Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our FAQ section! Here, you’ll find answers to common questions about Excale’s background, team, processes, and methodologies. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out to us directly for more information.
Pricing
We provide several pricing options to suit different needs: time and materials (T&M), T&M with a cap, fixed price, monthly subscription fee, and per-ticket fee.
To get a personalized quote, please contact us via email, phone, or our contact form. We’re here to help!
Yes, we do! Providing free project estimates is part of our commitment to transparency and ensuring client satisfaction.
To get started, contact us to discuss your project vision, goals, and requirements via a quick call, or fill out our cost configurator. With this initial information, we can provide a rough estimate within 1–3 business days by referencing similar projects from our portfolio. This estimate gives a general budget range and is not final, as actual expenses can vary based on your project’s unique aspects.
If the estimate aligns with your budget, we recommend obtaining a comprehensive cost breakdown. This involves several calls or meetings to discuss your project in detail, typically taking 1–2 weeks and 2 to 5 iterations. If you have a comprehensive project specification or RFP document, this process can be expedited.
Initiating a new Project
Absolutely! We can join your project at any stage, whether it’s early design, ongoing development, or post-launch support. Our experts are skilled at quickly aligning with your project’s goals, workflows, and tools to ensure a smooth and effective transition.
We recommend deploying essential services within your environment to retain control over data and processes, aligning with your security policies. By granting our team guest access within your cloud tenants, such as Microsoft Entra ID or AWS Identity and Access Management, we can collaborate effectively while maintaining clear boundaries.
We synchronize our ticketing system with yours to streamline issue resolution and enhance transparency. When necessary, we develop custom APIs or middleware for seamless data exchange. Our development teams can also integrate with your existing pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab, or Azure DevOps.
To uphold your security standards, we use secure access methods such as VPNs, role-based access control (RBAC), and single sign-on (SSO). These measures ensure our team has the necessary access without compromising your security policies.
We begin by understanding your requirements and creating a comprehensive project plan. If needed, we assign a dedicated project manager. We then integrate with your development processes and tools, and establish a communication plan with regular updates and shared dashboards for transparency and alignment.
Absolutely! We will conduct a comprehensive audit of the existing project documentation, software, data storage, security tools, network, hardware components, development environments, and deployment pipelines to understand the current project state and priorities. Then, we will perform a knowledge transfer, working closely with the previous provider (if possible) to facilitate a smooth handover, including detailed walkthroughs of the project setup, architecture, and any known issues.
To manage the transition effectively, we implement a phased approach, starting with non-critical environments and systems. We ensure regular updates and open communication with all stakeholders to address concerns and keep everyone aligned on expectations and progress.
IT Service Delivery
Yes, we sign a service level agreement (SLA) that outlines:
– Service scope
– Project timelines
– Metrics to assess efficiency, quality, and performance
– Change handling processes
– Mechanisms for issue reporting, escalation, and resolution
– Penalties for failing to meet the agreed standards
W understand that choosing the right outsourcing company is a crucial decision. While we do not offer a standard trial period, we approach this on a case-by-case basis. We are open to discussing a pilot project or a limited engagement that aligns with your specific needs and objectives.
We have a dedicated change control process to manage any alterations to the project’s scope effectively. Before implementing changes, we thoroughly analyze their potential impact. For feasible changes, we obtain the customer’s approval, ensuring all modifications align with their expectations and requirements.
Contingency planning is a key part of our project management framework. We ensure project continuity by proactively identifying and mitigating risks, maintaining time and budget reserves, using flexible methodologies like Agile and Scrum, and maintaining transparent communication with stakeholders.
Yes, we offer 24/7 support. We can monitor your IT infrastructure or its components around the clock and provide:
L1 support: Resolves basic user-side issues.
L2 support: Handles complex technical problems and basic infrastructure requests.
L3 support: Engineers tackle complex infrastructure issues and resolve application issues via code modifications.
Yes, we thoroughly document all key decisions regarding the implemented IT solutions and processes to ensure easy maintenance and future evolution. We also integrate knowledge sharing into our operations and consistently share all necessary documents with your stakeholders, keeping them well-informed.
At Excale, we ensure a structured knowledge transfer process to equip your team with the necessary insights and skills for sustained success. We offer:
– Comprehensive, concise, and well-structured documentation covering each project decision.
– Hands-on training sessions, allowing your team to apply new knowledge in real-world scenarios.
– Ongoing support and Q&A sessions after the knowledge transfer.
– A feedback loop to assess the effectiveness of the training and make necessary adjustments.
Intellectual Property and Security
Before our first project discussion, we can sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to protect your ideas and innovations.
Our Master Service Agreements (MSAs) ensure that you retain legal ownership of all intellectual properties, including the code developed during our partnership.
Our 24/7 security operations center uses tools to detect anomalies. Upon detection, we isolate affected systems to prevent further damage.
We promptly notify key stakeholders and provide a detailed report on the incident, including its nature, affected systems, and initial containment actions. We also assist in regulatory notifications if needed.
We assemble a specialized incident response team comprising cybersecurity experts, system administrators, and relevant personnel. The team investigates the breach to determine its origin, scope, and impact, conducting forensic analysis and log reviews. We implement targeted solutions to fix vulnerabilities, patch affected systems, and reinforce security measures. After resolving the incident, we conduct a thorough post-incident review to evaluate our response and identify areas for improvement.
We create customized disaster recovery strategies with clear recovery time (RTO) and point objectives (RPO). We conduct quarterly or semiannual drills, both planned and unannounced, to simulate different disaster scenarios. These tests validate our migration and switching protocols, ensuring complete data restoration and system robustness. We maintain detailed logs of all recovery activities for ongoing audits and process improvements.
Have a question for our team or need assistance with your project?
Our team is ready to help! We can provide client references, estimate your project, or answer any questions related to your IT initiative.