by Sali Earls
Located in Cardiff Bay, VSI-thinking have expertise in web application development and web site design solutions to clients nationwide. The company has a blue chip client base which includes companies as diverse as Thomas Cook, AVIS, Neilson, Appeals Service Judicary and SPC International.
Sali Earls found out more about VSI-thinking.
What's the history of your
company?
VSI-thinking was established in 1996 by Mark Thomas, one of the seven people to start Global Internet. Global Internet was one of the original big 5 ISPs in the UK and went on to buy and become
Pipex. Mark was the Western Mail runner-up young businessman of the year in 2002. VSI-thinking was short listed as one of the top 12 most innovative technology companies in Wales as part of the
WDA Technium Challenge.
VSI-thinking works with many blue chip clients including Sports Council of Wales and the Work and Pensions Department of the UK Government. Locally we work with Shop Rugby, Sinclair Garages, Chevrolet Wales and the University of Wales.
What unique products/services does your company
provide?
VSI-thinking provides a complete web site development solution, VSI-thinking web components are modular so extra functionality can be added at any point. Pre-written modules of functionality are
available 'off the shelf' and can be implemented very quickly and cost effectively.
VSI-thinking have extensive experience in the development of bespoke solutions to fit business processes, a recent solution for Thomas Cook saved them over £1million in operational costs last year.
Our products are developed in .net 2.0 and Microsoft SQL Server. All projects are delivered to W3C standards and are DDA compliant, with particular attention paid to search engine optimisation.
Being based in Wales we have implemented multi-lingual sites, not just in Welsh but in Spanish, French and even Mandarin!
What's been the key to your success?
Always meeting and in most cases exceeding client expectations, which has led to a lot of business through referrals. A referral from a satisfied customer is worth a thousand adverts and the large majority
of our business comes this way.
We require no sales staff and undertake little marketing, which ensures VSI-thinking can maintain a low cost service for customers.
What one piece of outside technology has benefited your
company most?
Whilst all development is now undertaken in .net 2.0, standard ASP originally allowed us to create a wide and varied product base which our customers could understand.
Before the introduction of ASP the integration of databases was somewhat of a black art and it was very difficult to create a robust application. ASP opened up the browser as a delivery mechanism for software applications, allowing thin client applications to start to erode the grip of thick clients.
What one piece of advice would you give to start-up companies in your field?
Formalise your development processes as early as possible. Being thorough during the requirements capture and test cycles, is time well spent, it ensures delivery of robust software that meets your
clients needs.
If the software does what it is supposed to and is stable, then that will hopefully lead to a satisfied customer - and more chance of referrals.
Where do you see your company going in the future?
We are looking to expand our business and we have our sights set on establishing ourselves as one of the UK's premier web development companies.
Cardiff and in particular Cardiff Bay, has a lot of innovative technology companies and with the reduced costs when compared to London our services provide very good value for money.
It's a Welsh revolution!
Find out more about VSI-thinking at www.vsi-thinking.com.
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