I'm considering hiring a local firm to manage my Azure WordPress app and I'm curious how professionals handle and cost cases like mine.
I have an Azure WordPress app under subscription 1 in Azure. Under a different Azure subscription, subscription 2, I've been developing AI/ML apps to integrate with WordPress. For various reasons, I may shut down the Azure WordPress app under subscription 1 and create a new app under subscription 2 where I do the AI/ML development. This will save me money and some integration headaches. It also may be a perfect time to bring on a company to help with the WordPress component.
I believe that I need to give the company as much freedom as possible to rebuild and redesign the new site to incorporate best practices (subscription-based model, HIPPA and GDPR compliant, controlled open and anonymous user interactions), ensure it is secure, and perhaps save money over time in the maintenance. But I'll also have some technical apps that need to be incorporated, such as the display of metrics in various graphs and other AI/ML generated data. So I do want to understand what is being developed. I also find it very helpful for me to create, say, ACF forms and a webpage in order to understand how I want to connect users and data. But I don't want to spend as much time as I have been in the past implementing it.
How can I be a good customer and 1) allow the company the freedom to be efficient, fast, and secure in the new build and 2) not lose my ability to draft new features? How much does the Azure WordPress app figure in this balance and costing? I don't have a huge budget, and I'm assuming there are cost savings in getting this balance between customer ownership and development right.