Build · Software Development
Custom software built around how your business actually runs.
Cloudstruct designs, builds, and then runs custom software, from client portals and internal tools to full SaaS platforms. You get a clear build-or-buy answer first, then working software in visible steps, from a team that stays on after launch.
Who it’s for
- Companies that have outgrown off-the-shelf software and work around it every day
- Teams re-keying data by hand between systems that should talk to each other
- Businesses that want one partner to build the platform and keep running it for years
- Companies with a stalled or over-budget project that needs a team to take it over
- Owners of an older platform, such as ASP.NET WebForms or PHP, that still has to keep working while it is extended
Problems we fix
What usually brings people to us
- Billing, scheduling, or client records spread across spreadsheets and tools that don’t agree
- A platform that only one former developer understood, with no documentation
- Staff doing manual steps that software could do, such as reconciling payments or sending reminders
- An off-the-shelf product that forces your process to fit it, instead of the other way round
- A build that ran over budget with another vendor and stalled before launch
- Software that works but has no one looking after hosting, security updates, or backups
What’s included
What Software Development covers
- Requirements and process discovery
- Architecture and a technical plan scoped to your actual scale
- Database design and migrations on SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB
- Custom .NET Core and ASP.NET applications, with logins, roles, and dashboards for staff and clients
- Web apps and sites in Next.js, React, Node.js, and TypeScript when they suit the project better
- Payment, email, and third-party integrations such as Stripe, PayPal, and SendGrid
- Delivery in short increments with regular working demos
- QA, security review, and launch support
- Hosting setup and documentation handed over at the end, not withheld
How it works
From first call to ongoing care
01
Scope the real problem
A short call, then a written scope. If the problem needs more digging, Discovery & Scoping turns it into a plan first.
02
Plan the architecture
Stack, data model, and integrations agreed in writing, with must-have, nice-to-have, and later features separated.
03
Build in visible increments
Working demos along the way, with estimated against actual hours tracked for each feature.
04
Launch and stabilize
Cutover in a quiet window, a backup first, and the first 30 days of fixes covered.
05
Run it with you
Hosting, monitoring, and improvements on a maintenance plan, for as long as you want.
How we charge
Fixed written quote
A fixed, written quote for each phase, with any contingency shown up front. Larger builds are scoped and quoted in phases.
What the cost depends on
- The number of features, user roles, and screens
- Integrations with payment, email, accounting, or legacy systems
- Data migration from the system you use today
- Hosting, security, and compliance requirements
Every engagement
- A written quote before any work starts
- Changes approved in writing before they’re made
- You own your accounts, code, and content
Proof
Selected case studies
Since 2015
Canadian corporate yoga company
A custom .NET Core SaaS platform, run end to end
A corporate yoga company runs its teachers, clients, classes, and billing on a custom .NET Core application that Cloudstruct built and runs end to end: hosting, database, security, maintenance, integrations, and advice, with support going back to 2015.
2015supported since
Since 2014
North American mobile personal-training franchise
Maintaining and extending a franchise’s legacy platform since 2014
A personal-training franchise runs its trainers, clients, billing, and commissions on a legacy ASP.NET platform that we’ve maintained, supported, and extended since 2014.
10+ yrscontinuous maintenance
2countries on one codebase
Who you’ll work with
One point of contact, a team behind it
You get one point of contact from the first call through to ongoing care, with a small, senior team behind them doing the work. We have been building and supporting client systems since 2014, including a franchise’s operations platform and a corporate yoga company’s custom platform, each for more than a decade.
Cloudstruct was founded by Mark Dos Santos, who has also spent 15+ years leading ecommerce and technology teams in-house; his full background is on LinkedIn.
Common questions
How is the cost of a custom build determined?
By scope. We agree what the software must do, split must-haves from later features, and send a fixed, written quote for each phase before any work starts. Nothing is billed outside the written quote without your written approval.
How long does a build take?
It depends on the size of the first phase. The timeline is set out in the written quote, and work is delivered in increments so you see progress along the way instead of one big reveal at the end.
What do you need from us?
Someone who knows the process and can make decisions, access to the systems the software must connect to, and timely feedback on each working demo.
Do you work from our spec, or help us figure out what to build first?
Both. Most engagements start with a short discovery phase to confirm the spec solves the right problem before any code is written.
Can you take over a project that another team started?
Yes. A focused codebase and process review usually identifies what is salvageable, what needs to be rebuilt, and the fastest realistic path forward.
Who owns the code?
You do. Code, configurations, documentation, and hosting and platform accounts are yours once the work is paid for. Accounts stay in your name, and we work through access you grant and can remove at any time.
What happens if something breaks after launch?
Every delivery includes a 30-day warranty: if something we delivered breaks within 30 days of go-live, we fix it at no charge. After that, a maintenance plan covers fixes and monitoring, or you can take the documentation and run it yourself.
What stack do you build in?
Usually .NET Core with SQL Server for business platforms, and Next.js, React, Node.js, and TypeScript for web apps and sites where they fit better. We choose for the problem and for your team’s ability to maintain it afterward, and we will tell you why.
Need executive-level technology leadership? Ongoing strategy and fractional CTO work are Mark Dos Santos’s separate advisory practice.
Visit markdossantos.caReady to talk about Software Development?
Tell us what you’re working with and we’ll give you a straight read, in writing.