Software Systems Engineering

Specializing in Development of Software Application Systems

About

I help organizations deliver business value by assisting with their IT strategy and its implementation. I see the big picture and can focus on implementation details for satisfactory delivery of results.

My versatility has been utilized in software development, project management, vendor and stakeholder management, systems integration and other roles.

I value a whole systems perspective and consider perspectives of the customer and end-user of the product whether their touch-point is a user interface or an API.

Learn More Testimonials Blog

“There’s no growth without challenge”.
IT is a moving target and it's moving faster than ever.  Versatility and forward thinking is an advantage in this space: staying abreast of trends and state of the practice can help leverage new perspectives and tools for increasing value and reducing costs.

  • Experienced in full life-cycle software development from requirements analysis through implementation.
  • Experienced as a systems integrator with exposure to the business capture role.
  • Adept at speaking the language of the customer to discuss needs, issues, and impediments to success.

Services

System and Software Architecture

Whether its three-tier, publish-subscribe, monolithic, or microservice, there are establish architectural and design patterns that represent solutions to common problems.  They are execellent starting points to begin crafting a solution to your particular situation and problem space.

Furthermore, the cloud platorm and in particular, serverless technologies presents opportunities to quickly "kick the tires" on ideas without breaking the bank.

Systems and Application Analysis

Not every project is a green-field project. There are plenty of systems still producing value for their customers.   Systems require maintainance and thus age over time.  Analyis is needed to determine impacts to code, support new business requirements, or when seeking to leverage or integrate other services.

Software Development and Management

Just as it is important to understand the what and why of the project - it is just as important to determine how a system will be built.  There will always be trade-offs given constraints of time, budget, scope, and quality requirements.  However, apps should have a level of maintainability and seek to reduce technical debt, which over time builds and makes systems expensive to maintain and enhance.   This includes keeping things that will vary from things that won't, isolating business logic from implementation, and eliminating repeating code.

Testimonials

A Few Words From Clients and Former Colleagues

" Cliff Gardner has provided outstanding support to SAG Corporation for over 10 years as the primary IT manager for our service-disabled veteran-owned small business. An exceptional professional who is a pleasure to work with, Cliff has succeeded with every challenge and ensured all IT requirements are met on time and in the most cost-effective manner. While providing daily support for the SAG IT infrastructure and financial systems, he has been critical in planning and executing ongoing steps required to comply with the DOD Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and in developing complex software to support contractual deliverables for several of our most important clients. Cliff is a trusted and essential member of our team, and we are most fortunate to have his services."
Richard Parodi
Chairman of the Board and Former President & CEO, SAG Corporation

Clifton S. Gardner

With extensive experience in the custom application development space, I have developed apps and managed projects that have spanned ERP integtation, Web, and the AWS Cloud Platform.

I have held positions with large IT organizations and have independently provided app dev and support services to others.

My interests lie with cloud and serverless technologies and the tremendous advantage it offers to those willing to level up their thinking about how value can be delivered and embrace the impact this means to the roles and responsibilities to teams tasked to do so.

"I relish the opportunity to craft solutons and help make things better.  More than ever before the cloud opens up possibilities to a broader audience and represents a big opportunity to increase value while reducing computing costs."