Triangle Blog

“42% of workers are working with inaccurate information”. Thats a quote from a recent IBM advert, backed up by research done by Accenture.

This figure may shock you but my comment is - I’m surprised it’s so low!

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Like most businesses, Triangle Software will be shutting down for the Christmas period soon. We’re closing sometime on Christmas Eve but I know some businesses have already started closing a week earlier.

Somebody outside the business commented to me that this meant a lot of lost productivity and they were quite proud to be closing only for the statutory holidays. I have to say I am quite passionately opposed to that attitude for all sorts of reasons.

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Having spent several sleepless nights over the last few weeks developing the new Triangle website, we are proud to announce it is live ready for the new year.

We’re looking at all our marketing but with some exciting new developments on the horizon, the website is a great start.

I recently joined LinkedIn on the recommendation of others. I wasn’t sure what I hoped to get from it but surely this many users can’t be wrong. For those who don’t know this is a website which allows business people to connect with each other and build up a network of contacts.

As my contacts started to grow (and the number is still quite small), I started wondering if this was just a way to link to friends or is it really a useful business tool.

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Last week saw Windows XP move one step closer to obsolescence.

Microsoft has different levels of support which fall in line with the lifecycle of their products. Windows XP has just entered what they call the “Extended Support” phase.

What this means is that any support calls to Microsoft relating to Windows XP will be chargeable. What it doesn’t mean is that you have to panic and rush out and buy a new operating system or new computers. Microsoft will continue to issue security updates to make sure you are not at risk from hackers and other online worries. Windows XP will continue to work for some time.

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What’s in a name? Well, quite a lot actually if your name is Triangle.

We sometimes get confused with the Triangle Shopping centre in Manchester – Not really a problem I agree. But it’s been widely reported recently that since Southampton based IBM reseller Triangle posted a loss of £1m on £27m turnover they have embarked on some sort of restructuring program.

There are even rumours that their competitors are circling and trying to pick off valued members of Triangle’s staff.

They are operating in the IT arena so this is a potential problem for us even though we are not connected in any way.

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We’ve been looking long and hard at the value proposition offered by bespoke software development. Particularly in tough economic times, why should anyone choose to spend significant amounts of money on software to run their business?

I think the answer changes depending on the health of your business.

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It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, or how profitable your business is; if your customers are not paying you then you are not really in business at all.

I’d take it further and say that until the money is in the bank you shouldn’t even consider a sale as a sale.

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I heard someone talking to a non-techie recently in a thriving small business. They were trying to illustrate the importance of software in the business, so they asked the question

“If I took away your software, how would your business run?”

The person was suitably shocked with the idea of running the business with all of the computers rendered useless.

It got me thinking about an obvious follow on question that was never asked;

“If I improved your software instead of taking it away, how would your business run?” (more…)

It seems that these days, you can’t open a business newspaper without reading that another company has become a “victim of the economic downturn”. But becoming a victim in the newspaper writer’s eyes might not mean that they have gone out of business; it might mean they have been acquired by a healthier outfit or merged with another firm to make one strong entity which will survive, and more to the point so will the person who owns it.

As a business owner with a smallish company that has done more than survive during the good times, you’ve probably had a good standard of living without getting rich. You’ve probably also provided a decent living for 3 or 4 other people into the bargain and kept a healthy number of clients satisfied with the personal level of service a smaller company can provide. (more…)