Member News

At Naked Element we’re all about making your business process more efficient and more accurate, saving you time and money. In 2016 Naked Element helped its clients increase their efficiency by up to 95% with made to measure, cohesive software solutions.

• Are you drowning under the weight of spreadsheets?

• Do you need to streamline and automate your process for your team and/or your clients?

• Is manual monitoring of tools preventing you from getting the best results for your clients and costing you time?

• Are you struggling to find the perfect tool or mobile app to solve or improve your process problem?

• Do you need a tool or mobile app to make sure you’re compliant?

• Are you using a number of different tools you wish could all talk to each other seamlessly without the need for manual rekeying?

• Have you got a fantastic new idea for a digital product or service and don’t know how to start building it?

This year Naked Element has helped all of its clients with one or more of these issues.

What could we do for you? Contact us now to find out how we can make your business more efficient in 2017.

Email: info@nakedelement.co.ukCall: 01603 383 458

Briar Chemicalsattended the Chemical Industries Association annual business conference, which this year was focussed on “Brexit” and the UK Chemical Industry’s future strategy.

The event provided an excellent forum for senior management of UK chemical manufacturing companies, alongside UK Government Ministers and other stakeholders, to come together and define policy and opportunities.

There is no question that following the “Brexit” vote on23rd June 2016 there is uncertainty in the business environment and that this has resulted in a great deal of lively dialogue in our industry and in the media as a whole.

Susan Brench,Head of Commercial at Briar Chemicals,said: “Whilstwe understand our stakeholders’ concerns, I would like to offer the following perspective; Briar Chemicals believes that the current economic and political climate has also resulted in several opportunities presenting themselves:

• Sterling devaluation makes our selling prices more attractive
• There is the potential for reduced regulatory burden
• Government action can make the UK an even more attractive investment location

From a recent survey, the UK chemical industry, being a long-established, highly export-orientated manufacturing sector, maintains a positive outlook to business prospects; Briar Chemicalsis no exception and we are certainly still Open for Business.

Briar Chemicals continues to focus on operational excellence to drive down costs and deliver shared benefits for all stakeholders, investing in its employees and manufacturing assets (capex and maintenance spend will be maintained at a rate above the European industry norm).

Susan added “We believe that Briar Chemicals will remain an efficient and cost effective partner regardless of any challenges presented during the “Brexit” process.”

Read more from the Chemical Industries Association press release in which UK Chemical and Pharmaceutical companiessay exports can drive growth.

We’ve just finished the new website for childrens’ charity, Ormiston Families. The new website promotes the main programmes Ormiston Families run to help children and their families. It also shows how people can help the charity through fundraising, giving and volunteering. A big thank you to Naked Marketing for their great design work on this website. You can see the new website at www.ormiston.org

Bigfork – we make websites stand outwww.bigfork.co.uk t:01603 513080

Fast-growing Norfolk-based telecoms company 52 Degrees has moved its IT from a data centre in London’s Docklands to the high security facility in Norwich run by Norfolk Chamber Gold Patron MIGSOLV. The move is part of a new technology strategy to support the telecoms firm’s business expansion.

52 Degrees was founded in January 2016 to offer quality, hassle-free business telecoms services at good value. It provides hosting, broadband, fixed line and mobile services to companies UK-wide.

The firm recently undertook a technology review to ensure its ability to deliver these services with the greatest possible reliability and efficiency. As a result, it decided to change data centre provider to MIGSOLV’s Gatehouse facility in Norwich to benefit from its ultra-high security levels, 100% uptime and state-of-the art facilities. Connectivity is provided by 52 Degrees’ own purpose-built, resilient, high-speed network.

Anthony Wright, Director at 52 Degrees, explains: “We recognised the security and availability of our IT as absolutely vital to the services we provide our customers – and so to our own business success. As part of our expansion strategy, we took a close look at the best colocation options and MIGSOLV’s facility was a clear winner for us.

“The Gatehouse is one of the world’s most secure data centres. Based in Norwich, it avoids the terrorism risks facing London and other big UK cities. It offers 100% uptime and represents great value, which helps us deliver the same to our customers. Most importantly, MIGSOLV’s customer service is exceptional: we’ve been looked after like nothing else we’ve ever experienced!”

MIGSOLV’s Gatehouse data centre is on a nine-acre site in Norwich which is free of terrorism and flood risks. It incorporates a range of rigorous security measures including data hall access by iris recognition, CCTV coverage of every square inch of the site, microwave intruder detection and state-of-the-art fire protection systems. For more, see www.migsolv.com, email enquiries@migsolv.com or call 020 3600 1000.

For more on 52 Degrees, see https://www.52degrees.uk, email info@52degrees.co.uk or call 020 7965 7352.

For more media information & images, contact: Tariq Khwaja from TK Associates on: tariq.khwaja@tk-associates.com 01932 224 212 

Why Naked Element?

Naked Element design and build made to measure software that solves your business problems. We are a one-stop-shop for bespoke workflow solutions, enterprise applications, mobile apps and stunning websites.

We know that no two customers’ requirements are exactly the same. Because of that, we pride ourselves in being expert listeners, not just expert technologists.

People often ask us: “What is it like working with Naked Element?” Our answer is simple: we want to help you achieve your ambitions. We also believe passionately that working with us should be a transparent, jargon-free and enjoyable experience.

That is why you can expect the following from a relationship with Naked Element:

The human face of tech

• Capturing your needs in plain English. We start by running an interactive workshop with you to capture what really matters. We record it in a way that both you and our engineers can understand. We estimate a budget and then we talk to you again to pinpoint your key priorities.
• Working software in under a month. We deliver working software quickly. We work in short iterations, sometimes referred to as ‘sprints’. Iterations usually last two weeks. Even after the first iteration you will see working software. At the end of each subsequent iteration that software has grown to become more and more useful.
• Solving problems, not giving you headaches. Working software at the end of each iteration means that you can start using it to solve your businesses problems early on in the project.
• Talking every step of the way. We demonstrate the software to you at the end of each iteration and help you to decide which features should be developed in the next iteration.
• Train on the job. Because you and your team are involved in testing throughout the process, you learn how to use the software as you go. This means there’s no need for costly training sessions at the end.
• What you actually need, not guesswork. We make sure that both you and Naked Element learn more about what you need as the project progresses. This means at the end of the project you have the software you need, not the software you thought you wanted at the beginning.
• With you for the journey. Unlike traditional software companies, we don’t disappear for six months to build the software only to return with what you asked for initially, but not what you actually need. We’re with you every step of the way to respond to your changing requirements.
• No growing pains. You own the software we develop, which means there are no licensing costs. This can save a small fortune as your business grows and more people start to use the system.
• Pay as you go. Your commitment to us is only to the end of the current iteration as we charge by iteration. There are no black holes, bottomless pits or hidden charges.

We love complexity

• If it’s easy, you don’t need us. Naked Element’s experience and techniques lend themselves well to problems that seem difficult to solve. We’ve provided numerous solutions for customers who told us they had an impossible challenge.
• Unique, because you are. Our solutions are bespoke, not off-the-shelf. Successful businesses stand out because they are different. Our software helps you to be different.
• Swan like on the surface. We enjoy making the complex simple for you and your users. We worry about the difficult stuff behind the scenes so you don’t have to.
• Joined up thinking. We use our experience of integration to get all of your existing systems talking to each other seamlessly.

Quality, security, stability

• Proven in the real world. We apply our 20+ years of robust software development experience to ensure quality which goes beyond the industry standard.
• Safety first. We help you design solutions that protect your business and your customers. If your reputation matters to you, it matters to us.
• Solid as a rock. We’ll give you the advice you need to invest in the right infrastructure. We want to ensure your software runs as fast as you need it to, whenever you need it to.

And if you really want to know how we do it…. we can talk techie to you until the cows come home. We use industry standard techniques such as:

• Automated unit testing
• Continuous integration
• Version control
• Static analysis
• Measuring code test coverage

All to ensure basic code quality.

But if you just prefer talk to us about how we can help you solve your business problems, we’ll happily do that too.

Following the acquisition of Cambridge-based commercial cleaning contractor Atkins Gregory by Monthind Holdings Ltd., the company has unveiled its new website ahead of its 2017 marketing campaign.

Designed by the award-winning sustainable creative agency Zero Above, the new website meets and exceeds its messaging objective of highlighting Atkins Gregory’s professionalism, through its accreditations; team, sector, and service profiles; with informative case studies to introduce the company’s current clients and capabilities. Meeting and exceeding expectations are key contributors to the longevity of Atkins Gregory’s success in the industry and are synchronised with the business ethos of its parent company, Monthind Holdings Ltd.

Tony Felgate, Director at Atkins Gregory says: “Atkins Gregory has built an excellent reputation and a solid business delivering high-quality commercial office and window cleaning services across the region, and we needed a website that provides an opportunity to showcase our news, case studies and staff profiles. The website is designed to evolve alongside the company as we broaden our already diverse client base, and the current content is informative and inspiring. Quality is at the heart of everything we do and we believe the website reflects that.”

For more information about Atkins Gregory and its services visit: www.atkinsgregory.com or call 01223 438118.

The Interreg France (Channel) England programme, based in Norwich, has announced that it will invest 12.5 million euros in three projects that aim to address a range of key challenges faced in both the South of England and the North of France¹. The projects will involve a combined total of 33 partners from both countries.

Following a project selection sub-committee, where representatives from both France and England were present, the Programme announced that it will co-fund the following projects:

ADAPT – The project will tackle mobility problems faced by elderly and disabled people by developing a smart Electronic Powered Wheelchair. The smart wheelchair will include driving assistance technologies such as obstacle avoidance, route selection and autonomous driving. The provision of smart wheelchairs will provide autonomy for users and improve social inclusion. European Region Development Fund budget – 5.9 million euros.CoRoT – The project will develop innovative and affordable robot software and hardware that is focused on the needs and budgets of SMEs. The robotic systems, developed by CoRot, will allow smaller manufacturing businesses to become more flexible and responsive to demand, improving their productivity and competitiveness. European Region Development Fund budget – 2.6 million euros.LABFACT – Led by the University of Southampton, the LABFACT project will unite world-class research centres in the Channel area to support and train SMEs on clean and environmentally friendly ways to manufacture fine chemicals. The project will focus on the emerging technologies of reagentless and flow chemistry which will unlock new, low cost and low waste manufacturing opportunities for SMEs in the chemical industry. European Region Development Fund budget – 4 million euros.

Commenting on the announcement Vince Muspratt from the Programme’s Managing Authority, Norfolk County Council said: “It’s great that we’ve had a further three projects approved and underlines how cross-border co-operation is continuing to find innovative ways to tackle key issues.

“We want to remind potential applicants that the UK government has guaranteed funding for the lifetime of all projects contracted prior to the UK leaving the EU². The France Channel England Programme is still very much open for business and we encourage applicants to continue to apply for funding.”

The Interreg FCE Programme is a European Territorial Cooperation programme that aims to fund high quality cooperation projects in the Channel border region between France and England. It focuses on a range of specific objectives including supporting innovation, improving the attractiveness of the FCE area and developing low carbon technologies. The programme is managed by Managing Authority Norfolk County Council.

Please feel free to contact theFrance (Channel) England team on interregv@nofolk.gov.uk if you would like to enquire about funding opportunities.

1. The projects’ approval is dependent on projects meeting a number of conditions outlined by the Selection Sub-Committee.

Briar Chemicals welcomed Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South, to their manufacturingsite to find out more about how the Company generates substantial added value for the UK and global economy.

Briar Chemicals delivers contract and custom manufacturing solutions to world-leading companies in the crop protection, fine and speciality chemical sectors. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is the UK’s number one manufacturing export earner.

The products made onbehalf of our customers help to protecta wide range of crops, increase farmers’ yields in challenging climates, prevent diseases in cattle and sheep, and are key building blocks in the leather, textile and plastics sectors.

Whilst touring the site, Clive Lewis MP visited one of the production plant control rooms,monitored 24 hours a day by a team of operators.

This year, Briar Chemicals celebrates 60 years’ of production on the site. In 1956 by May and Baker established a new manufacturing plant in Norwich, on the46 hectares (114 acres) site that Briar Chemicals occupies today.

Tim Green, Briar Chemicals site manager, said: “We are delighted to welcome Mr Lewis to our site to show him around the facility. It is important for us, as a established business in the local area, to know that we are receiving support from our local MP. We are proud of our heritage, our staff and the positive work we do in the community.”

Briar Chemicals plays a pivotal role within the community, employing 220 people, supporting local schools with its education programme, sponsoring the local arts and science festivals and offering careers advice to the future generation of scientists.

As Briar Chemicals reached its fourth anniversary of operating as an independent business earlier in the year, it looks to the future. TimGreen added: “We are focused on continued investment in our employees and manufacturing assets to support growth through new business opportunities”.

As we enter the Christmas period, we all know that we will end up eating and drinking more than we should, and we all know that come January, we will have to start thinking about “getting fit”.

Norfolk’s BUILD Charity are this week launching a swimming challenge aimed at people like you, who can manage just a few lengths, or a gentle half mile, or those who are an endurance swimmer looking to push themselves in the new year.

In August last year, Security industry professional John Creek took on the amazing challenge of a double channel swim between England and France and back again. A feat achieved by less than 50 people in history. The beneficiaries of the sponsored challenge were people in Norfolk with disabilities who rely on the social, leisure and learning activity programme provided by Norfolk’s BUILD Charity, to reduce their social isolation and low self-esteem.

John’s swim got off to a good start, after nearly two years of training but fatigue and multiple stings by jellyfish in the English Channel meant that he had to abandon the return journey once he had completed a single crossing in 17 hours and 45 minutes. Indeed, the day after John’s attempt, a swimmer died making a similar bid.

On Saturday 4th February, John will return to the water, but this time the warmer, calmer and jellyfish free waters of the UEA Sportspark in Norwich, to join with those who shared his disappointment at not completing his challenge, as part of a bid by people with disabilities and their supporters to come together with John to complete the missing 21 miles, 32km or 1,280 lengths of the 25m pool.

The BUILD Charity, which in 2017 will be celebrating its 50th anniversary is looking for teams from Norfolk businesses, schools, clubs and organisations to join John and “Team BUILD” by taking responsibility for completing some of those 1,280 lengths of the pool to complete the Double Channel Challenge.

“The Sportspark are delighted to be able to support this fantastic event and help John and BUILD Charity complete such a mammoth sporting challenge by staging the event at the regions premier sporting facility” – Liam Playford, Aquatics Manager

How to get involved

Swimmers will be able to register as individuals or as teams of 4 people and will be allocated one of the 60 single, or multiple “swim-slots” of 30 minutes’ duration between 14.00 and 20.00 on Saturday 4th February 2017.

Each swimmer will make a £5 personal donation to the BUILD Charity as part of their registration process, and will be allocated a paper or web-based sponsorship form to collect support from their friends, colleagues and supporters. In return, each swimmer will get a certificate showing the number of metres they swam as part of the Channel Challenge and the gratification that their efforts will have made a difference to the lives of people with disabilities in Norfolk as all money raised will be used to support social, leisure and learning opportunities.

Corporate, club or organisation teams can compete for a special trophy, being awarded to the tem whose swimmers complete the most lengths, so they can get the year off to a start with real bragging rights.

Initial registration can be done by e mailing volunteer@buildcharity.co.uk to request a registration form, and on receipt of the form and fee, a link to a personalised paper, or web-based site to start fundraising.

For additional information:

James Kearns – The BUILD Charity 01603 618029 volunteer@buildcharity.co.uk

The BUILD Charity www.buildcharity.co.uk

BUILD is a Norfolk based, independent registered charity,providing social, leisure, and learning opportunitiesfor people with disabilities.

TaxAssist Accountants has further increased its nationwide network after it welcomed six new franchisees, including three franchisees taking on resales, on its Autumn initial training course, further consolidating TaxAssist’s position as the UK’s largest network of small business accountants.

The UK network coverage continues to grow apace, with more than 210 franchises operating from over 290 offices. The successful and award-winning franchise, which recently rose to 21st position in AccountancyAge’s Top 50, continues to see double digit growth across the board, and now looks after over 65,000 clients with a combined fee bank of over £41 million.

The TaxAssist business opportunity continues to attract the talents of accountants and senior finance professionals, keen to benefit from the excellent training, support and brand name synonymous with the franchise.

In the case of TaxAssist resales, new joiners benefit from the advantages of a ready-made business with established premises, an income stream and experienced staff.

James Darville, who this year became owner of TaxAssist Accountants in Havant, Hampshire, said: “I made the decision to join TaxAssist within a few hours of attending a discovery day. I was so impressed with what I found out, I couldn’t see how I could pass on the opportunity.

“Franchising seemed like the perfect middle point between employment and running an individual practice. I believe having the backing of a national brand in a large network such as TaxAssist Accountants was the best possible way for me to start my journey as a business owner.”

New franchisee Simon Hunt, who joined on the Autumn course, said: “Having worked for large multi-national companies in senior finance roles for most of my career, I decided the time had come to be my own boss. I love accountancy and finance, as I feel it’s the ‘life blood’ of business. But after three years of contracting, I realised that although it was quite lucrative, I was not building any kind of business asset I could invest in for my family’s future.

“I realised the best way to achieve my ambition was to run my own practice, but without having to set it up from scratch. Having looked at the franchises available, I chose TaxAssist Accountants because of its proven track record. Using TaxAssist’s tried and tested business systems will, in time, allow me to work on building my own business rather than in it.”

New franchisee, Taskir Qureshi, who operates from Willesden, added: “I am an accountant who has worked for various firms over the last 15 years. Until last year, I was happily employed in a reasonably well paid job that I loved and had no intention of leaving, until my brother asked me to accompany him to a discovery day.

“This changed all of my plans and after carrying out due diligence, I was a total convert! During my training I was made to feel like a member of the extended family, with everyone, including the directors, being really approachable and helpful. While I am responsible for my own business, I do feel there is a very strong team behind me.”

Sarah Robertson, Group Operations Director at TaxAssist Accountants, said: “We’ve welcomed 13 great additions to our network in 2016, while interest in investing in either a new franchise area or purchasing a resale remains strong.

“I would urge anyone considering taking control of their career through franchising to come along to one of our regular discovery days in Norwich, which are incredibly informative, friendly and welcoming. We are always open and honest and would love to have the opportunity to share the business model’s potential with you. The small business target market is huge and with our back up and support, we know how successful you could be.”

TaxAssist Accountants is a multi-award-winning accounting franchise with more than 290 shops and offices in the UK, over 20 in Ireland and 6 locations in Australia. Established in 1995, TaxAssist specialises in providing accounting services to small businesses and individuals.

December 2016

A very big thank you to the many businesses that have completed the survey so far. Your feedback is extremely valuable and we look forward to sharing our findings atour March eventand online. For those that haven’t yet been able to participate, we hope that you can find a few minutes of your time to complete this simple survey. The link for the survey is below, will take no longer than 10 minutes to complete and will close on Friday, 16 December 2016.

https://response.questback.com/moorestephensllp/gxn446w5or

Nor(DEV):con keynote speaker, Saturday 25th Feb

The Technologist’s Guide to HitchhikingSeb Rose

Are you assessed according to the professional development plan you submitted at last year’s appraisal? Where will you be in five year’s time? Have you ever been hitchhiking?

While it’s important to acquire relevant knowledge and skills to further your career, it’s also useful to occasionally reflect on the role that serendipity plays in all our lives. I’m not talking about loosely thought out escapist dreams or delegating your career to a higher power. The best professionals and business people are those that are able to take advantage of opportunities when they arise – something that observers often characterise as luck. If it is luck then, to some extent, we make our own luck.

You may be wondering where hitchhiking comes into this. In part, it’s through the long relationship that technologists have had with the work of Douglas Adams and the number 42. Hitchhiking is also a good metaphor for the development of a career in technology, incorporating all the elements of forecasting and preparation, but combining them with massive unpredictability.

I’ll draw on over 30 years of software development (and hitchhiking) to encourage you to both loosen up and apply yourself.

About Seb Consultant, coach, designer, analyst and developer for over 30 years. Seb has been involved in the full development lifecycle with experience that ranges from Architecture to Support, from BASIC to Ruby. Recently he has been helping teams adopt and refine their agile practices, with a particular focus on collaboration and automated testing.

Seb is the lead author of “The Cucumber for Java Book” (Pragmatic Programmers) and a contributing author to “97 Things Every Programmer Should Know” (O’Reilly). He has written for many online journals, including Agile Connection, Simple Talk and the Prose Garden. He has spoken at dozens of UK and international conferences, including Software Architect (London), XP (Vienna & Rome), Agile 2014 (Orlando), Java One (San Francisco), NDC (Oslo), Agile Testing Days (Potsdam) and Eurostar (Maastricht).

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nordevcon-2017-tickets-26029662421