Technology is the driving force behind every business model today. Regardless of your industry, you need technology-enabled solutions for growth, whether it’s product development, marketing, sales, accounting, HR, or customer support. Dozens of tools and frameworks are available to bring product ideas to life and solve real business problems.
Microsoft .NET is one of those frameworks that businesses rely on to build quality, reliable, and scalable .NET applications across web, desktop, and mobile platforms. The .NET framework plays a critical role in developing everything from accounting systems, inventory tools, CRMs, and warehouse applications to websites, mobile app development services, and XML web services.
However, finding a skilled and professional .NET development partner can be a challenging task. The hardest part is identifying a partner who can build remarkable software products and deliver a strong return on your investment. With countless .NET solution providers in the market offering varying levels of expertise in .NET application development, making the right choice requires careful evaluation. To help you solve this challenge, we’ve compiled a list of key factors to consider before you hire a .NET development company.
6 Key Factors
1. The Credibility of the Company
The first and most important factor is the credibility of the software development company. Beyond proof of expertise and experience, longevity matters. Companies that have been in business for a longer period are generally considered more reliable.
The reason behind a company’s longevity is usually consistent delivery and strong, long-term relationships with their clients. If a company has survived for ten years or more, they’re likely doing something valuable and offering quality services.
Another essential step is verifying the quality of their past work. Review their testimonials and reach out to previous clients for feedback on delivered projects. This will give you deeper insight into their reputation in the market.
Also, make sure the company has a strong bench of .NET experts who can step in if the resource assigned to your project becomes unavailable. It’s a backup plan you should always keep in mind when you hire a .NET development company.
Confirm that the company has a real office and professional infrastructure. Look for quality certifications such as ISO 9000 or CMMI, which indicate maturity in their custom software development processes and methodologies. All these factors add to the credibility of any technology partner.
2. Quality of Developers
Beyond company longevity, the .NET developer experience of the team matters greatly. Developers should have the required technical skills and certifications to work confidently on .NET projects.
As a benchmark, confirm that individual developers have at least two years of hands-on experience and that the IT Director or CTO brings 10 to 15 years of leadership experience. This ensures your .NET application development project is in capable hands.
Furthermore, the team should have broad experience ranging from building applications from scratch to migrating legacy systems to the latest .NET platform.
3. Expertise in Microsoft Technologies
It goes without saying that the .NET development company you plan to hire should have deep expertise across Microsoft technologies, including ASP.NET, C#, VB.NET, and ASP.NET MVC development.
It’s equally important to check whether they have experience using .NET alongside complementary technologies like Windows Azure, Kentico, Microsoft SQL Server, and SharePoint to build, deploy, and maintain ASP.NET development services and web applications.
The team must have thorough knowledge of every aspect of .NET development, including interoperability features, cross-platform integration, code reuse, security, deployment, maintenance, and building service-oriented architectures.
4. Experience of Delivering Complex .NET Projects
Beyond technical certifications, the development company should have a proven track record of delivering complex .NET projects. No matter how many certifications a developer holds, it’s the real-world projects they’ve completed that demonstrate true skill and professionalism.
Choose a partner that has worked on complex .NET-based product development, not just a handful of basic .NET websites. Experience with scalable .NET applications and enterprise-grade solutions is what separates a reliable .NET development partner from the rest.
5. Development Support for Mobility
Many software products today require mobile capabilities to reach the widest possible audience. Even if a company has strong .NET expertise, your project may need cross-platform .NET development integration with technologies such as iOS, Android, and HTML5.
The .NET development company you choose should have in-house mobile app development support so you don’t have to bring in another vendor for mobile platforms.
Specifically, your partner should be experienced with working with mobile features in ASP.NET MVC 4 applications, adding mobile pages to ASP.NET WebForms and MVC applications, building mobile websites with ASP.NET, and developing iPhone and Android apps with ASP.NET.
These capabilities ensure a seamless cross-device, cross-platform experience for ASP.NET-based web applications.
6. Awards and Partnerships
Last but not least, industry recognition plays a vital role in validating a company’s capabilities. Look for awards, partnerships, and certifications the company has earned within the .NET ecosystem.
Verify the company’s credentials with the certifying bodies and vendors who have licensed them for the technologies they use. When you hire a .NET development company, make sure they are a Microsoft certified partner. This certification serves as strong validation of their expertise and commitment to quality.
The Bottom Line
While it’s always tempting to outsource .NET development, keep in mind that a lot is at stake when you choose a remote development partner. You’ll be sharing important and confidential information, in addition to the significant cost and time investment involved in any .NET project outsourcing engagement.
Therefore, it’s best to choose your .NET development partner scientifically, based on facts and measurable criteria, rather than relying on gut feeling alone. The key factors outlined above should help you find the right .NET development company that meets your requirements and adds lasting value to your business.