The office of the 1970s was built on paper, 1980s was PC software, and the 1990s was websites. Today, the office is built on cloud-based digital services.
We strive to be a thoroughly modern agency, and as such, we sell, deliver and support very modern web frameworks and encourage the use of contemporary tools and approaches. Unlike the cobbler’s children, we take pride in how we operate and very much eat what we sell.
Since 2009 we have been a 100% Apple house and, mostly, open source for the last 25 years,
Below, we take the covers off the technology we use to provide our services. It’s one of the most frequently asked questions. We are first and foremost a company focussed on client experience and satisfaction – our aim is to dazzle you with attention, not bamboozle you with technology, and therefore we continually strive to simplify our services, not make them more convoluted.
Digital Frameworks
We’ve been building and using WordPress commercially since 2010.
- WordPress development and staging. We use a range of industry-standard dev environments including Amazon AWS, Github, and WPEngine to provide fast, one-click deployment environments.
- Live deployment. This depends on the complexity of the WordPress installation, we mostly deploy live on a WPEngine or Amazon AWS servers.
- WordPress plugins. We select from a carefully curated, and ever-changing, menu of plugins.
- WordPress REST API. The REST API can make the Platform truly language and environment agnostic digital platform.
Operations
We operate 100% location-independent and this presents opportunities for communication, collaboration, and HR. It will not be a surprise to hear we use the cloud heavily – and here is what, and how:
Basecamp : For client-facing project management, client asset management and communication – with a sprinkling of client collaboration. We’ve been using Basecamp since 2007 and are avid fans not only of their products but also of their ethos.
BufferApp : Used to manage business-grade social sharing, analytics and scheduling. Simple, fast and low cost.
Docusign : Digital signatures and document processing
Google Apps : Used for email, calendar and cloud storage (see below)
Grammarly : We publish a lot of articles and use Grammarly to check what we are writing is not jibberish. This under-rated service deserves more support.
Hubspot CRM : Our integrated CRM application for sales and marketing.
LastPass : Secure password management and distribution, used in conjunction with Google Authenticator MFA for ultra-secure access to services.
Penelope : Distributed telecoms, voice call handling and messaging
Pingdom : We manage a lot of servers, Pingdom keeps us in check.
QuickBooks : Accounting stuff.
Skype : Ad-hoc internal calls and video-based communication
Slack : Slack is a platform for team communication: everything in one place, instantly searchable, available wherever we are. It’s very much the glue that holds the teams together. Replaced Podio, and before that Yammer.
Toggl : Time recording and resource reporting, integrated with Basecamp, Email and Zendesk
Zendesk : We support clients under our Peerless WordPress Support contract, and deal with thousands of support interactions every year with this industry standard helpdesk.
On the Cloud
Everything is on the cloud. All the above is Cloud-based and location and device agnostic.
Dropbox : We use the commercial package which gives us as much space as we need, full version management and the simplest management possible.
Amazon AWS : We extensively use Amazon to host client web sites and digital services, but we also host applications and raw server space.
Microsoft Azure : From 19Q3 we fully support the Azure range of cloud-based services.
GitHub : Software needs a repository and GitHub is our chosen home. It provides version control, clean deployment and wide adoption.
If you’ve got any questions or want to know more than fire away.
First published: 2014-01-20, last updated 2022-10-20.
