About narubox™

Two decades of production systems, now building AI-era data platforms.

narubox™ takes the data and know-how a business already has and builds it into a platform that runs, gets found, and earns — the same way we built our own.

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 established businesses are sitting on years of data — pricing, records, field experience, industry rules — kept in spreadsheets, paper files, and a few people's heads. Meanwhile their customers have started asking AI assistants instead of searching, and those assistants answer from whatever structured, sourced data they can find. narubox™ exists to close that gap: turn the data a business already has into a platform that both people and AI can use. We built seven of our own first — on cosmetics regulations, Texas electricity plans, U.S. boarding schools, Korean-American jobs, SEC filings, genetics research, and Texas curriculum standards — so the method is proven before we use it on yours.

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.

Your data is yours — with full source code

Your data, documentation, and infrastructure access are yours by default, and you get the full source code with a license to run and change it for your own business — never held over you as leverage. The one thing off limits is reselling the code. We wrote up exactly what we think every business should get from any contractor — see the blog.

Scoped before committed

Every build starts with a $490 data assessment that ends in a fixed quote — credited in full when you build.

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.