Case Study
Accelerating Soonr inc Growth with Comprehensive Engineering Leadership and Innovation
Overview
Soonr inc, founded in 2005 in Silicon Valley, was a pioneer in providing a data service enabling users to access and collaborate on files, contacts, and emails from any device. Targeting the simplification of remote work, Soonr raised $26 million from investors like Intel Capital, Cisco, and Clearstone Venture Partners. With over 170,000 paying customers, Soonr was acquired by Autotask in 2012, which later became part of Vista Equity Partners.
The Challenge
Soonr faced multiple strategic challenges:
– Expanding product features to match competitors and meet rising user demands.
– Speeding up delivery times, reducing development errors.
– Accessing specialized engineering talent while optimizing costs.
The global collaboration environment between Denmark, Slovakia, and the USA added further complexity to communication and operations.
The Approach
Under the leadership of Jozef Antony, the engagement began in 2006 with a jointly defined scope to address initial development needs. After successfully delivering the first versions, the collaboration expanded with additional projects and more developers and testers.
Key areas of contribution included:
– Development of document conversion features.
– Creation of mobile upload applications.
– Development of Mac desktop sync applications.
– Broader feature expansions to meet evolving market needs.
The team grew to 17–20 developers and testers, fully integrated into Soonr engineering processes. Daily communication ensured alignment, while regular in-person meetings in Denmark and Slovakia reinforced strategic and operational connections.
The team provided resources skilled in Java, JSP, .NET, C++, C#, Objective-C for Mac/Windows, and mobile development technologies.
Technical Details
The Soonr platform was built on a three-tier architecture supporting rapid development, operation, and administration. Key technical components included:
– Java technology enabling cross-platform portability.
– Centralized source code repository (Git) with build automation.
– Deployment scripts for streamlined rollouts.
– Central issue/bug tracking system for incidents and feature management.
– Wiki-based project documentation.
– Skype and email for daily communication; weekly high-level milestone reviews.
Technologies and tools used:
– Java 6/7/8/11, JSP.
– Git, Hibernate, MySQL, Linux.
– Objective-C, C++ on Mac OS and Windows.
– JUnit for testing, Jenkins for continuous integration.
Key Success Factors
– Clear and Regular Communication: Regular meetings, both virtual and in-person, between teams located in Denmark, Slovakia, and the USA.
– Bridging Business and Technology: Soonr technical leadership effectively communicated business goals to the development teams.
– Talent and Flexibility: Ability to fill various specialized roles, with several senior developers contributing for over 5 years.
– Scalable Onboarding: Gradual scaling of the development team allowed for quick resource additions when needed.
Results
– Expanded Product Features: Delivered critical capabilities that broadened market appeal.
– Reduced Development Costs: Access to high-quality, cost-efficient resources.
– Faster Time-to-Market: Accelerated product launches across U.S. and EU markets.
– Strategic Acquisition: Soonr success ultimately led to its acquisition by Autotask.
Job Done
Through strategic leadership and expert global collaboration, Soonr was able to expand its product rapidly, reduce operational costs, and achieve a successful market position. The partnership set a strong precedent for cross-border engineering excellence and positioned Soonr for acquisition and continued growth.