Architecture & Consulting

Architecture-first approach, decision records, running technical consulting and knowing when design is done.

8 articles

April 26, 2026

9 min read

Off-the-shelf vs. custom software: when each one wins

Custom software development pays off when off-the-shelf does not fit — but not always. Five signals you need custom, plus a build vs buy decision framework.

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April 15, 2026

6 min read

Architecture-first consulting: what it actually means

"Architecture-first" is one of those phrases that everyone agrees with and nobody defines. Here's our working definition — and the four things we refuse to do because of it.

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April 14, 2026

8 min read

Data warehouse model for 200+ branches: built to absorb growth and mergers

For Magistra we're building a DWH over a network of 200+ pharmacies. Star schema vs. Data Vault, handling branch mergers, late-arriving dimensions, slowly changing dimensions — modeling decisions that don't reverse easily.

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April 12, 2026

6 min read

Custom e-commerce for the price of a Shopify subscription: TCO over 24 months

Build-vs-buy is usually won or lost on the calculator, not on principle. A concrete TCO for 2 years on Shopify vs. a custom Azure build — with real numbers from MessyPlay.

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April 5, 2026

7 min read

Shopify vs. custom e-commerce: five signals that the platform is holding you back

For MessyPlay we replaced Shopify with a custom build and cut running costs by 80%. Not because Shopify is bad — because that specific shop had outgrown it. Five signals that it is time to go.

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August 20, 2025

6 min read

SaaS in 2 months that doesn't collapse in six: what to cut, what not to

Fotopast.cloud went to production 60 days after kickoff. Not a marketing trick — a series of conscious decisions about what ships and what gets deferred. Here are the rules we use.

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June 23, 2025

7 min read

IPFIX/NetFlow parsing in .NET: binary protocols in production

Binary protocols in .NET at high throughput. For Netigo we parse millions of IPFIX packets daily. How to minimise allocations, what Span<T>/Memory<T> buys you, and where the line sits between "elegant" and "fast".

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June 10, 2025

6 min read

PWA instead of an iOS/Android app: when it works and when you lose users

For Fotopast.cloud we built the SaaS platform as a PWA instead of two native apps. Shipped in 2 months, it works. But here are five factors we use to decide — not every project fits PWA.

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