Partnership and collaboration on different digital tasks for Hyarchis

ClientHyarchis

IndustryInsurance, Legal

RegionThe Netherlands

Work implementedTechnology Consulting, Custom Software Development, Integrations

Founded in 1985, Hyarchis began as VDD IQware, building experience in imaging, archiving, and enterprise content and document management. In 1999, the company went independent and began developing its own document management system — Hyarchis.Net. After rebranding to Hyarchis in 2013, it packaged its software into a suite of products that now serves more than 55,000 users across the Netherlands and internationally.

Challenges

Before the partnership could begin in earnest, several key challenges had to be addressed:

A relatively old codebase
A programming language specific to the Hyarchis platform
Multiple different technologies integrated into a single system

Goals

For the partnership to succeed, a number of initial goals had to be met:

Establish a solid, long-term working relationship
Grow the team and increase delivery capacity over time
Introduce improved processes and practices collaboratively
Contribute new thinking on the project's future direction

Created Value

Members of the Toughlex team were invited to demonstrate their capabilities during a pilot week at Hyarchis's offices in Eindhoven and Amsterdam. Before the week began, we set clear objectives:

Build MVPs for two projects using Angular
Integrate the Angular applications with the Hyarchis platform
Assess cultural fit
Draft a brief roadmap for future cooperation

The success of the pilot week gave both sides confidence to continue. Here is what made it work:

DeliveryDespite a week packed with meetings and introductions, the Toughlex representatives delivered two working projects. For new features, the team agreed that a full framework was the right choice, and Angular was selected. Hyarchis had two requirements in mind: a document viewer that integrates with the document management system via a desktop-, tablet-, and mobile-compatible interface; and a reusable infinite scrolling component for use across the platform. Both had functional versions by the end of the week.

Cultural FitFor a partnership intended to be long-term, cultural compatibility matters as much as technical capability. The pilot week was designed in part to give both sides the chance to get to know each other in a real working context. By the end of the week, it was clear the fit was strong — both teams share a practical, disciplined, and results-oriented approach to work.

IntegrationIntegrating new technology into the Hyarchis platform was the most significant technical challenge of the week. The platform is large and incorporates many different technologies, and introducing a new framework required a careful approach to avoid unnecessary complexity. Over the course of the week, a practical integration model was developed — one that is still in use today.

OutcomeThe pilot week laid a solid foundation for what has since become one of our key long-term client relationships. Multiple Toughlex developers are actively working on the Hyarchis platform, helping the team achieve their goals efficiently. Beyond day-to-day development, Toughlex also contributes to the introduction of improved development processes and practices that both parties agree will benefit the project over the long term.

Technologies

The Hyarchis platform is large and technically complex, incorporating a range of technologies. Our developers work across both frontend and backend whenever the business requires it.

A key part of the Hyarchis ecosystem is its document management system, which is critical for clients who deal with large volumes of documents. Our .NET specialists are actively involved in expanding the system with new features and improvements.

The platform also requires a fully featured user interface, which means a significant amount of JavaScript work. Part of the frontend team works on improvements and new features using native JavaScript — including the introduction of TypeScript — while another part is extending the platform with Angular for additional flexibility and structure.

Skills

Let's work and build something great together

Drop us a message and we'll be glad to help.

Software development and long-term partnership with Hyarchis