A Senior Architect in Your Corner — Without the Full-Time Hire.
Samford Labs provides fractional software architecture and consulting: architecture reviews with written recommendations, build-vs-buy decisions, security posture reviews, and automation roadmaps. You work directly with the founder — a senior engineer with a decade of enterprise experience — on fixed-scope engagements starting at $5,000.
What does Architecture & Consulting include?
Architecture reviews with written findings and prioritized recommendations
Build-vs-buy guidance grounded in production systems we’ve shipped and run ourselves
Security posture reviews and automation roadmaps
Fractional architect arrangements — senior judgment on a fixed-scope basis
How does a fixed-scope engagement work?
Every engagement follows the same four steps: a free assessment that maps your workflow, a fixed-scope proposal with a defined deliverable and price, a collaborative build where you see working software early and often, and a documented handover your team owns outright. Scope changes are re-approved before they cost anything.
How much does it cost?
Engagements start at $5,000, with no upper cap — the ceiling is your scope, not our menu. At the floor, that’s a full architecture review of one system — written findings, prioritized recommendations, and a roadmap you can execute with any team. Timelines are stated honestly in the proposal: weeks, not quarters, for the typical engagement.
From the library
How we think about this work — written by the person who’ll be on your project.
Common questions about Architecture & Consulting
What does an architecture review include?
Written findings, prioritized recommendations, and a roadmap you can execute with any team — covering structure, security posture, scalability, and cost. It starts at $5,000 for one system and is delivered as a document your team owns.
What is a fractional architect?
A senior architect on a part-time, fixed-scope basis — reviews, decisions, and roadmaps without the full-time hire. You get the judgment when you need it: evaluating a vendor, planning a build, or de-risking a migration.
Can you help us decide whether to build or buy?
Yes — build-vs-buy is one of the most common questions in the assessment. We’ve built and run production systems on both sides of that line, and the recommendation is grounded in what the software must actually do, not in what’s fun to build. If a $30/month tool solves it, the roadmap says so.
Do we need consulting before committing to a build?
No — but it’s the cheapest insurance you can buy. A review before a build regularly changes the scope, the stack, or the decision itself. And when we later build what we reviewed, the thinking is already paid for.
Start With the Free Assessment
Tell us what’s slowing your team down. Within one business day you’ll hear back, and the written roadmap is yours whether or not we ever work together.