About Onyxsis
We Make Complex Systems Behave Themselves
Turning tangled setups into clear, reliable foundations teams can trust.
Onyxsis was founded in 2014 with a simple idea: technology should reduce effort, not create it.
In practice, we found the opposite was true for many businesses. Business-critical systems had grown tangled over time - stitched together with manual workarounds, undocumented logic, and integrations no one fully trusted. Knowledge lived in a few people's heads, small changes felt risky, and teams spent more time keeping systems alive than improving them.
Our work is about removing that friction. We design and build bespoke operational systems that turn fragile, fragmented setups into clear, reliable foundations teams can trust - systems that are understandable, diagnosable, and resilient under real pressure. Not shiny for the sake of it. Not over-engineered. Just systems that quietly do their job so people can do theirs.
Where We're Usually Brought In
We typically work with businesses that already have real systems, real scale, and real consequences when things go wrong.
A platform has grown too complex or risky to change confidently
Integrations and workarounds have accumulated faster than understanding
Operational visibility is limited, slow, or unreliable
Previous rewrites or vendor solutions haven't delivered clarity
The system "works", but only because a few people know how to keep it alive.
The kind of work this usually points to: business-critical workflows, data flows, and integrations where downtime, errors, or manual effort carry genuine cost - financial, operational, or reputational. The goal is to turn "fragile and tribal" into "clear and operable" so teams can move with confidence.
Our Focus
We work with businesses that have complex internal operations - typically mid-sized to enterprise - where the real problems live behind the scenes.
Where We Add Value
- Bespoke software and backend platforms
- Systems integration and data consolidation
- Automation, workflows, and diagnostics
- Operational visibility, observability, and reporting
- Long-term support for business-critical systems
Where We Don't
- Marketing websites
- Visual redesigns
- Interface-led or aesthetic-first projects
If the challenge is operational, structural, or deeply tangled - that's our territory.
Built Around Reality, Not Demos
A lot of technology looks great in a presentation and falls apart six months later. We've spent years living with systems long after the launch excitement wears off, and that experience shapes how we work.
Our solutions are:
- Backend-first, because foundations matter
- Minimal on UI, unless it genuinely adds value
- Designed for edge cases, not just the happy path
- Built to be operated, not admired
We don't replace enterprise platforms blindly. We complement them, extend them, and make them usable. The goal is always clarity: clearer operations, faster decisions, less manual effort, and fewer "only Dave knows how this works" moments.
Open Source, On Purpose
We're unapologetically passionate about open source.
Not as a slogan, but as a practical stance. Open source gives our clients freedom: freedom from unnecessary lock-in, freedom to inspect and understand what's been built, and freedom to evolve systems over time without starting again.
We're pragmatic about it - the right tool for the job always wins - but our default position is transparency, auditability, and control staying with the client, not the vendor.
Bespoke Means Bespoke
We don't have a "standard Onyxsis solution". Every engagement is shaped around:
Your Systems
We start with what's real, not what's ideal.
Your Risk Profile
Trade-offs are explicit and documented.
Your Constraints
We build within the boundaries that matter.
Your Operational Reality
Edge cases included by default.
How That Shows Up in Practice
That means deep listening before design, challenging assumptions when needed, and being comfortable with complexity rather than rushing to simplify it away.
Difficult problems don't scare us; vague ones pretending to be simple usually do.
How We Work With Clients
We believe the best outcomes come from genuine partnership, not theatrical consultancy.
Senior, Hands-On
Senior people involved from start to finish - no bait-and-switch.
Straight Answers
Visible trade-offs, clear decisions, and no black boxes.
Documented and Explainable
Decisions are recorded so the system stays understandable over time.
No Surprises
Clarity on where things stand, what's next, and why.
Support After Go-Live
We stay accountable long after delivery, because operations continue.
Care, Shown in Practice
Responsiveness, thoughtfulness, and follow-through are the baseline.
We value every customer and make sure they feel it - in responsiveness, in care taken with decisions, and in staying accountable long after delivery. Going above and beyond isn't a promise we market; it's just how we prefer to work.
Our View of "Success"
Success isn't a deployment date. It's when:
- Teams trust the system
- Decisions get made faster
- Manual work quietly disappears
- Incidents are rarer - and easier to resolve
- The platform can grow without becoming unreliable
In short: when the system fades into the background and lets people do their jobs properly.
If This Sounds Like You
If your systems aren't serving you and you want a partner who takes on the hard stuff and leaves you in control - we should talk. Bring the messy bits. We're good with those.
