Trust
The reasons not to choose a small migration vendor, answered
There are real reasons, and procurement is right to ask about each one. With Novuz, what bounds them is how the product works: native code with no Novuz runtime, ownership from the moment code is produced, software that runs inside your environment, and fixed prices paid in stages. Here are the reasons, with what bounds each risk.
The reasons
What are the reasons not to choose a small migration vendor?
| Reason | Why it is real | What bounds it with Novuz |
|---|---|---|
| The vendor may not last | Small companies fail and are acquired | Native code with no Novuz runtime; ownership from the moment it is produced; reports and logs in your storage; escrow offered in the First Domain charter |
| A thin bench | Fewer engineers if something goes wrong | The work is software your team runs; an SI can run the program |
| No certification yet | Procurement scores it | No SOC 2 today, Type I planned; Novuz does not hold your code or data when it runs in your environment |
| Less negotiating weight | A smaller counterparty | A fixed price per rung, paid in stages, with the First Domain guaranteed in writing |
Duration
Will this vendor still exist for a twenty-week migration?
Nobody can promise that, and we will not. What we can show is what you keep if we do not. The estate is converted domain by domain, each proven and owned by you before the next begins, so a stop leaves you with finished, working domains, not a half-built system.
Your code
Why is a startup with no SOC 2 asking for our code?
It need not. Run the discovery container inside your network for the assessment, and run Novuz inside your environment for the migration; nothing comes to us. If you share code under NDA instead, it is deleted 30 days after the readout unless an engagement follows.
Scoring
How should we score a small vendor’s risk?
Score the exposure, not the size. Ask four questions. A vendor that holds nothing and leaves you working code scores lower risk than its size suggests.
- What does the vendor hold of ours?
- What stops working if it disappears?
- What do we own at each stage?
- What does the contract say on a change of control?
Liability
Who is liable if the migration breaks a regulated report?
The contract sets liability, and counsel should read it. What reduces the chance in the first place: every object is reconciled against the original on the same inputs before cutover. The First Domain’s threshold is also written into its charter, with the fee waived or credited if it is missed.
Your decision
If we pick a startup over a big SI and it fails, is that on me?
That depends on how the decision was made. A decision recorded with the evidence holds up:
- the assessment’s count and price;
- the reconciliation reports;
- the exit terms;
- the risks scored.
The architecture decision record and the vendor-risk answers in the committee documents are written for that purpose.
Next question
Where to read next
What would we keep if Novuz stopped operating? The exit page answers it.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is it risky to choose a small migration vendor?
Yes, and the risk should be scored, not ignored. With Novuz it is bounded: converted code is native with no Novuz runtime, you own it from the moment it is produced, the software runs inside your environment, escrow is offered in the First Domain charter, and prices are fixed per rung and paid in stages.
How do we convince procurement to accept a small vendor?
Score the exposure, not the size. Show what the vendor holds of yours, what stops if it disappears, what you own at each stage and what the contract says on a change of control. Novuz holds nothing when it runs in your environment and leaves working native code.
Written by Debjani Dhar, Co-founder and CEO, Novuz
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