Q: Michael, can you tell us something more about Kinetech?
A: We are pioneers in low-code implementation, primarily focusing on Mendix. Kinetech is a Platform Mendix Partner as our founders are ex-Mendix employees who helped establish and grow the United States delivery organization. Our name is a play on kinetic energy and cloud technology. We unlock the potential in organizations with Mendix software.
Anyone who has been involved in an IT project gone wrong knows software alone is not enough.
Kinetech kick-starts innovation using our proven Digital Execution Strategy and agile software development. The solutions typically integrate with existing applications (using APIs), while extending and enhancing current processes with mobile applications.
Recommended: Download your Free Copy Here
Q: What’s the Mendix platform? What are the benefits of using Mendix?
A: Mendix is the leading low code Platform as a Service (PaaS). The platform provides an integrated environment for collaboration, software development, and cloud deployment management. The software is cloud agnostic so it can be deployed on AWS, Azure, SAP, or the Mendix cloud. When we worked at Mendix, low code was still a new concept. When Siemen’s acquired Mendix in September of 2018, they solidified that low code is here to stay (Siemen’s is a 170-year-old company). We get this question a lot so I’ll have our team provide an explainer video about the platform and its key components.
The benefits of using Mendix are immense. With the right team, Mendix drastically decreases the time to value. By using visual models and agile concepts, Mendix accelerates software development by a factor of 10. The platform also has enterprise security and governance baked into platform and independently verified by third parties.
Q: There is a large variance in the size of your customers, why is that?
A: Our customers are organizations that have compelling problems that cost them a substantial amount in time or money. So while our customers vary in annual turnover, fundamentally they are lead by difference makers who understand the potential that low code software offers and realize their challenges cannot be solved with off the shelf technology.
Q: Understood. Why is now the time for the technology and services Kinetech offer?
A: The cost of custom software has dropped by 67% in the past twenty years. Many companies realize they need to modernize but don’t have the structure in place to undergo successful digital transformations on their own. By holistically considering both business and IT, Kinetech is able to bridge the gaps and unlock innovation. We focus on high impact initiatives that generate triple digit returns on investment (ROI) within the first year.
Q: That sounds too good to be true, can you give some examples?
A: Sure, we helped a 4th generation general contractor profitably capture 192% revenue growth over five years with an enterprise project management application.
Additionally, we developed a cloud-based ERP for a NASDAQ listed client that eliminated order errors from 90% of all submitted (via excel and email) to 0% in 4 months.
Lastly, we helped a Benefits Provider eliminate 50% of underutilized software licenses with a purpose built solution that drove an estimated 10% organizational efficiency via benefit renewal software.
Q: You’ve recently announced record Q3 results; could you tell us something more?
A: Our results are a byproduct of executing our mission to serve as a positive catalyst for our clients through our people and work. When our clients do well, Kinetech does well and that is by design.
Take the City of San Antonio (COSA) as an example. COSA was able to generate a 206% ROI by processing of over 18,000 applications for utility (power / water) assistance by San Antonio’s most vulnerable residents (those living within 125% of the federal poverty line). This is an 80% increase from the 10,000 paper application done in 2017 with the same staff. This is important work and we are proud to support the Department of Human Services in this ongoing effort.
For a NASDAQ listed client, this meant assisting with their microservice architecture and international expansion to the United Kingdom and Australia. By integrating with HelloSign to capture digital signatures and Stripe for payment processing we future proofed their technology while remaining compliant with the EU’s General Data Protection Rules (GDPR).
Through Q4 and into 2020 Kinetech will be focusing on helping clients extend the digital core of SAP with low-code and rapid application development. This brings the best of two worlds together by offering best-in-class products like SAP S/4HANA, SAP SuccessFactors, and SAP Hybris together with the ability to implement customizations based on your company’s differentiating needs in a controlled, collaborative, and fast way.
Q: For our readers who may not be familiar, can you explain what microservices are?
A: Sure, microservices are pieces of software that execute very specific functions like payment processing or notifications. For example, a Simple Notification Service (SNS) could require a message and a phone number as input parameters. A developer could then call (use) that SNS via an API, providing it with the message and phone number as an input and the SNS would send the message to the recipient’s cellphone (and return a success / fail result).
By separating the services (i.e. notifications and payment) to their most basic function then re-bundling them in specific ways we can create unique experiences and applications.
A microservice architecture provides tremendous benefits by enhancing scalability, driving down maintenance costs, and improving resiliency. Any application in a company’s portfolio could leverage that SNS service; if the microservice function fails, the rest of the application can still operate. For maintenance, the team supporting the SNS service would only have to take the SNS service down vs. the entire solution (in a monolithic architecture).
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Q: What we can look forward to seeing from Kinetech next?
A: Gartner projects that 50% or more of all enterprise software applications built by 2025 will be implemented with low code technology. Kinetech is strategically positioned to enable companies looking to benefit from low code technology and microservice architectures.
Q: Any last comments for our readers?
A: Technology has evolved dramatically in the last ten years so it is difficult to separate the signal from the noise. If you are not familiar with low code, educate yourself, contact Kinetech and leapfrog your competition. Somebody is going to disrupt your industry, let’s make it you.
This post originally appeared on SuperbCrew.com December 9th, 2019.
