Shadow Access makes apps for small businesses, and designs custom solutions when an app isn't enough. Pick what sounds like you and we'll show you where to start.
shimlyFlagshipThe construction app your whole crew will actually use, at a price that makes sense from day one.
Pre-launch. Ask for early access.
CashWardA planning-first money app for iPhone, iPad and Mac, built Canadian-first.
Coming soon to the App Store · $39.99 USD
SignetA Mac app to watermark, seal and secure PDFs. Everything stays on your Mac.
Available on the Mac App Store · $14.99 USD
A principal talks it through with you, not an account manager. Then we design it, build it and support it.
A principal answers, usually within one business day.
ShimlyCashWardSignetThree apps built by us. Your solution next.
Apps are how we solve the problems we know best. When yours is different, a principal will talk it through with you and we'll design something that fits.
Web and mobile apps built around how your business really runs, by the team that built three apps of its own.
Hosting, backups and systems that are set up sensibly, cost what they should, and stay reliable.
Senior guidance on technology and risk, without hiring a full-time executive.
An outside check on what you have, and a plain list of what to fix first.
Owners who want software that works on a job site, not just in an office.
Teams with a process, a system or a risk that no off-the-shelf tool quite covers.
People who want a straight answer about their technology: what's exposed, what it costs, and what to do next.
The same simple path whether it's an app, a cloud setup, a plan or a security review.
You tell us what's getting in the way. We listen and ask questions.
We sketch the simplest thing that fixes it, and show you before we build.
We build it, and you see it take shape as we go.
We stay on to fix, adjust and grow it as your business changes.
You talk to a principal, not an account manager. It's a conversation about your business, not a sales script.
Start a conversationThree apps from one small team. We build software we'd want to use ourselves: Shimly leads, Signet is on the Mac App Store, and CashWard is coming soon.
Keep every job level. Quotes, jobs, crew and invoices in one place, with a field app that works with no signal.
See where your money is headed, day by day. No account, no bank connection, no tracking.
Learn about CashWardWatermark, seal and secure PDFs. Everything stays on your Mac.
Apps and custom solutions from a small team that designs, builds and ships its own software.
Shimly, CashWard and Signet are our own. We know what it takes to ship.
Not an account manager. Usually within one business day.
What's wrong, what it costs and what to do next, in plain English.
Our apps are built for Canadian businesses and households first, with Canadian tax rules built in.
CashWard and Signet keep it on your device. Shimly stores yours in Canada.
Shadow Access builds its own apps and uses the same skills to design software, cloud systems and IT plans for other businesses.
When you get in touch, you talk to a principal, not an account manager. We work with business owners and leaders who want a straight answer about their technology.
I’ve spent about 30 years in IT, and the part I still love is the same as ever: someone shows up with a tangled problem, and together we find the simple way through it. I started out in the travel industry, helping travel agencies set up call centres and travel insurers get into reservation systems. Since then it’s been a lot of cloud, a lot of security, and some very satisfying “how do we move all of this without breaking anything?” projects.
A few favourites. Back in 2008 I redesigned a chemical company’s IT with a hybrid cloud setup, so its plants could be monitored remotely and its customers saved money and used less chemical. I also helped a regional airline move its mission-critical apps from its own servers to Microsoft 365 and Azure, with security monitoring and threat detection built in.
Along the way I’ve collected certifications from Microsoft, VMware, Aruba, Fortinet, Cisco, Citrix, Checkpoint and more, plus ITIL, project management and penetration testing. These days I put all of it to work building apps like Shimly, CashWard and Signet, and helping other businesses design the right solution for their own problem.
If something is slowing your business down, tell me about it. I read every message.
Tell me about itA few sentences is plenty. A principal reads every message and usually replies within one business day.
