Today is World Backup Day! #WorldBackupDay

Today is World Backup Day! #WorldBackupDay

I know, I know, like we needed another "world {insert random topic} day"... but, actually, this is really important.  If you don't have a secure, tested, reliable backup of your important data - both business and personal - you are going to regret it.  That old saying "Failing To Prepare Is Preparing To Fail" is absolutely true when it comes to backing up your data.

visit www.worldbackupday.com for more information

Here at Start Software, we take incredible care with the data stored in all of our systems.  For example, in Alpha Tracker, we have three levels of backup using independent technologies and data centres.  We check (manually) that backups are working and are up-to-date every month and we do test restores.

If you need any help with your system backups, want more information about how we protect your data or perhaps even want us to write a disaster recovery plan for you, do get in touch.

Webinar #2 recording now available on YouTube. Catch up with Alpha Tracker Tuesday Tips & Tricks

The second Alpha Tracker Tips & Tricks webinar is now available on YouTube.  Here it is!

We showed two of Alpha Tracker's best features in quite a bit of detail.  We covered:

• the Wallboard - Alpha Tracker's planning tool which uses information from projects and the diary
  
  
• Map Scheduling - ideal when filling diaries with short, low-value jobs (eg domestic surveys or water hygiene work).

Sorry if you joined at 13:30 expecting to watch live.  Zoom had become confused about GMT vs BST and the clocks moving forward at the weekend baffled us all completely!  It probably didn't help that Dan & Kim were in Telford and I was 6 hours ahead in Indonesia (working with two of our Alpha Tracker developers who are based here).

Watch out for next month's webinar which will be on Tuesday 25 April at 12:30 (UK time).  Register for free, here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aS6dJ0j5QCycZ65VbHgBow

Our next free Tips & Tricks webinar is on Tuesday @ 12:30

It's our next Alpha Tracker Tips & Tricks Tuesday webinar on Tuesday 28 March.  We're running them on the last Tuesday of the month right through 2023.

Click to register

Join us at 12:30 for a 30-minute deep dive into:

• the Wallboard and how it gives you automatic financial and resource forecasts, and 
  
  
• the map scheduler - our super-efficient way to fill site staff diaries.
  

We'll have the Alpha Tracker team on hand to answer questions and reply to comments.  It's free and will only take 30 minutes of your time - so join us if you can!

Click here to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aS6dJ0j5QCycZ65VbHgBow

Robin meets Dr Terri-Ann Berry and Leonie Metcalfe of the Mesothelioma Support & Asbestos Awareness Trust

Inspirational asbestos disease campaigner Mavis Nye has friends, contacts and influence all around the world.  

Mavis asked Robin (he's a Trustee of her Foundation) to look out for New Zealand mesothelioma campaigners Dr Terri-Ann Berry and Leonie Metcalfe of the Mesothelioma Support & Asbestos Awareness Trust whilst he was at the Auckland FAMANZ conference.

Not only did meet up with them - they gave him t-shirts and chocolates to take back to Mavis!

Robin with Terri-Ann & Leonie and then modelling the MSAA t-shirts with Alpha Tracker's Judy!

Follow and support the work of these two wonderful campaigns here:

• Mavis Nye Foundation: https://www.mavisnyefoundation.com/
• Mesothelioma Support & Asbestos Awareness Trust: https://www.msaatrust.org.nz/

"Asbestos & You" - meet the new campaign from the HSE's Work Right initiative

The HSE has an initiative called Work Right, helping UK workers in smaller businesses to be safe when doing their jobs.

Work Right has just launched "Asbestos & You" - an important campaign about working safely around asbestos.

"Asbestos & You" - helping workers in smaller businesses to be safe around asbestos

Start Software and Alpha Tracker fully support the HSE and all of their asbestos-related activities.  Read more about Asbestos & You from Work Right here: https://workright.campaign.gov.uk/campaigns/asbestos/

FAMANZ Asbestos Conference 2023 underway! Collaboration is key

It's great for Alpha Tracker to be part of FAMANZ 2023, with a theme of "Collaboration is key".  

Held this year in Auckland, New Zealand, FAMANZ brings together the best and brightest minds in asbestos management (as well as Robin & Judy!) to share expertise and hear the latest from industry experts.

What an opportunity to meet the asbestos community of Australia & New Zealand

Leanne & Judy will be following up all of the new contacts made when Judy returns to Alpha Tracker's Adelaide office at the beginning of next week.

Big C visits the e-IC! Great for the team to meet Andrew, Paul & Mike and to see Big C up close

Andrew Bedwell brought his Big C boat to our e-Innovation Centre offices last week.  Andrew's world record Atlantic crossing attempt is even more inspiring when you are able to see the size of the vessel up close.

It was great for the team to see (and sit in!) Big C

Andrew brought awesome project photographer Paul (see www.paullarkinphotography.com) together with Mike who helped the late Tom McNally with his own world record attempt.  Tom is one of the main inspirations behind Andrew's attempt at the record.

Great to see Alpha Legal mentioned by the FT Adviser

Jamie on our Support Desk spotted this: https://www.ftadviser.com/your-industry/2022/11/07/managing-risk-in-virtual-client-meetings/?page=2

Alpha Legal gets a mention in the FT

In truth, it was actually Jamie's Dad - he's an IFA and was researching material for his CPD.

The write-up was great:

Services such as Alpha Legal now offer a safe and secure electronic solution for obtaining client ID, onboarding documentation, and communication throughout a client’s journey.

This service provides for the secure, encrypted transfer of documents, correspondence, and client data supported by two-factor authentication.

 Can we help you to communicate securely and share documents with your clients?  Get in touch!

AEC busy with the new Water Hygiene module in Alpha Tracker

We have been working with leading environmental consultancy AEC to build a new Water Hygiene module for Alpha Tracker.

A big thank you to AEC for sharing their expertise

AEC water hygiene staff have now captured more than 10,000 site records using the updated Alpha Tracker Mobile app (available for Android or Apple devices).  The app works online and offline helping staff to be productive on sites even where there is no mobile signal or WiFi.

We've been careful to make the Water Hygiene features as customisable as possible with every type of water job available including Legionella risk assessments, temperature monitoring, shower cleans and every other option you can think of!

The Water Hygiene module will be available in Alpha Tracker Release 39, available in beta now.

Elaine, Kim & Catherine at Mesothelioma UK's Ladies' Lunch to celebrate International Womens' Day

Elaine, Kim & Catherine are all in Manchester to support Mesothelioma UK's Ladies' Lunch charity event.

Great event, Meso UK!  Thanks for the invitation

The event is being held today to coincide with International Women's Day.  There are not enough women working in asbestos!

Family wins settlement in claim over teacher’s asbestos cancer death

This could be a landmark case.  The family of a teacher who died of cancer after coming into contact with asbestos fibres has won a settlement, prompting warnings for teachers and children who remain at risk in older buildings.

We'll be publishing our research into the state of asbestos in UK schools very soon

This is a timely story for us here at Start Software.  We've been analysing some of the 60 million+ asbestos records which have been captured using Alpha Tracker (with agreement from our asbestos consultancy users) to understand the condition of asbestos within UK schools.

We'll be publishing that research very shortly - watch this space.

You can read the whole story here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/03/family-wins-settlement-in-claim-over-teachers-asbestos-cancer-death?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Our software partners Alpha Software have posted about the Big C Atlantic Challenge

A big thank you to our US software partners Alpha Software who are helping us to promote Andrew Bedwell's Big C Atlantic Challenge.

Read all about the Big C Challenge on Facebook

See https://www.alphasoftware.com/blog/sailor-attempts-world-record-crossing-the-atlantic-in-smallest-boat

Webinar #1 recording now available on YouTube. Catch up with Alpha Tracker Tuesday Tips & Tricks

The recording of our first Tips & Tricks webinar is now available on YouTube.  Here it is!

We covered a lot of ground - possibly too much!

• the new search box and the favourites bar
• all of the basic diary operations (adding, moving, marking appointments)
• mapping and routing within an appointment
• better ways to schedule lots of jobs - including repeating schedules
• filling diaries from a map (great for domestic surveying)
• syncing your diary to Google Calendar or Microsoft Exchange
• skills and how to prevent the wrong person going to the job!
• the Wallboard - one of the best features in Alpha Tracker
• new options in the Wallboard to forecast up to 6 months ahead
• looking at your plan by client, project, type of work or staff member.

Congrats Zeynep for winning this month's t-shirt by asking the best question!

Watch out for next month's webinar which will be on Tuesday 28 March at 12:30 (UK time).