HalfSerious’ unique offer : Productizing its clients’ most complex business problems to create future software opportunities

In the last few years, the Software as a Service (SaaS) model has made software accessible, and companies are looking at SaaS to develop an edge quickly. This is why the demand for custom software has grown exponentially. Irrespective of business type, every business has its own unique challenges. In order to meet these challenges and eliminate the need for complex and pricey hardware and software infrastructure, businesses are turning towards custom SaaS solution development.

Globally there are various companies delivering excellent custom SaaS solution development services, but HalfSerious's approach seems to be unique. HalfSerious focuses on turning problems into products. They do this by leveraging their clients' insights to create products that can be used internally to transform operational models or externally as technology spinoffs. All without the business hiring a single designer or developer. The team at HalfSerious is optimized to work with companies with no SaaS experience. The company's main mission is to provide the benefits of running a SaaS solution without the challenge of assembling a technical product team. Today, many of HalfSerious' clients operate software products without ever having to hire a single developer.

In conversation with Eric Bourget, President of HalfSerious

Q. What was the motivation behind starting HalfSerious?

A few years ago, we picked up a mandate from a self-proclaimed “techno-wit” who had an idea that would allegedly transform the industry of his business. The project was challenging for a specific reason: the client had no technical experience and therefore was having a hard time appreciating the most obscure deliverables (building infrastructure, creating databases, writing backend code, etc). Nevertheless, it was rewarding to present the client with a world of opportunities made possible by technology.

We didn’t make any money on this project. At the time, we were not equipped to deal with non-software clients, but there was no denying that we felt good about our accomplishments. Over the next few years, we invested in people, processes, and technologies to become the best destination for innovators and problem solvers wanting to launch SaaS businesses.

Q. What are the factors that affect your cost? How do you maintain affordability?

There’s no denying that wages for top talent have steadily risen over the years. Inflation is now making things worse. We have countered this by building a rich library of technical components which significantly streamlines the process. For example, now, we can deploy full-service architecture with the most common features in a matter of hours. This used to take us 6 to 8 weeks.

Q. The security of SaaS-based offerings is still a concern. How do you address this concern?

The standardization of SaaS architecture and technology has allowed us to develop tools and processes that make it possible for a central team of DevOps, SecOps, and IT to safeguard the dozen of SaaS Platforms under our responsibility. Thanks to this team, we can execute complex maneuvers like switching regions during an outage.

Q. How do you deal with the “never ending change” in digital transformation?

Our position has always been to be “leading edge” without being “bleeding edge”. Our clients are already taking a market risk; we do not want to add a technology risk. This is why we use technology sets that are modern but also tried and true. Staying in the “leading, not bleeding” zone allows us to optimize the overall risk profile of the project.

Q. Do you have any new services ready to be launched?

We are working on a new product codenamed StackRun to help our clients scale their custom SaaS solutions. This product helps generate better insights, manage the product’s roadmap and product improvement budget. Our vision for StackRun is to create the ultimate solution for scaling a SaaS solution without ever having to build a tech team.

Q. What does the future hold for your company and its customers? Are exciting things on the way?

The “dent in the universe” that we are trying to create is to make SaaS business models accessible for more innovators and problem solvers. Technology is being democratized, but it’s still beyond the reach of most people that might be in a position to move the world forward. Our mission is to set these innovators free.

Meet the leader behind the success of HalfSerious

Eric Bourget, President of HalfSerious’ unique ability is to help visionary people go from idea to traction. That and a passion for building teams of highly talented people working in an exceptional environment, allowed him to build a company focused on helping both employees and clients reach their full potential.

“We are optimized to work with companies with no SaaS experience.  Our mission is to elevate their business model and provide the benefits of running a SaaS solution without the challenge of assembling a technical product team”