Microsoft has resolved their "Azure" issues from yesterday and all systems are back online. Microsoft have resolved all of their Azure cloud problems Sorry if you had issues producing some documents - we are looking at ways to make ourselves more resilient when Microsoft's Azure cloud has problems in the future.
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Some of our Alpha Tracker services are being affected by the Microsoft outage - we are waiting for them to resolve
Some of our Alpha Tracker services are being seriously affected by the Microsoft outage as reported by the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3rj45n4x5eo. Heathrow, NatWest and Minecraft are among some of the sites and services experiencing problems.
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| We're in good company, many organisations are being affected |
Our affected services include document production for asbestos and water clients. We apologise for the outage and are waiting for a resolution from Microsoft.
🎉 Celebrating Our 100,000th Support Ticket!
We’ve just hit an incredible milestone — our 100,000th support ticket has landed!
That’s 100,000 times our customers have reached out with questions, ideas, or requests — and 100,000 opportunities for our support team to help, learn, and make Alpha Tracker, Alpha Legal, ecoScribe and all our other systems even better.
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| 1,000,000 grateful customers (well, most of them...) |
A huge thank you to our customers
Every ticket tells a story: a new project getting started, a clever feature being used in a new way, or a challenge that helped us improve our software. We’re genuinely grateful for every message, call, and support request that’s come our way over the years. Without your feedback and patience, we couldn’t keep making our systems as powerful and reliable as they are today.
And an even bigger thank you to our support team
Our support heroes handle everything from “how do I…” to “help, it’s all on fire!” - and they do it with professionalism, good humour, and an impressive amount of coffee. Reaching 100,000 tickets is a testament to their dedication and the relationships they’ve built with customers across the UK and beyond.
Looking ahead
If 100,000 tickets got us here, we can only imagine what the next 100,000 will bring. More innovation, faster responses, smarter systems — and, no doubt, the occasional head-scratcher that keeps things interesting.
At this rate, we might even start placing bets on when ticket number 1,000,000 will arrive…
Thank you for being part of our journey — here’s to the next big milestone! 🚀
Faster report production with our Cloud Document Maker update
Jack and the team have deployed a new version of Cloud Document Maker which means that some Alpha Tracker clients - water hygiene users in particular - will notice that their documents are generated much more quickly.
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| Yet another AI-generated blog image |
There is also an update coming soon which will increase the speed of asbestos report generation - so watch out for that.
Alpha Software roadmap review with Selwyn and his development team
Jack, Dan & Robin held an Alpha Software roadmap review with CEO Selwyn and his development team today.
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| Jack, the Alpha Software team (via Teams), and Dan |
Start Software are Alpha Software's UK professional partners with specialists working in Alpha Anywhere, Alpha TransForm and Alpha Cloud. We build and support apps and web systems using the Alpha Software development framework.
During the two-hour review, we covered a huge range of topics, including:
- the "free threading" performance improvements in the Alpha app server
- alternative deployment platforms (including Linux)
- use of better code editors and alternative debugging options
- automated testing tools
- upcoming improvements and changes to the Alpha Cloud deployment platform
- and - finally - AI.
It was a really useful call - and one we'll repeat in a few months.
If you need help with your Alpha-based system, get in touch.
PS it was great to include the UK Alpha legend Glen Schild from gjstats.co.uk on the call, too!
Birmingham Tech Week: Robin & Andrew exploring the AI frontier
Birmingham Tech Week was buzzing with ideas, innovation and some very clever uses of artificial intelligence — so of course, we couldn’t resist joining in. Andrew and I spent the day at the ICC for the AI Symposium, part of this year’s Quantum Leap series of events, learning from industry leaders and sharing how AI is already shaping the work we do at Start Software and CTT.
Our day began at Birmingham New Street, where the ever-impressive Ozzy the Bull (fresh from the Commonwealth Games) gave us a suitably dramatic welcome. I couldn’t resist giving him a new accessory — my Birmingham Tech Week badge. He wore it with pride.
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| Ozzy pre-AI modification |
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| Ozzy with his pass! |
The city itself looked fantastic under autumn skies — from the sleek curves of Grand Central to the golden crown of the Library of Birmingham, Birmingham’s mix of heritage and modern design made a great backdrop for a week celebrating technology.
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| The Town Hall |
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| The sun was shining on the event |
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| Birmingham Library |
Inside the ICC, the energy was palpable. The exhibition area showcased everything from VR headsets to cutting-edge data visualisation tools, and the AI Symposium featured some genuinely insightful discussions. It was standing-room-only at times, with experts debating the ethics, opportunities and challenges of machine learning in the workplace.
Agentic AI again was a key focus - as was security - themes repeating from the World Summit AI in Amsterdam two weeks ago.
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| Inside the impressive ICC |
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| Should have gone to Specsavers |
For us at Start Software, AI is more than just a buzzword. It’s already integrated into our products — helping clients work smarter and faster:
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Alpha Tracker uses automation and smart data processing to simplify compliance and asbestos management.
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Alpha Legal keeps legal professionals secure and efficient with AI-driven document checks and smart communication tools.
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ecoScribe harnesses speech recognition and natural language processing to turn complex survey data into structured reports in seconds.
Seeing so many companies exploring AI’s potential was inspiring — and it’s clear that the Midlands is fast becoming a real hub for innovation.
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| The panel gathers |
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| Andrew front-and-centre (as always!) |
We left Birmingham Tech Week with plenty of ideas (and a slightly sore neck from looking up at Ozzy). Huge thanks to the organisers for such a well-run and thought-provoking event.
If you’d like to learn how AI is already improving workflows in Alpha Tracker, Alpha Legal or ecoScribe, get in touch — we’d love to show you what’s possible.
(post by Robin Bennett)
Robin to present at the Global Asbestos Forum 2025 — exploring how AI is transforming the asbestos industry
It's time for the next Global Asbestos Forum and asbestos software Alpha Tracker is a sponsor with Robin, Kim & Catherine all attending. AI will be the theme - and so we asked AI to create the text and images for this post!
Start Software’s CEO Robin will be speaking at the Global Asbestos Forum 2025 in Bergen, Norway, next month.
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| Robin's hair is this grey - AI got it spot-on |
One of the themes this year is Artificial Intelligence, and Robin will be showcasing a number of real-world AI tools we’ve developed alongside asbestos software Alpha Tracker to help asbestos professionals work faster, safer, and smarter.
From automating data capture to intelligent risk assessment and report QC (checking the quality of final asbestos reports), these innovations are already saving analysts and surveyors hours each week — and Robin will be demonstrating them live on stage.
“AI isn’t for tomorrow,” says Robin. “It’s solving everyday problems for asbestos consultants right now — and this session will show exactly how.”
The Global Asbestos Forum is an annual gathering of industry leaders, researchers, and technology innovators from around the world. It’s a brilliant opportunity to connect, learn, and see how the asbestos industry is evolving with the help of new technology.
📅 When: 13 & 14 November 2025
📍 Where: Bergen, Norway
🎟️ Registration: https://www.globalasbestosforum.org/conference/
If you work in asbestos consultancy, compliance, or technology, this is one event you shouldn’t miss.
Alpha Tracker specialists Kim & Catherine will also be at the conference showing some of the new AI features. Come and find them on the asbestos software Alpha Tracker exhibition stand.
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| Kim & Catherine? Not sure! But at least it's our stand (it's actually Judy) |
Book your place now and see how AI is already reshaping asbestos management for the better. You'll also get to visit the wonderful Bergen, Norway!
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| Alpha Tracker at the Global Asbestos Forum, Bergen |