Hello World! See how creative the Start Software developers are when using the Alpha Anywhere development tool

We've just had a lot of fun presenting one of Alpha Software's weekly Wednesday webinars for their Alpha Anywhere development environment.

Our topic?  How to do something very boring - the classic newbie programmer's "Hello World!" app - in increasing interesting, complex and bizarre ways!

Hope you enjoy watching the recording of it here on YouTube.  We certainly enjoyed putting it together!

If we can help you with your Alpha Anywhere software developments - perhaps you need some support, some mentoring, or perhaps you even need a system looking after - do get in touch.

Start Software is proud to be a Living Wage Employer

We are delighted to announce that Start Software is now officially a Living Wage Employer.

The real Living Wage is based on the cost of living and is voluntarily paid by over 5,000 UK employers who believe a hard day's work deserves a fair day's pay.  We have been working towards achieving this certification over the last few months and received notification of a successful accreditation this week.

If you're interested in learning more, there is a great explanation of the difference between the Minimum Wage, the National Living Wage, and the real Living Wage here https://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage.

Alpha Software webinar to feature Start Software

Alpha Software (creators of the awesome Alpha Anywhere software development platform) are running a series of webinars throughout the autumn and Start Software's director Robin Bennett is presenting on 30 November.

With a title like that, if you have trouble sleeping it may be the webinar for you...!

Annual customer survey 2016 & financial results 2014-15

It's that's time of year again!  We're asking all customers to give us their feedback.

Have you got 2 minutes to complete this questionnaire please? Click Start Software customer survey or the screenshot below:

We've also just had our accounts finalised for our financial year ending 30 September 2015.

The highlights are:

• turnover up 16%
• profit up 70%

which makes it our best year ever. 

Thank you so much for trusting us to be your software partners and a special thanks to our asbestos consultancy customers who have continued to support our Tracker and Alpha Tracker asbestos software systems making them the most widely used packages in the asbestos industry.

Great customer feedback x 3!

Three emails just arrived one after the other - and each put a smile on our faces and a spring in our step!

Feedback #1... "We smashed our audit! Thank you so much for your help"
from a new customer where we have been providing Alpha Five support and mentoring to help them to develop an Intranet quality & audit system

Feedback #2... "hi Tom.  It looks fantastic! Very well done"
from a client reviewing the latest changes to a web data analysis system we have written using Alpha Anywhere, SQL Server and JavaScript

Feedback #3... "The launch of Alpha Tracker here is going really well... thank you so much"
from an asbestos consultancy feeling the benefits of their Alpha Tracker asbestos software installation.

We really appreciate it when customers take the time to send us feedback like this - it makes the hard work seem worthwhile!

Alpha Anywhere wins InfoWorld 2016 Award

Congratulations to our partners Alpha Software for winning the InfoWorld 2016 Technology of the Year Award.

Alpha Software's "Alpha Anywhere" software development product is the reason we can build iOS, Android and Windows apps and entire web systems (such as our asbestos software Alpha Tracker) so quickly and with such amazing features.

Well done to Selwyn, Richard and the team - what a fantastic recognition of the effort you put in.

SQL Server and Microsoft Access work for Cath Tate Cards

Cath Tate Cards is one of the leading greetings card wholesaler and retailers - and much more importantly, they are (according to their website) "witty, gritty, right on, switched on, political, ethical, sceptical, poetical and just plain funny".  Having worked with Cath and her team for years to provide software systems which power her business, I agree!

We have a great relationship with Cath, Rosie and the staff and our systems enable Cath Tate Cards to supply trade and retail customers worldwide.  Their data is stored securely in a sizeable and complex Microsoft SQL Server database and the client software is powered by Microsoft Access.

Can we help you with Microsoft Access or SQL Server systems?  Get in touch!

Start Software is a Quality company... and we have the certificate to prove it!

Our latest ISO9001:2008 quality accreditation visit was another "clean sheet" with no non-conformances found thanks to the hard work of the team and our Quality Manager Kim Evison in particular.

Here is Kim outside our Telford development office showing off the new certificate:

Quality Manager Kim with Start Software's latest ISO9001 certificate

For more information about Start Software's awards and accreditations please visit http://www.start-software.com/about-us/awards/ or ring 0845 612 2402.

Start Software - Christmas 2014 Opening Times

Let us be the first to wish you a Happy Christmas!

We'll only be closed on the Bank Holidays (Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day) so if you need us, call us!  The normal support line 0845 612 2402 will be available 24x7 every working day.

Regular customers may receive a small token of our appreciation over the next few days - hope you enjoy the small gifts we have sent and thanks again for your business and support throughout 2014.

Hope you have a prosperous 2015.

Robin & Elaine
Start Software

Don't you just love an ISO9001 visit!

We've had our 3-yearly ISO9001-2008 certification visit today... what fun!

New auditor, new checks, same result - we passed with flying colours thanks to our Quality Manager Kim's hard work.

As far as we know we are still the only asbestos software company with Quality accreditations (see http://robinbennett.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/result-of-iso90012008-audit.html and http://www.start-software.com/about-us/certifications/) - it is very hard work to keep to the quality standard but we think it is worthwhile.  Hope you think so too!

Tracker News newsletter changes

The August Tracker News newsletter is almost ready and we'll be sending it via a managed newsletter system from this month - there are now too many recipients for us to send it via email!

You can also sign up at our new Tracker News sign-up page: http://start-software.com/tracker/newsletter/

Tracker News on the Start Software website

Livedrive from Start Software

Working with our partners at Livedrive, we can now a secure, professionally managed cloud backup service for PCs and servers for just £10/month(+vat) per PC or server.

Livedrive are one of the world's biggest cloud backup providers and their backup systems offer automatic cloud backup and unlimited storage with backed-up files available from any Internet connected device including PC, Android smartphone, tablet, iPad and iPhone.  You can even retrieve old versions of files (as well as deleted files) for up to 30 days.

Our new backup service is ideal for Tracker Lo-Start asbestos consultancies and other smaller businesses concerned about the security of their data.

For more information, click here http://start-software.com/support/backups-livedrive/.

ISO 9001:2008 success!

Never in doubt... after Kim's hard work and preparation the success of yesterday's ISO9001:2008 review here at Start Software was surely a foregone conclusion!  I wish... our latest assessor is quite tough and knows the software market well and so his reviews and assessments are a genuine challenge to us.

Yesterday he looked at:

• our staff training regime and what it means to our customers
  did you know that all of our staff are asbestos trained as well as being software experts?
  
• how we decide which software tools to use to build asbestos surveying software such as Tracker and Alpha Tracker with as well as our bespoke software developments using Alpha Five
  we look for long-term partnerships with our tool providers including Alpha Software (US) and CreativityCorp (Australia) - these long term partnerships give us best access to their developers and mean that we can influence the products "from the inside"
  
• our innovative process for developing new software
  we showed him web based database systems (such as online order and survey tracking systems) built from start to finish in days not months using video as a means to gather requirements and communicate with our customers
  
• our help desk process and support call systems and statistics
  he could not believe that we allowed you - our customers - to set the severity and urgency of the call... he said that this was unique in his experience! I am committed to this principle - in my opinion only you know how important a particular issue is and so you need the ability to determine our time-scales for resolving your issue.

After a long day of reviewing, checking evidence, assessing compliance against the ISO9001:2008 standard and generally asking difficult questions he left with only one minor non-conformance found.

Thanks again Kim for your hard work and thanks and congratulations to the team here at Start Software who work so hard day in and day out to meet the needs of our valued customers.

ISO9001:2008 review today

We have our ISO9001:2008 assessor in today for his 9-monthly visit to unpick our processes and procedures.

As far as I know, we're unique across software houses specialising in software for asbestos consultants and asbestos consultancies (our Tracker and Alpha Tracker range) in that we have two quality accreditations. We have ISO9001:2008 in particular for our support service and we also have the AccredIT software development standard too.

Kim is busy with him now.... we'll let you know the outcome!

Our call (support) stats for May 2013

We really believe it is important to share our support statistics with you.  The service we provide to you is vital to your business and it is key to how you perceive us.  When you call you need to know that we will log every issue and question raised and resolve or answer it to your satisfaction.

We try to do this every single time and in the timeframe you set us.  All of our team do their best and we are successful most of the time - in fact, normally in 90%+ of cases.

Here are our latest stats:

Start Software support statistics - May 2013

Last month we just hit the 90% target so in 9 out of 10 occasions we answered your problem within the timescale you set us.  Considering we had 249 calls for assistance last month that's not bad but we'll strive to do even better in June.

New smartphone version of our website start-software.com now available

If you access our website at www.start-software.com on a smartphone you'll now see that shows a "mobile friendly" version of the site.

Mobile-friendly version of start-software.com

Why do we or any other business need a mobile-friendly version of their web site?  Smartphone screens are just not big enough to show web sites designed for PCs and laptops to their full potential and so smartphone-optimised versions of a site can be really helpful for users accessing the Internet when they are out and about.

We think about the same issues when designing web databases and applications using Alpha Five.  Alpha Five enables us to build web systems quickly and professionally but knowing the target audience (and their likely choice of hardware) is vital when we start a build.  We can design for PC, laptop, tablet and smartphone and although the techniques are similar it is vital we get it right from the start.

Meeting with software industry "guru" John Cullinane in Belfast

John Cullinane (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cullinet and http://www.cullinaneentrepreneurship.com/) is one of the global software industry's pioneers.  He was the first person to develop a "software product business" large enough and successful enough to be listed on the US stock market.. in fact listed with a billion dollar valuation.

I've got to know John via Alpha Software, the business behind the software development platform which enables Start Software to build world-class web and mobile applications quickly and professionally.

Last Monday I went to Belfast to hear John deliver a fascinating lecture on the role of the economy in conflict resolution around the World.  John was appointed by Bill Clinton to lead a business/economic task force during the Northern Island peace process and is still heavily involved in that process today.  In fact, during the lecture he was thanked for his personal involvement in the Gasworks development in Belfast (which, co-incidentally, was where I had gone for my morning run).

John Cullinane lecturing at Riddell Hall

John delivered his lecture to an invited audience of the great and the good (and me!).  I was delighted that John picked up on the possibilities that mobile and web development has in a growing economy like NI's and was even more thrilled when he gave Start Software and me a name-check half-way through his talk.  He sees our business model here at Start as being one that could be replicated elsewhere and referred to the work that I'm doing personally in NI to help them in this area:

"Robin Bennett and Start Software would be outstanding models to emulate in Northern Ireland in my opinion. That's why I was so pleased that he was able to join us today. He confirms that it would be possible for NI to become a world leader in mobile application development using Alpha Software's new Alpha Anywhere platform and he is prepared to help them do it".

Thanks John for the mention - really appreciated it.

---

Here's a press clipping about John's talk (at the bottom of the page):

Start Software trading results 2011-12

We've just had the final accounts through for our financial year 2011-12 (ending October).

Turnover was up 3% which was a respectable increase though only broadly in line with inflation.

Our investment in rebuilding and renewing our software line-up (including our fantastic new Alpha Tracker product for environmental and asbestos consultancies) hit profits but will stand us in good stead for years to come.

Congratulations to Ian Tipton of Bronze Software - our prize winner

Well done Ian (www.bronzelabs.co.uk) for correctly guessing that the Start Software sweets were rhubarb and custard flavour (see http://robinbennett.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/start-softwares-most-bizarre.html).

Ian was presented with his prize (a remote control helicopter) last week.  Congratulations!

Microsoft back-track on Windows 8

Back in March 2012 I blogged about the new Windows 8 interface and how it was a nightmare for laptop users.  Gone was the Start button and some of the basics (like shutting the computer down) required a convoluted process of clicking and dragging off the screen.  Madness.

Well, finally, Microsoft have seen the light and the information being leaked about Windows 8.1 indicates that the Start button will make a reappearance and you'll be able to boot straight into the classic desktop, avoiding the new tile interface completely.

What a complete waste of time and money!