Frequently Asked Questions
Consulting can be difficult to purchase. Here we’ll answer common questions to help you on your journey.
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What is the difference between a Consultant and a Contractor?
Generally speaking, a contractor is a non-employee that works on a time-limited contract. The work they do is usually closely managed and well-defined.
A Consultant is also a non-employee, but is typically self-managed, mostly, and works in areas that are not well defined.
What is a ‘Special Project’?
Special Project is a broad term that can morph depending on the industry, however, when used to discuss Technology projects a Special Project may include a strategic goal that is lacking a roadmap, requirements that cannot be met by current staff, an undefined but desired outcome, or a new ‘one-time’ effort.
Aren’t consultants expensive?
It depends.
We regularly remind our clients that the most expensive thing to do is nothing.
Our rates are always in line with the experience of our team
members and market demand.
Why 'Smart Factory'? Isnt' that just for manufacturing?
Some of the best systems have come from manufacturing. Agile and Lean in particular have had a huge impact on business. The Smart Factory idea means many things to many people, but for us it means that we focus on Communication, Visibility, Efficiency, Cost-Control, and Product Development.
Does Smart Factory provide managed services?
Yes, however, we limit our managed service offerings to Cloud Cost-Control and don’t typically manage corporate owned assets.
I want to be a Gig worker - where do I start?
Gigs are up for open bid. For example; a project may need a Docker installed and a data lake built in AWS. That Gig will be posted on our GigsIn newsletter and is available to subscribers to submit their bids. Unlike Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, or TopTal – we don’t sell you a gig for a high fee. We partner with you to deliver the highest quality work to our clients.
How do you protect my data if we engage offshore workers?
First, we are primarily a US based workforce. When we do engage offshore resources, we are transparent and always align our efforts with the company’s IT Security policies. In today’s global economy, data is routinely shared over borders as companies have international holdings. We operate much the same way. PHI, Government, PII, company sensitive, and Classified information are handled exactly the same way as you would handle them internally. In some cases, for example information that requires a security clearance, we simply redact or ‘dummy’ the data. Simply, the functionality of the application can be built without ever touching real data. In that case we would data-validate on shore.