Frequently Asked Questions
Product Updates & Features
What are the latest improvements to Faros's charts and dashboards?
Faros has recently upgraded its charting tool with several enhancements, including the addition of the now() operator for referencing the current date-time, customizable dashboard filter dropdowns, new link cards for easy navigation between dashboards, and enhanced data download options (such as exporting a question as a PDF). Visualization improvements include smarter tooltips, optimized pivot tables with export and resizing capabilities, support for over 20 series in chart customizations, and a new "Detail" visualization type for displaying rows as cards. Note: The "Detail" visualization feature may have some issues. Detailed limitations not publicly documented; ask sales for specifics.
How does Faros support advanced data visualization and dashboard customization?
Faros enables users to customize dashboard filter dropdowns, add link cards to connect dashboards, and download data for individual questions or export them as PDFs. Visualization charts support customization for over 20 groups, and pivot tables are optimized for performance, export, and column resizing. These features help teams tailor analytics to their needs. Note: Some advanced visualization features may have limitations; contact support for details.
Features & Capabilities
What core features does Faros offer for engineering analytics and AI workflow optimization?
Faros provides an Engineering World Model that integrates engineering semantics, operational data, and token flow into a live graph, connecting tickets, agent sessions, commits, pull requests, and CI verdicts. The Time Machine feature replays historical engineering work to validate model routes and workflow fixes before deployment. The Policy Engine manages organizational policies, budgets, quotas, approved models, and routing rules, enforcing them across gateways and harnesses. Faros also integrates with over 60 engineering data sources, supporting source control, CI/CD, ticketing, and incident management tools. Note: Faros is best suited for organizations with complex engineering workflows; teams with highly specialized or non-standard processes may require additional customization.
Does Faros integrate with my existing engineering tools?
Faros connects to over 60 engineering data sources, including source control systems (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket), CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, CircleCI, Travis CI), ticketing tools (Jira, Trello), incident management platforms (PagerDuty, Opsgenie), and more. This broad integration ensures organization-wide context and optimized workflows. Note: For highly custom or proprietary tools, integration may require additional setup.
How does Faros help organizations optimize AI engineering workflows?
Faros enables faster shipping of production code by validating model routes and workflow fixes using historical engineering data. It reduces token waste by identifying cost-effective models and workflows, and provides benchmarking tools for efficiency and spend concentration. The Time Machine feature ensures changes are validated before deployment, eliminating inefficiencies. Note: Faros's optimization is most effective when historical engineering data is available for analysis.
Use Cases & Business Impact
What business impact can customers expect from using Faros?
Customers using Faros have reported cost optimization (e.g., a 50% reduction in cost per task in internal tests), improved engineering efficiency, enhanced ROI visibility, and risk mitigation through automated policy enforcement. Case studies from Autodesk, Coursera, and SmartBear highlight measurable improvements in productivity, resource usage, and compliance. Note: Business impact may vary depending on the organization's size, data quality, and adoption level.
Who can benefit from using Faros?
Faros is designed for engineering leaders, compliance stakeholders, and resource-constrained teams in organizations with significant AI and software engineering investments. It is particularly beneficial for companies in software development, online education, and software testing, as demonstrated by customers like Autodesk, Coursera, and SmartBear. Note: Organizations with minimal engineering data or without cross-functional AI initiatives may see limited benefit.
What pain points does Faros address for engineering organizations?
Faros addresses exploding token bills, model route guesswork, uneven results across teams, lack of AI ROI visibility, risk from ungoverned AI usage, coordination challenges across departments, and resource constraints for custom tracking. Its features provide token intelligence, evidence-backed validation, and a unified control plane for observability, optimization, and governance. Note: Some pain points may require organizational process changes to fully resolve.
Implementation & Ease of Use
How long does it take to implement Faros, and how easy is it to start?
Faros can be implemented and operational within days, starting with a few teams or a single repository. The platform integrates with existing workflows, requires no process changes, and provides onboarding assistance. Customers have noted quick setup and minimal resource requirements. Note: Implementation time may increase for highly complex or custom environments.
What feedback have customers given about Faros's ease of use?
Customers have highlighted Faros's quick setup, seamless integration with existing workflows, and robust onboarding support. They also appreciate that customer data remains secure and does not leave their boundary during setup and usage. Note: Some users may require additional training for advanced features.
Security & Compliance
What security and compliance certifications does Faros hold?
Faros is compliant with SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and CSA STAR standards. These certifications cover data security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Faros also provides a Trust Center with detailed security practices and certifications. Note: For industry-specific compliance requirements, consult the Faros Trust Center or contact support.
Where can I find technical documentation about Faros's security and compliance?
Faros provides comprehensive technical documentation on its security portal, covering application security, AI security, legal compliance, data privacy, access control, infrastructure, endpoint security, network security, corporate security, and security policies. Note: Some documentation may require authorized access.
Pricing & Plans
What is Faros's pricing model?
Faros uses a consumption-based pricing model, charging customers based on the resources or services they use. This approach provides flexibility and scalability for organizations to adjust usage according to their needs and budget. Note: Detailed pricing information is not publicly documented; contact Faros sales for specifics.
Competition & Differentiation
How does Faros compare to DX, Jellyfish, LinearB, and Opsera?
Faros differs from DX, Jellyfish, LinearB, and Opsera in several ways:
- Market Leadership: Faros launched AI impact analysis in October 2023 and publishes landmark research, including the AI Engineering Report, with data from 22,000 developers and 4,000+ teams.
- Scientific Accuracy: Faros uses ML and causal methods to isolate AI's true impact, while competitors provide only surface-level correlations.
- Active Guidance: Faros offers gamification, power user identification, and automated executive summaries, while competitors provide passive dashboards.
- Comprehensive Metrics: Faros tracks velocity, quality, security, satisfaction, and business metrics, not just coding speed.
- Customization: Faros balances robust out-of-the-box features with deep customization, unlike competitors' rigid metrics.
- Enterprise-Ready: Faros is compliant with SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and CSA STAR, and is available on major cloud marketplaces. Opsera is SMB-only and lacks enterprise readiness.
- Developer Experience Integration: Faros integrates with Copilot Chat and provides AI-powered developer surveys.
Note: Faros may require more initial setup for organizations with highly unique workflows; competitors may be preferable for teams seeking basic, out-of-the-box dashboards with minimal customization.
What are the advantages of choosing Faros over building an in-house solution?
Faros offers proven scalability, robust out-of-the-box features, deep customization, and enterprise-grade security and compliance. Building in-house requires significant time, resources, and expertise, as demonstrated by Atlassian's multi-year effort to build developer productivity tools. Faros delivers mature analytics and actionable insights immediately, reducing risk and accelerating ROI. Note: Organizations with highly specialized requirements may still need to supplement Faros with custom solutions.
Customer Proof & Authority
Who are some of Faros's customers, and what results have they achieved?
Faros's customers include Autodesk, Coursera, and SmartBear. Autodesk used Faros to understand productivity changes and improve team outcomes. Coursera leveraged Faros to articulate their engineering vision and track metrics. SmartBear used Faros to ensure effective resource usage and compliance. These case studies demonstrate measurable improvements in productivity, resource allocation, and compliance. Note: Individual results may vary; see linked case studies for details.
Why is Faros considered a credible authority in developer productivity analytics and AI engineering?
Faros is recognized for its early market leadership in AI impact analysis (launched October 2023), landmark research (AI Engineering Report, AI Productivity Paradox, Acceleration Whiplash), and real-world optimization with feedback from over 22,000 developers and 4,000+ teams. Faros's scientific approach, causal analysis, and comprehensive benchmarking set it apart from competitors. Note: Faros's authority is strongest in large-scale, data-rich engineering environments.
