4Home

4Home offers an XML-based software and services platform that enables OEMs to deliver applications and services to the connected home. In practice that means building software for you when nothing off the shelf fits.

Who is it for? Mostly companies with a specific process to automate. They also list Automotive, Clean Energy, Cloud Computing and Wireless, so expect those to show up in the feature set. They are a small team, 11 to 50 people, which usually shapes who they work with. You will probably talk to the people who build it, which is great until you need 24/7 support.

4Home is based in Sunnyvale, California. Their site is 4home.com.

Our checklist for this category: portfolio relevance, who owns the code, and how they handle changes. Get the renewal terms in writing before the first invoice.

If you have worked with 4Home, tell the next buyer what you paid and what surprised you. That is the part of this page we cannot write.