thing what we always do is studying our client’s processes of development and adjusting to them. Due to our company’s values and skilled HR professionals, the united and strong team has been formed in Umbrella. And this team works to ensure client’s success. We also found out, that the efficient operation requires working hand in glove. For this reason, everyone involved in the same project works side by side for the most effective communication. And yes, all our staff members are in-house only.
How is your business model beneficial from a value addition perspective to the clients compared to other companies' models?
There are several advantages in our business model:
1. With our business model, a client has the opportunity to increase the development speed for large and technically challenging projects without risks of employees quitting the job, schedule overruns or poor code quality. A client may need an expert with a rare set of skills, for example, DevOps for server configuration. We give the client an option to expand his team easily adding the mentioned DevOps or any other specialist.
2. The cooperation with us often leads to the growing efficiency of the in-house team of the client due to the arrival of new people with a finished performance and sharply-honed skills.
3. The practice shows that finding experienced staff is a challenging process that could last for weeks or even months. In outsharing business model a client can hire more qualified employees in the quickest and easiest possible way. The extra experts could expand the core team and help to meet the deadlines without sacrificing quality.
4. Another important advantage is the involvement. Our success depends on the success of our clients. We have a strong professional interest in bringing the project to a successful completion and we share the client’s values on an equal basis with his core team. We operate as one strong unit.
What industries do you generally cater to? Are your customers repetitive? If yes, what ratio of clients has been repetitive to you?
We develop mostly mobile applications for such industries as Advertising Technologies, Marketing Technologies, Social Media, and Big Data. Each time when a new game-changing technology emerges, Umbrella is the first one to embrace it. We put innovations to work developing them in the eternal projects, acquiring new competencies, and extending the stack of rare and sought-after technologies. Over the last years, we embraced IoT, VR, AI, and Blockchain. As for repetitive customers, most of our clients have been repetitive to us. 70% of companies that have chosen us once become our long-term clients. NPS is vital for us, and we pay close attention to it.
Mention the objectives or the parameters critical in determining the time frame of developing a mobile app.
The project innovativeness is the key factor in mobile app development. It can be expressed by a particularly difficult mathematical model as well as a delicate integration of virtual reality. All these unconventional cases require careful preparation, every little detail has to be thoroughly thought through to avoid any potential risks. The reasons for the project deadline shifting can be:
• underestimation of the development complexity - the functionality of an app can be too complex and innovative, as in the case of the VR technology finetuning;
• uncertainty - it’s easy to make a mistake preparing an estimation and hard to predict the time-frame for the third-party systems integration.
Basically, in all such situations, we’re talking about one problem: it is difficult to accurately estimate in advance the labor costs for the project at its various stages. It is always easier to make an assessment when the project has been in development for quite a time rather than it is in the initial phase. In response to this problem, Umbrella has organized the workflow in a certain way:
we split the project into short phases which, in their turn, are divided into sprints. Under this approach, even if there are any difficulties, we can resolve them in a timely manner within the phase, having the ability to manage all the scope of work. In my opinion, it’s never a good idea to increase the budget or shift the deadline. All you need to do is to reduce and simplify the scope of work within the phase.
How much effort in terms of time goes into developing the front end and back end of a mobile app?
Considering that we split the development process into phases, a small project is usually delivered in 1 phase, and a large one - in several phases depending on its complexity. At first, a back-end architect goes into action. Then a front-end developer and a QA join him in 2 weeks. That’s when the phase begins. Each phase takes 2-3 months and it is completed in such a manner that its results can be immediately handed over to the beta-testers or direct users.
What are the key parameters to be considered before selecting the right platform for a mobile application?
The key parameter is a long-term development strategy for the application. How does a client want his app to work? What functionality will it have in a year and a half? Who is the app’s target audience? All of it might seem non-specific, but we can exclude the factor of uncertainty only on the basis of general development strategy. This is the only way we can understand what functionality exactly the app should have right now to go without readjustment in prospect and what specific technology and platform should be chosen to better meet the clients’ expectations.
Which platform do you suggest your clients to begin with when they approach you with an idea (Android or iOS) and why?
I proceed from the assumptions who the target audience of our client is and what limitations we have. For example, if a customer contacts us to develop a mobile app for a report preparation when conducting a board meeting in large companies, I will say it’s more likely to develop an iOS app. If a customer wants to create a project for the payment systems in Africa, I will offer to make a choice in favor of Android, because of its popularity there.
Android or iOS, Native or Hybrid — which platform is best to use to build your app? What are your recommendations?
I believe, there is no perfect solution. At the moment, I like React Native very much. It’s an actually functional and genuinely dignified platform for hybrid apps. However, we should not forget that at the equal level of developer competence a hybrid app can never beat a native one.
What are the key factors that you consider before deciding the cost of a mobile application?
The cost of a mobile application depends on the scope of work, the complexity of development, and unique, non-conventional cases. External factors are a category of its own. For example, there was a case in our practice, when the launch of the application had to coincide with a particular event. We had to engage twice the usual number of experts in the project to improve the efficiency of the development process and met the deadline. Of course, this affected the final cost of a project.
What kind of payment structure do you follow to bill your clients? Is it Pay per Feature, Fixed Cost, Pay per Milestone (could be in phases, months, versions etc.)
We give a money-back guarantee within the first 2 weeks of working on the project. If a client is not satisfied with our work, we don’t charge him. However, so far there were no such cases, all the clients were happy. After the trial period, we invoice the client on each fortnight. We keep a detailed record of hours worked by our specialists, capturing with the help of time-trackers what exactly a specific developer did in a certain period of time. We provide our clients with a complete transparency: at any time a client is at liberty to audit the daily reports and get a better sense of what he spends his money and our time on.
Do you take in projects which meet your basic budget requirement? If yes, what is the minimum requirement? If no, on what minimum budget you have worked for?
We take only those projects that have the potential for a long-term cooperation. The initial sum of investments in the project is $20k.
What is the price range (min and max) of the projects that you catered to in 2017?
In 2017 our rate ranged from 40 to 50$ per hour, and our regular clients spent over $1 mln.
Which business model do you suggest to your clients enabling them to generate revenue from mobile applications? Why?
In my opinion, the most lucrative revenue model for a mobile app is freemium. Let the users download and enjoy your app for free and give them an option to pay or subscribe for the extended functionality. In terms of user involvement, I would highly recommend the app gamification. Each our project is unique: Umbrella’s analysts find an individual approach to every client to create an extremely efficient model for the mobile applications.
Umbrella IT Clients & Portfolios
Key Clients
Penske Media Corporation
SheMedia
Kardex
Variety
Alcon
Mary Kay
Rolling Stone
Hamleys
OneSky
The Medici Archive Project
Kompass
AimChat
Z5X
Virmuze
Vantage
Revenue River
Ice Wireles
IRISTEL
Graphetal
Life Lapse
Now Dating
MakolaHub
Captum
RingBoost
BlockInsights
Jourve
BeeInbound
View Portfolio
Internal processes and integrations with 3rd party systems (SLA) automated
Not Disclosed
1 weeks
Media
Goal
To automate the management of SLA contracts with the companies supporting cloud infrastructure and to reduce the costs spent on monitoring the execution of SLA contracts.
Obstacle
The client owns 20+ digital brands with a monthly audience of 179 mln. users. The management of SLA contracts with companies supporting cloud infrastructure is performed manually, which takes much time and involves a human factor.
Solution
We automated the SLA contract management platform and integrated systems for monitoring (Zabbix, Ansible) and collecting information on the infrastructure state in real-time.
We prepared a system for notifying contractors and automatic calculating the cost of monthly support, depending on the number of failures and downtime.
Complex functionality seamlessly integrated for an interactive Medici library
Not Disclosed
1 weeks
Social
Goal
To add new functionality to an existing digital archive of the Medici family’s documents.
Obstacle
Since the project has existed for more than 8 years, the architecture and stack of technologies had limitations in the implementation of the new features.
Solution
We implemented an editor that supports co-editing mode.
We added new modules that allow executing complex sorting, object grouping, change history viewing, etc.
We conducted the full system and code audit, and optimized development processes: changes are committed to the staging environment only after testing.
Traffic increased 3,5 times due to promotion solution
Not Disclosed
1 weeks
E-commerce
Goal To develop a virtual makeup system to drive awareness for a new product line.
Obstacle The challenge was to design a viral product that will be able to reach the broadest audience and to increase customer loyalty.
Solution We developed a virtual makeup system. After uploading a photo, the user chooses some parameters, ‘try on’ different variants of the makeup and get the information on those they liked.
Custom modules implemented and data security increased without investment system shutdown
Not Disclosed
1 weeks
Financial & Payments
Goal
To increase data security and improve site performance.
Obstacle
Existing box solutions had limitations due to which site failures occurred with each new update.
Solution
We transferred the application to a custom solution to ensure greater security and optimized the architecture. We used Vue.JS to replace the application front-end with modules unnoticeably for the user without system shutdown.
Number of active users increased by 25% within 3 weeks due to app operation acceleration and critical issues elimination
Not Disclosed
1 weeks
Retail
Goal
It was necessary to optimize the app performance to improve the user experience
Obstacle
The team had a task to study the project quickly, to detect any challenges in the customer journey in the shortest possible time, and to increase the app stability without any interruptions in the app operation.
Solution
The team ran the application diagnostics: it was found that several critical errors caused most of the app failures, and the problem of a slow response from the server resulted from the suboptimal database performance.
We checked the code of the mobile application, made the necessary changes to eliminate errors.
We determined that the authorization query was the heaviest. To solve this problem, we divided the types of authorization and changed the logic of the heaviest query building to the database, and also cleaned the database from redundant and obsolete data. As a result, the database server load was reduced from 100% to 1% allowing the app to work faster.
A number of interface and app logic improvements were made as well, which allowed increasing the session length and number of daily active users.
Customer Development testing performed that allowed to double user session time
Not Disclosed
1 weeks
Information Technology
Goal
To create a new corporate website that would replace an existing one and correspond to the Company's updated positioning to work as an effective tool within the sales chain. Obstacle
An optimized structure had to be created to provide flexibility in terms of introducing changes.
Solution
At the initial stage, we collected and analyzed information about our clients and how we communicate with them. We tracked the interaction of the target audience with the product and make improvements based on the data obtained. Relevant content was added, the structure was optimized, the page loading speed was increased, and the site acquired a modular structure allowing for more flexibility.
IT department augmented with a dedicated team for global entertainment media network 9GAG
Not Disclosed
1 weeks
Media
Goal To increase the volume of functionality released Obstacle It was impossible to foresee all possible roles of application users in advance and to differentiate access levels. Solution The Umbrella IT team was integrated seamlessly. The activities were scheduled according to the Client's timezone. The UIT team was assigned a small task: to implement the 9GAG Pro purchase option in a mobile version of the site. The task was successfully completed: we added functionality allowing to purchase 9GAG Pro and performed integration with Stripe. Upon completion, the UIT team was engaged for the next larger project for the site mobile version improvement.
To develop a content management system for the Forbes Arab division.
Obstacle
The CMS was required to be developed taking into account the specifics of the text layout and presentation in Arabic (from right to left).
Solution
We designed and developed CMS capable of supporting a bilingual format for user interaction with content. The administration panel provided for switching between the English and Arabic versions. We implemented lists management system for Forbes ratings, magazine subscriptions, and issues.
IT rescue team integrated to implement Fashion Week marketing campaign on time
Not Disclosed
1 weeks
Media
Goal
On a tight schedule to develop a landing with a parallax effect for the advertising campaign at New York Fashion Week.
Obstacle
With lots of things to improve, it was necessary to keep within a fairly short time in order to make it to the Fashion Week in NY.
Solution
To be on time, we decided to reduce the scope. Together with the client’s team, we prioritized the tasks. We worked the second shift on our part to increase the number of working hours per day. We used every opportunity to meet the deadline and to avoid any impact upon the final quality.
Goal To create a streaming platform for a woman community portal.
Obstacle StyleCaster TV is just one service of the portal. It was necessary to provide retention of users so that they would not want to go to specialized streaming platforms.
Solution We have worked the UX out, providing an easy-to-understand structure. We built in a convenient video player, providing streaming video. Each video has recommended thematic articles to diversify the content and increase retention.
To spread the business influence and attract more clients.
To offer an easy and interactive process of choosing residential properties.
Obstacle
The challenge was to find a unique way to promote and present the properties according to clients’ needs.
Solution
We created an AR-based application by implementing Vuforia and Unity to overlay the target image with videos of specific properties. As a result, users enjoy an immersive experience.
Now Dating: Top British dating app developed from scratch
$100001 to $500000
32 weeks
Media
Goal: To extend dating app functionality.
Obstacle: The existing app architecture allowed the load of 2k users, whereas the business required 100k users.
Solution: We changed the architecture so that the application withstands the required load and asynchronous interaction for a real-time chat. The functionality was extended: the real-time chat and more accurate profile settings were added. The front end was developed in accordance with the new design.
Life Lapse: App created and App Store included it in New Apps We Love
$100001 to $500000
76 weeks
Media
Goal: To develop from scratch an application for creating time-lapse videos from captured clips or photos with the possibility to export them to social networks.
Obstacle: As a video was to be created from several photos the smooth transitions from one frame to the next one were required.
Solution: When overlaying photos, we made each previous photo as a semitransparent layer for the user to align the next photo. Thanks to this, the user manually stabilizes the video and receives a smooth frame transition.
Matomy: Tool for tracking and analyzing mobile traffic created and sold for $6 mln
$50001 to $100000
60 weeks
Media
Goal: To design and implement a solution for mobile traffic analysis as an integral part of the client’s team.
Obstacle: It was necessary to create a solution for mobile traffic analysis that had no analogues on the market and ensure its scalability.
Solution: We developed a mobile traffic tracker with instant post-click analysis and an option to set up user redirection to the chosen advertisement. The platform includes a traffic distribution system by geolocation, operating system, mobile device type, mobile operator, as well as the ability to build visualized reports.
Disney: Landing page for Disney Tomorrowland ad campaign developed in collaboration with SHE Media
$50001 to $100000
4 weeks
Media
Goal: To prepare a landing page for an advertising campaign to be launched by Disney together with SHE Media.
Obstacle: The landing had to be created in a very short period – less than 2 weeks.
Solution: We brought in an IT Reсque Team. We developed the landing page integrated into SHE Media ecosystem. We set up a tag system for the Google DFP platform and created a customized quiz for fans.
Blogher: 600,000 users migrated without data loss and site downtime
$50001 to $100000
100 weeks
Media
Goal: To move 600,000 users from BlogHer to SheKnows and update information about their profiles.
Obstacle: It was necessary to merge accounts that doubled each other without information loss. To provide the centralized user management regardless of the platforms where they were registered previously.
Solution: All the users were moved from the old database to the ID Manager, that redirected to the global SheKnows oAuth service. 7,000 user profiles were merged with their duplicate accounts.
PMC: Data infrastructure operation costs reduced by 20 times
$50001 to $100000
44 weeks
Media
Goal: To update the existing data infrastructure of the company after 5 years without an update.
Obstacle: During its existence in the market the project accumulated a lot of data. The audit revealed that 70% of this data was not used. It was nonetheless important to store this data for future use.
Solution: We checked the relevance of the data. Following this, we archived about a petabyte of data to reduce costs and transferred it to another, cheaper service. As a result, the cost of supporting infrastructure and data storage decreased by about 20 times. Data updating and transferring were performed within a month.
Alcon: AI-module integrated for virtual colored contact lenses try-on
$100001 to $500000
100 weeks
Healthcare & Medical
Goal: To develop a service allowing to select colored contact lenses online based on a client’s photo.
Obstacle: It is necessary to correctly recognize the iris on the downloaded photos taking into account head movements and position of eyelids and eyelashes.
Solution We analyzed the solutions offered on the market and chose the most appropriate platform. We integrated VisageSDK into the CMS allowing to upload the photo and to virtually select colored contact lenses prior to purchase.
Strategy worked out to seamlessly integrate new e-commerce module without shutdown of system
$100001 to $500000
72 weeks
Retail
Goal To work out a strategy how to develop a new e-commerce website and seamlessly integrate it into an existing system.
Obstacles Hamleys uses an out-of-the-box ERP solution. Only the ERP vendor can make any changes, which can take months. Some useful features remain unavailable because the vendor isn’t ready to implement them. The new e-commerce website has to be seamlessly implemented into an existing system instead of the previous module.
Solution: We designed the architecture of the new e-commerce module. The solution is to plug the new module into the current system via the ESB bus without violation of data integrity.
Stylecaster: Site optimized for loads of more than 50 mln users per month
$500000+
100 weeks
Media
Goal: To modify the platform to support high loads and improve performance to make loading faster.
Obstacle: StyleCaster witnessed a drastic growth in the number of users (50 mln users per month). The website had to be optimized to the higher load saving the various site content (images, videos, graphics, audio content, etc.).
Solution:
We performed lossless compression of the content.
Then we took some load off the server by providing an extra reverse proxy server.
We partially refactored code to extra accelerate the speed of the website.