That depends on a number of options (a) how complex your requirements are (b) whether it is a new or existing system (c) what technology is used For new systems, we are normally able to give you a ballpark figure and then after some analysis an estimate. For changes to existing systems, we work on an hourly rate because there are normally too many unknowns. Please contact us for more details.
For new databases we normally give you a ballpark estimate for the whole project. Once we have done the analysis and design work we give you a completed specification with an estimate for the project. This allows you to see exactly what you will get and mitigate the risks of the project. For fixes or changes to an existing database system, we work on an hourly basis and provide regular reports on progress made and issues encountered. The hourly rate depends on the level of commitment: the more hours you commit to, the lower the hourly rate. Please contact us for more details.

Scope creep (where the size of the project changes after the estimate has been accepted) is one of the biggest challenges software developers face, and we are no exception.

There are many reasons for this, the main one is that perceptions change during the project. Only at the end of the project do we really understand what was required.

Before we start coding we will send you a “Scope of Works” document which we ask you to sign and return. In there we try to document what is within scope and what is not. That is a difficult process and may leave a number of “grey areas” and we allow a 20% contingency to cover those. If the effort is beyond that contingency then we will review the agreement with you.

During the normal business day (9 am to 5 pm) there is almost always someone in the office to take your call.

For emails we normally respond within 2 hours and offer guaranteed response rates for clients on a support contract.

For clients on a support contract the minimum is 15 minutes. For new clients our minimum is 4 hours.

We normally use a mix of agile and waterfall methodologies. We use them for prototyping and use cases, programming and testing.

Yes. We have a strict policy of never sharing your information with anyone outside of our organisation. We take care to make sure that all of our staff understand how confidential it is and all staff signs an NDA (a non-disclosure agreement) when they join DB Gurus.

For completely bespoke systems (e.g. existing systems or very custom systems) then you own the code exclusively.
That is the situation where we develop the software from the ground up, specifically for you. At the end of the
project, once all invoices are paid, we will give you a full copy of the source code upon request.

For systems built from our templates (e.g. new Access systems) you own the code on the condition that you do not
share that code with any other organisation.

For systems we built previously (e.g. TheDatabase) then we own the IP and the code and we license you to use it. If
you purchase a full license then we can supply the code for you to host on your own server or maintain yourself.
This will come with conditions about keeping the code within your organisation.

Yes, for some things. Most of the management, design and analysis is done in Australia so you can explain your requirements to a “local”, in your time zone.

Programming and testing are generally done overseas – primarily in the Philippines but also in Vietnam, Bangladesh, NZ and the UK.

Over many years of using overseas agencies, we have found it can be very time consuming and frustrating. We now only employ staff on a full-time permanent basis and have relationships with each member of staff, many of whom have worked for us for over 10 years.

If we are hosting your database then we will put it on to one of our AWS servers located in Australia.

Click here to find out more about Amazon Web Services (AWS). We use them because they have amazing reliability, scalability and security. One of the few providers offering ISO 27001 which is required by a number of our medical and government clients.

Security comes in many levels and we try hard to address all of them:
  • Physical security: This is handled by AWS, see https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/data-center/controls/.
  • Daily Data Backups: In addition to the fault tolerance services provided by AWS we also take a backup of your data every night in case we need to roll it back. These are held for 7 days.
  • Weekly Data Backups: We may sound a little backup obsessed but we hate the idea of losing data so we also take a weekly backup which is retained for at least 1 year.
  • Offsite Backups: Weekly backups are taken offsite and are stored inside a digital safe which means that even if the disk is stolen it is unreadable without knowing the very long and complex password.
  • Source Control: All code is stored inside a source control repository so all changes are tracked and we can roll back changes if necessary and control our releases.
  • Code Backups: The code repository is regularly backed up and encrypted to an offsite location.
  • Web Security: This in itself is a multi-faceted area and covered in more detail here (see point 5). Our cloud database solution (TheDatabase) includes SSL connection, secure login pages, password strength indicators and 2 part authentication.

We have completed work for clients in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. We have representatives in all these locations and we support them all.

We guarantee our work for one month after user acceptance. If there are any problems with our work during this period we will fix it for free. We cannot guarantee 3rd party products but will assist you in getting those problems resolved.

If you want a data-driven website then we will happily provide a design to match your existing website or corporate colours. If you want a simple marketing website then we suggest you contact a dedicated website designer.

We prefer bank transfers (bank details are on our invoices) or alternatively you can pay via PayPal which accepts payments in AUD or USD. Please remember to include your invoice number on all payments so that we can allocate funds correctly. We do not accept American Express.

Yes we do, up to A$5m for Professional Indemnity and A$20m Public and Products Liability.

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