About narubox™

Two decades of production systems, now available as a service.

narubox™ started as a way to make real engineering experience available to businesses that can't justify a full-time hire — one retainer, one automation script, one migration at a time.

What the name "narubox™" means

Naru (나루) is the Korean word for a ferry landing — a dock where boats, people, and cargo cross from one side of a river to the other. We use it as a metaphor for data and systems: things that need to move safely from one place to another without getting lost, exposed, or handed off to someone else along the way. Box is exactly what it sounds like — a private, self-contained space. Put the two together and you get the idea behind everything we build: a crossing point for your data and systems that stays boxed in, under your control, instead of leaking out to servers, vendors, or anyone else. That's not just a name — it's the same principle behind local-first software with no telemetry, and behind making sure you keep control of what we build for you.

Why we exist

Most small businesses that depend on software don't have anyone on staff who actually understands it — a website was built once, a tool automates something important, a server keeps it all running, and nobody currently at the company could explain how any of it really works. When something breaks, the usual options are "wait and hope" or "pay an agency for a full rebuild." narubox™ exists to be the option in between: real engineering attention without having to hire, manage, or understand it yourself.

Control matters more, not less, in the AI era

AI makes software faster and cheaper to build than ever — which means the code itself is no longer the advantage. What matters now is who controls it: the source, the data, the infrastructure, and the decisions about what gets built next. Businesses that adopt AI tools early aren't just moving faster — they're the ones who end up owning that control, instead of handing it to whichever vendor got there first. We build with AI-assisted tools ourselves, and we build so that you keep control of what we build for you, not the other way around. It also means building software that stays legible to AI agents, not just to us — the market is moving toward agents operating software directly on people's behalf, and we'd rather be ready for that now than catching up later.

How we work

Plain language, not jargon

You describe the problem in your own words — a slow site, an error message, "it stopped working." We translate it into engineering, and translate the fix back into terms you understand.

You own everything

Source code, documentation, and infrastructure access are yours by default, not held over you as leverage. We wrote up exactly what we think every business should get from any contractor — see the blog.

Scoped before committed

Ongoing maintenance is billed hourly or as a retainer with clear expectations up front. Larger builds and migrations are scoped case-by-case before either of us commits to anything.

Background

20+ years across embedded firmware, wireless protocol engineering, semiconductor manufacturing monitoring, enterprise cloud architecture, and modern AI-assisted software development — production systems built and operated for teams ranging from mobile device manufacturers to 24/7 factory floors to small SaaS startups.

Certifications

RPA — Automation Anywhere Master & Advanced Professional
AWS — DevOps on AWS Specialization
Splunk Search Expert
Google IT System Administration Professional

Frequently asked questions

What does the name "narubox" mean?+

Naru (나루) is the Korean word for a ferry landing — a crossing point where things move safely from one side to the other. Box means exactly what it sounds like: a private, self-contained space. Together, narubox™ means a crossing point for your data and systems that stays boxed in, under your control — not a random invented word.

Are you an agency or an individual engineer?+

narubox™ operates as a solo engineering practice, not a large agency — every engagement is worked directly, not handed off to a junior team.

Do you work with businesses outside the US?+

Yes, we work remotely with clients in any timezone — communication happens over email and calls, and access to your systems is set up securely regardless of location.

How do I get started?+

Reach out through the contact page describing what's breaking or what you're building. We'll follow up with scope and next steps before any billing starts.

Want to work together?

Tell us what's breaking, or what you're building.