Reliable .NET backends. Scalable Azure platforms. AI that does real work. Senior engineering that moves your business forward.
From the first architecture decision to the next million requests.
.NET / AZURE / AIWhether you’re untangling a system or building your first release, start with a clear path forward.
Slow APIs. Growing cloud bills. Releases that feel risky. Find what is holding you back — and fix it in the right order.
Evolve an existing systemTurn your product idea into a reliable platform. Clear requirements, pragmatic architecture and working software from the start.
Build something newKeep what works. Change what doesn’t. Give your systems and your team room to grow.
Move from .NET Framework to modern .NET, from on-premises to Azure, and from a tangled monolith to clear boundaries. Use microservices only when they earn their complexity.
Trace slow queries, blocking I/O, thread-pool starvation and GC pressure. Profile with dotnet-trace and Application Insights. Validate improvements with k6 and agreed SLOs.
A prioritised debt map, stronger CI/CD, better tests and practical pairing. Leave your engineers with the knowledge to keep improving.
A two-minute starting point for a better technical conversation.
Runs in your browser. No answers are sent or stored.You always know what we’re building, why it matters and what comes next.
Stakeholder conversations, existing documentation and Event Storming reveal the domain, constraints and business goals.
Typical duration: 1–2 weeksAI agents that move real work forward — with clear boundaries, visible decisions and human control.
From document intake to ERP integration, or pull request review to release notes: connect specialist agents into a process you can inspect, evaluate and trust.
Explore AI automationPlan bounded work
Identify supplier & route
Azure AI Foundry · .NET orchestration
Allow-listed tools, explicit budgets and a maximum number of steps.
The right technology solves a problem. The wrong one becomes the next problem.
Shorten repetitive work, keep engineering judgement. RAG and agents need measurable evaluation, not just persuasive demos.
01 / ExploreCloud & architectureMatch Container Apps, Functions or AKS to workload shape and operational capacity.
02 / ExploreEngineeringUse SBOMs, dependency scanning and least-privilege pipelines to make release risk visible.
03 / ExploreEngineeringMake distributed development observable and repeatable, without hiding how production works.
04 / ExploreCloud & architectureDecouple long-running work with Service Bus, Event Grid and a transactional outbox.
05 / ExploreCloud & architectureTrack cost per business transaction and right-size using actual workload data.
06 / ExploreEngineeringMake environments reviewable and reproducible with Bicep, Git and automated checks.
07 / ExploreCloud & architectureClear domain boundaries without paying for a distributed system before you need one.
08 / ExploreEngineeringConnect traces, metrics and logs to the experience customers actually receive.
09 / ExploreEngineeringGive teams a paved road to production with self-service environments and sensible defaults.
10 / ExploreA focused review, a delivery partnership or ongoing architectural guidance. Start with the outcome.
An independent view of a system that is slowing you down.
Evidence, a risk register and a prioritised improvement roadmap.
Choose one system and agree the questions.
A critical platform that needs to evolve safely.
Incremental migration, measurable milestones and less operational risk.
Review the architecture and migration constraints.
A new product with important technical decisions ahead.
Production software, documented decisions and a capable team.
Explore the business goal and initial scope.
One repetitive process with clear success criteria.
A measured pilot, evaluated agents and a rollout decision.
Map the process and estimate its automation potential.
A team that needs senior guidance without a full-time hire.
Better decisions, practical mentoring and clearer technical direction.
Agree priorities and a working rhythm.
A live system that needs dependable engineering support.
Monitoring, incident response, patching and continuous improvement.
Review operational readiness and support expectations.
Four illustrative projects showing how we approach performance, cloud delivery and automation.
Finance staff rekeyed invoice information into an ERP.
Azure AI · .NET · Service BusAn order API slowed as the catalogue grew.
.NET · PostgreSQL · OpenTelemetryAn on-premises platform needed a safer operating model.
Azure · .NET · BicepA product team needed to validate a new B2B workflow.
.NET · Azure · ReactThese scenarios demonstrate an approach. They are not claims about completed client work.
Technology choices grounded in delivery experience, operating costs and your constraints.
Default for robust backends, with clear domain boundaries and predictable operations.
Select a technology to see the reasoning.
Hill-Software is an independent software architecture and development consultancy, specialising in .NET, Microsoft Azure and cloud-native systems.
Work directly with a senior architect who connects technical choices to business outcomes. Expect honest trade-offs, working software and documentation your team can use.
“A clear explanation of the problem. A realistic plan. A team that knows what to do next.”The standard for an architecture engagementIllustrative feedback · not a client endorsement
“Working software, visible progress and decisions we can understand and maintain.”The standard for a delivery partnershipIllustrative feedback · not a client endorsement
“Automation we can inspect, measure and keep under control.”The standard for an AI automation pilotIllustrative feedback · not a client endorsement
A few things worth knowing before we start.
Audits have an agreed scope and fixed fee. Delivery and ongoing architecture work can use milestone or time-based pricing. Scope, assumptions and rates are agreed before work begins.
Yes. Confidentiality terms can be agreed before discussing sensitive architecture, business data or source code.
Remote collaboration is the default, with shared documentation, regular demos and direct access to the architect. Workshops can be arranged separately.
A focused audit typically takes one to three weeks. Product delivery depends on scope and constraints. Discovery produces a credible plan with explicit assumptions.
Ownership and licensing are defined in the agreement. The intended model gives you the project source, infrastructure code, documentation and delivery pipeline.
Look for repeated work, stable inputs, measurable outcomes and an acceptable cost of error. A pilot checks the business case before wider investment.
Agree data classes, retention, region and provider terms before implementation. Minimise inputs, scope tool permissions and keep sensitive data out of prompts unless explicitly authorised.
Use bounded tools, token budgets, evaluation suites, audit trails and human approvals for consequential actions. Treat retrieved text as untrusted input. EU AI Act and GDPR obligations are assessed for each use case.
Tell us what you’re working on. We’ll work out the right next step together.