Untangle Turns to Gemini Solutions to Extend Its Software Development Team
About Untangle
Untangle invents security software and appliances that protect computers and networks. By synthesizing enterprise-grade capabilities with consumer-oriented simplicity, the company creates products that are both powerful and intuitive to use. Designed for organizations ranging from small schools and companies to just-below-enterprise businesses and large campuses, Untangle’s open source solutions offer a cost-effective alternative to expensive, inflexible proprietary software. The Untangle Next Generation Firewall includes both free and paid apps that block unwanted content, spyware, and viruses from networks. The company’s Internet Content Control product gives users insight into and control over all their Internet traffic for optimal Internet performance. Untangle was named to the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s elite 2014 Fast Private List of the 50 fastest-growing private companies in Silicon Valley.
The Goal: Advance the Technology But Retain the Usability
In 2007, Untangle management determined that the company needed to implement a major technology upgrade without delay. The technology at the core of the company’s firewall application with desktop user interface was becoming obsolete, and they needed to replace the existing Java Swing-based user interface with one that was web based. Building a new UI was not just a massive project; it was a crucial one as well. “It was a scary time,” remembered Dirk Morris, Untangle Co-Founder and Vice President, Products. The usability of the Untangle Firewall was one of the product’s most distinct features and a clear competitive advantage. Many of Untangle’s customers were small businesses and academic institutions with users who were not technical experts. The Untangle management team had to ensure that the new UI delivered the same intuitive user experience as its desktop predecessor.
The Challenge
To take on development of the new UI, Untangle needed to dedicate a new team of software developers for well over a year. Building a development team based in Silicon Valley was impractical in terms of both cost and availability. Competition for top technical expertise was fierce in Silicon Valley and, as a result, compensation levels were skyrocketing. Untangle management did not want to settle for second best talent. The company needed to consider outsourcing the project, but management faced the prospect with considerable reluctance. “Although cost was a factor, the main issue for us was the difficulty of finding top-notch developers,” recalled Untangle CEO Bob Walters. “We weren’t willing to sacrifice the quality of our product just to save on development costs. We had heard countless horror stories about sending projects overseas and very few success stories.” The challenge for Untangle was to find an available and affordable team of software developers capable of performing highly complex development work.
Why Gemini Solutions?
Walters and his management team were introduced to Gemini Solutions by one of Untangle’s board members. “Jim Watson understood our challenge and believed that Gemini Solutions might be a good fit for us. As it turned out, he was right on the money,” Walters said. Walters explained that Gemini Solutions contributes enormous value because they deliver a complete experienced development team and management infrastructure, ready to go. Gemini Solutions hand picks teams of expert software developers to meet each client’s needs and adapts each team over time to address changes in talent requirements. “The level of expertise of each individual on our Gemini Solutions eam was a welcome surprise,” commented Morris. “Their capabilities working with JavaScript libraries, a key requirement of the UI project, have been especially impressive. It would have been very, very difficult for us to access talent of that caliber in Silicon Valley.” Unlike traditional outsourcers, the Gemini Solutions team was able to own the project from end to end, including the requirements and design specifications and even portions of the quality assurance testing. “In a typical outsourcing scenario, we would have had to micromanage the overseas team,” Morris explained. “Our Gemini Solutions team is so much more than a group of coders; they can take the ball and run with it.” Morris went on to say that cultural fit was important to the success of the partnership. “They aren’t passive, afraid to push back. They’ll take initiative and offer suggestions. That’s an element that’s missing in so many outsourcing arrangements.”
Enduring Results
The Untangle Firewall with its new, web-based UI was launched 18 months after definition. The new browser-based product was a resounding success with customers. “Some firewall products completely ignore usability, but we’re passionate about it,” explained Morris. “Gemini Solutions' expertise with JavaScript made it possible to replicate the user experience while entirely changing the underlying technology.” Today, Gemini Solutions continues to manage migration to new JavaScript libraries. “These days, JavaScript libraries are very fancy and, as a result, every migration is a big complex project requiring deep knowledge,” Morris said. “Gemini Solutions has unsurpassed expertise in this area and maintains ownership of that portion of our development.” Gemini Solutions supports Untangle with other ongoing software development projects as well.
Another important result of the UI project was the establishment of a long-term partnership between Untangle and the Gemini Solutions team. Over the course of the project, Gemini Solutions earned the trust of Untangle’s management and technical teams and, as a result, is considered an extension of the in-house operation. Walters believes that by trusting Gemini Solutions, Untangle is able to take full advantage of their contribution. “The best advice I can give a company looking for outside software development support is to find an organization worthy of their trust and then to trust them fully. Talented individuals want to be an integral part of the team, and they deserve to be. Our experience with Gemini Solutions over the past seven years has shown us the value of this kind of close partnership.”
Our Gemini Solutions team is so much more than a group of coders; they can take the ball and run with it.
- Dirk Morris, Co-Founder and Vice President, Products, Untangle
