Umbra Penance

Services

Automation, custom software and security testing, from a UK engineering studio

Take the manual work out of your business. Build the systems it actually needs.

Umbra Penance automates the processes your team repeats every day, builds custom software when off-the-shelf tools stop fitting, and tests everything like an attacker before it goes live.

Send us a written enquiry
  • 20 minutes with an engineer
  • No obligation
  • Reply within one working day
chat-callback-request → CRM Active
A client workflow running in production: a callback request is validated, de-duplicated, written to the CRM, booked into a salesperson's calendar and announced to the team. Labels translated, data removed.
  • 230+workflows we built running in production today
  • 500+automations built across n8n, Make and Zapier
  • ISO 27001certified Lead Auditor leading security reviews
  • 2 foundersUK engineers who design, build and test every project

The people

You work directly with the founders.

No account managers, no hand-off to a junior team. The people on your first call are the people who design, build and test your system.

  • Adel Acheli, Founder · Engineering & Security

    Adel Acheli

    Founder · Engineering & Security

    ISO 27001 Lead Auditor (certified)

    Designs and builds the systems, then tests them the way an attacker would. Shipped multi-tenant SaaS, internal tools, AI features and production automations, and delivers penetration test reports for live systems.

  • Mehdi Belmihoub, Co-founder · Automation & Growth

    Mehdi Belmihoub

    Co-founder · Automation & Growth

    Builds the automation systems that run day-to-day operations, from lead handling and sales booking to contracts and reporting, and works with clients on the commercial goal behind them.

How we work

Projects

Systems we’ve designed, built and shipped.

Client: Amadoo, a nursery-management SaaS platform with a mobile app for parents and staff

A nursery-management SaaS, taken from concept to a working platform.

Problem
Amadoo needed one platform to run nurseries end to end, for four kinds of user, with payments, reporting and AI built in, without spending two years on the foundation.
What we built
The full product: multi-tenant web platform, role-based permissions, billing, messaging, attendance and curriculum, a React Native app for parents and staff, and Ami, an AI nursery assistant.
The hard part
Each nursery's data is locked to that nursery inside the database (20+ tables), with permissions for 12 staff roles.
Result
Amadoo went from concept to a working platform that runs nurseries in a single system, on a foundation built to scale.
“I would absolutely recommend Adel to any founder or business looking for a reliable technical partner.”
Ahmad Shawky, Founder, Amadoo
Read the full project
Amadoo nursery management platform home screen

Client project · Automation reliability & migration

Migrated from Zapier to n8n

230+ production workflows, monitored so nothing fails silently.

With hundreds of workflows running, failures could go unnoticed for days, and part of the estate was still on Zapier.

Read the project

Most client projects are confidential, so we describe them without names: the problem, what we built and what it changed.

All projects

How it works

From first call to a working system.

No long discovery phase, no open-ended retainer. Sometimes the honest answer on the first call is “don’t build this”, and we’ll say so.

  • Two people sketching a process flow on a whiteboard
    Map how the work really happensA working session with the people who run the process, before any tool is chosen.
  • Two people reviewing code on large monitors
    Build in short, visible cyclesWorking software on your real data early, reviewed together rather than revealed at the end.
  • A man on a video call at his desk
    A direct line to the engineersShort calls and clear updates from the people building it.

  1. 20-minute call

    You describe the process and the tools; we ask what matters for scope and risk, and tell you what we'd do first.

  2. Written scope, fixed price

    What we'd build, how, and what it costs, before you commit to anything.

  3. Build, test, hand over

    Short cycles on your real data, a security review before go-live, and documentation you own.

  • PricingA fixed quote after a free scoping call. Never open-ended day rates.
  • TimelineA focused first workflow is often live in one to three weeks.
  • OwnershipYou own the code, the accounts and the documentation.

What we do

Three services, one team.

  • Business process automationWhere most clients start

    We connect the tools you already use and remove the manual steps between them: lead handling, onboarding, invoicing, reporting, approvals. Built on n8n, Make or Zapier, with custom code where those reach their limits. Error handling, alerting and monitoring come as standard.

    Automation

  • Custom software and SaaSWhen off-the-shelf stops fitting

    Client portals, internal tools, dashboards and SaaS platforms, designed around how your business works. Separate accounts for each of your customers, user roles and billing where you need them. You own the code.

    Custom software

  • Security testingFor what we build, and what we didn't

    Manual penetration testing of web applications, APIs and SaaS platforms, with a clear report and remediation support from engineers who can fix what they find. Everything we build gets the same review before go-live.

    Security testing

What it looks like when the busywork runs itself.

Typical workflows we design and build. Each one is mapped from your current process, with a human kept in the loop wherever judgement matters.

Lead to booked call8 steps
  1. Lead capturedWebsite, ads, LinkedIn, inboxForms & inbox
  2. EnrichedCompany size, sector, websiteCompany data lookup
  3. QualifiedScored against your criteriaAI step
  4. Added to CRMDe-duplicated, owner assignedCRM
  5. Personalised follow-upSent within minutesEmail
  6. Sales notifiedHot leads onlySlack / Teams
  7. Meeting bookedCalendar
  8. Pipeline reportingSource to revenueDashboard
Before
Enquiries wait in an inbox; follow-up depends on who's free; nobody knows which channel works.
After
Every lead gets a fast, relevant reply, sales sees the ones worth calling, and reporting shows what each channel brings in.

Before you book

How much does it cost?
Every project gets a fixed quote after a free scoping call, so you know the price before any build. A single workflow is a very different budget from a SaaS platform; on the call we'll tell you roughly what yours would take.
How long until something is live?
A focused first workflow is often live within one to three weeks. Larger systems are phased so something useful ships early.
Who owns what you build?
You do: code, workflows, accounts and documentation. You can maintain it yourselves, with us or with another team.
What if it doesn't work, or breaks later?
Every system is tested and security-reviewed before go-live, with alerts and logs built in. Optional support plans cover monitoring and fixes.
What happens on the 20-minute call?
You describe the process and tools; an engineer (Adel or Mehdi) asks the scoping questions and tells you what we'd do first. No obligation, no sales pitch.

Talk it through with an engineer.

You describe the process, the tools and where it breaks. We tell you what we’d automate, build or test first, and roughly what it would take.

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