11 September 2012

Edge Testing Solutions, Scotland's fastest growing software testing and risk-management company, accelerates its growth strategy, targeting new markets and creating up to 20 new skilled jobs with today's opening of a new office in Birmingham.

Posting an annual turnover of £1.65m last year, Edge has built a powerful portfolio of blue-chip clients including Heineken, Historic Scotland, Ignis and Baillie Gifford. Launching in September 2007 in a challenging economic climate, founders Susan Chadwick and Brian Ferrie have seen a significant growth in turnover year on year.

"We're delighted to be marking Edge's fifth anniversary by expanding upon our work down south and creating new jobs. Despite the largely tough trading conditions for UK businesses we have delivered solid and sustained growth. It's exciting to be able to extend our geographical reach to England. As always though, we remain fully committed to our client base in Scotland and will continue to expand here, as well as down south." Says Susan Chadwick, co-founder of Edge Testing Solutions.

Edge's rapid expansion has been fuelled by the impact of technological risk and its increasing threat to the digital economy, particularly in the financial services sector. Software 'glitches' hit the headlines every day with technical problems on the Nasdaq stock market marring Facebook's debut as a public company and embarrassment for US-based Knight Capital Group last month resulting in $440 million of capital losses and a devastating plunge in the company's share price.

The increasing frequency of this kind of incident highlights the critical need for robust software testing. Edge Testing ties software testing to business strategy and directly affects the achievement of business objectives. Technology and sector independent the company has a broad client base and is able to target all markets. Again this has meant it has been well placed to ride the difficult economic environment of the last five years.

The Edge Testing business model takes a holistic and business focused approach to testing, supported by an ethos that 'prevention is better than cure' and recognising that cost to fix increases exponentially the later in the project lifecycle that issues are identified. It is these potentially extraordinary levels of cost that Edge Testing addresses - enabling clients to decrease overall project costs and time to market. In essence testing pays for itself.

As two of the UK's leading experts in software testing, the combined reputation of Edge Testing's two co-founders, Susan Chadwick and Brian Ferrie, gives the company a competitive advantage that has allowed the company to flourish during one of the toughest trading environments on record.

13 April 2012

The press release covering the annual results for Edge was featured in The Scotsman. You can read the article here

12 April 2012

Edge Testing Solutions has today announced annual results of £1.65 million, bringing to a close a robust and profitable year which saw revenue increase by 50%. Since its launch in 2007, the award winning software testing company has continued to sustain high levels of growth, increasing turnover year on year, despite the recession.

Edge Testing Solutions is a powerful independent force in software testing, working with some of the UK's leading public and private sector organisations including Heineken, Historic Scotland and Ignis Asset Management.

2011 saw the company extend its client portfolio with six high profile new blue-chip accounts. The company has already made a strong start to 2012 securing further work on the Scottish Government Framework and signalling its intention to expand geographically by winning a significant contract in the south of England in the financial services sector. This year will also see Edge undertaking some research and development into a number of new products and services.

Brian Ferrie, Edge Testing Solutions' co-founder comments: "We are delighted with such a significant increase in revenue. This has allowed us to invest heavily in both infrastructure and our sales procedures, which will help drive the business forward in the coming year."

"We are hugely excited about the next 12 months and already know that we will generate 60% of last year's profit in the first quarter of this year. We are forecasting a turnover of £2.4 million for 2012 and have introduced quarterly targets to maintain this powerful momentum."

Increasingly in the ICT sector there is a move towards agile development, and it is this trend that Edge Testing Solutions aims to leverage. The company is adapting the services it provides in line with this movement, and are already offering training courses in agile testing with further courses to be added later in the year.

Edge Testing Solutions unites software testing and business strategy and directly impacts the achievement of clients' business objectives. Technology and sector independent, the company has a broad client base and is able to target all markets. This has allowed it to prosper despite the tough trading climate.

With an ethos that 'prevention is better than cure', Edge Testing Solutions takes a holistic and business focused approach to testing. When testing is initiated at the start of a project lifecycle it enables companies to increase quality and reduce both overall project costs and time to market by finding defects early.

As two of the UK's leading experts in software testing, it is the combined reputation of co-founders Susan Chadwick and Brian Ferrie that has given Edge Testing Solutions a competitive advantage, and facilitated the company's continued growth and profitability despite the challenging economic conditions.

29 March 2012

Edge Testing Solutions is running its annual HP Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Spring Workshops on 18th and 25th April. The free sessions, held in Glasgow and Edinburgh, will be fully interactive allowing you to ask the experts questions about maximising the potential of the products. The workshops will cover:

- Challenges of Upgrading to ALM 11
- Making the most of Quality Center Reporting
- HP Software-as-a-Service Offerings
- Ask the Experts.

If you have any topics or questions you would like to discuss on the day, please submit these details in advance to contact@edgetesting.co.uk .

Event Details
Glasgow Radisson Blu Hotel Wednesday 18 April 8.30-11.30 am
Edinburgh Apex Hotel Wednesday 25 April 8.30-11.30 am

Registration, breakfast rolls, tea and coffee will be served from 8.30-8.45 am.

To book a free place please email contact@edgetesting.co.uk.

08 February 2012

Please read our Testing Services Director and Consultant, Nadia McKay's, top ten tops for test managers published in the February edition of TEST magazine.

24 November 2011

Susan Chadwick, co-founder of Edge Testing Solutions, has recently had an article published in the leading European software testing magazine TEST. The article entitled 'Construction or Demolition' argues that a collective focus is essential to the success of any software project. You can read the full article in the online digital issue on pages 26 and 27.

29 August 2011

Featured in the weekly SME Focus in The Herald. You can view the article here...

10 June 2011

Edinburgh: 30 June 2011, 8.00 - 10.30 am
Apex Waterloo Hotel, 27 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3BH
Glasgow: 6 July 2011, 8.00 - 10.30 am
Radisson Hotel, 301 Argyle Street, Glasgow G2 8DL

Following the HP Software Applications Road Show earlier this year, Edge Testing is running a free 'nuts and bolts' workshop looking at the practical implementation of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) 11.0 as well as Quality Center 11.0.

By running interactive demos of the new HP features, Edge will show delegates how to apply and leverage the innovations in each of these products to save time, create knowledge, drive collaboration and deliver better business results.

Edge Testing is Scotland's fastest growing independent software testing company and Edge Training enables delegates to build and develop their testing capability and skills through practical training, mentoring and re-skilling.

Established by two of the UK's leading experts in software testing, Brian Ferrie and Susan Chadwick, Edge Testing has quickly secured a powerful reputation within the industry, working with high profile clients including Heineken, Historic Scotland and Ignis Asset Management.

Brian Ferrie, Edge Testing's co-Founder explains: "This will not be theory on a slide but a hands-on session looking at the new HP features and how they can be applied in a real world scenario."

Edge Testing is an HP Software Silver Business Partner and helps companies across Scotland maximise their return on investment in the implementation of HP's quality management products. They also offer customised training and mentoring and support throughout installation and configuration to help HP users maximise return on investment.

To book a free place email contact@edgetesting.co.uk or register at Eventbrite for Edinburgh or Glasgow.

15 April 2011

Gary Gilmour, a principal consultant at Edge, has recently had an article published in the leading European software testing magazine TEST. The article entitled 'In Defense of Regression Testing?' argues for the benefits to be achieved from an effective, well implemented and actively managed regression testing approach. You can read the full article in the online digital issue here.

25 February 2011

The first half training dates for 2011 public courses are issued, covering practical, real world training from Requirements through Strategy, Techniques and Approaches, including Agile, to Performance Testing and Automation. Click here for more details and to see the full schedule.

15 February 2011

Our annual results featured in The Scotsman on Monday 14th February. You can view the article here http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/business/Contract-wins-help-software-firm.6717491.jp

25 January 2011

The dates for our popular testing breakfast forum for quarter one are 16th February for Edinburgh and 23rd February for Glasgow. Testing practitioners discuss their challenges and provide advice based on their own experience - lively discussion and no presentations. Contact us now for more details or to confirm a place.

14 November 2010

Edge Testing Solutions ("Edge") has successfully become a supplier on the Scottish Government's multi-supplier framework for the provision of Applications and Web Development and Associated Services. The three year framework covers seven lots and Edge features under Lot 5 - Testing.
Brian Ferrie, co-founder and Director of Edge, commented "This award demonstrates that Edge continues to go from strength to strength as we enter our fourth year of trading. Edge has demonstrated that its skills and innovation in software testing will support the needs of public sector organisations in Scotland. It is also an endorsement of the underlying capability of the business after a demanding and stringent procurement process"

11 November 2010

Susan Chadwick, co-founder and director at Edge, has recently had an article published in the leading European software testing magazine TEST. The article entitled 'Is the testing world still flat?' argues for the need to align testing with business objectives, ensuring that companies are not just testing for the sake of it. You can take a look at the article in the online digital issue here.

29 July 2010

Announcing half yearly results in excess of £500K, Edge Testing is forecasting an annual turnover of £1.2m in year three. Since its launch at the end of 2007 the award winning IT company had already achieved a strong revenue growth rate from £170K in year one to £500K in year two.

Edge Testing is a powerful independent force in software testing, working with some of the UK's leading public and private sector organisations including Heineken, Historic Scotland and Ignis Asset Management.

This month sees the company open its new headquarters in Maxim Business Park to accommodate its growing workforce, now standing at 12. Maxim is a £330 million development, the UK's largest speculative build, aiming to attract 8000 jobs to North Lanarkshire.

The company has also completed a full rebranding exercise, part of which includes the re-launch of its website which can be seen at www.edgetesting.co.uk.

Earlier this year, Edge Testing won Best New Business in the Lanarkshire Business Awards 2010. This award is for businesses less than three years old that demonstrate a high degree of entrepreneurship and vision for the future, with the potential for further growth in turnover, profits and employment levels.

Founders, Susan Chadwick and Brian Ferrie, are respected as two of the UK's leading experts in software testing. It is their strong personal reputations in the industry that gives Edge Testing a competitive advantage and has allowed the company to buck the trend of recession, having launched just months before the collapse of world markets in 2008.

Susan Chadwick, Edge Testing's co-founder comments: "We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved in three short years and it is thanks to the whole Edge team and our focus on service excellence, thought leadership and our unique solutions that has helped us, not only to weather a stormy market but to prosper. We are very excited about the future and what we can achieve for software testing as an industry and the IT sector as a whole in Scotland."

Edge Testing ties software testing to business strategy and directly affects the achievement of business objectives. Technology and sector independent the company has a broad client base and is able to target all markets. Again this has meant it has been well placed to ride the difficult economic environment of its early years.

The Edge Testing business model takes a holistic and business focused approach to testing, supported by an ethos that 'prevention is better than cure' and recognising that cost to fix increases exponentially the later in the project lifecycle that issues are identified. It is these potentially extraordinary levels of cost that Edge Testing addresses - enabling clients to decrease overall project costs and time to market. In essence testing pays for itself.

Software testing is still a maturing industry and Chadwick and Ferrie have led a movement to establish a community of software testing professionals that can share best practice and help shape the growth of the profession.

29 July 2010

Following our recent announcements on office move and half-year results you may have noticed us in the press.

On Wed 7th July we were in the City Briefing on the back page of The Herald.

We also featured in Business7 with a link to the article here

25 June 2010

We have recently moved office to support our continuing growth. Our new headquarters is in Maxim Business Park, Eurocentral.

At the same time we have just launched our new website to coincide with our re-branding exercise. We would welcome your comments and feedback as well as suggestions for what else you may wish to see on the website. Send details to contact@edgetesting.co.uk.

02 March 2010

Edge Testing Solutions are celebrating winning Best New Business in the Lanarkshire Business Excellence Awards 2010.

The award was announced at the annual awards dinner held on Friday 26th February and attended by 350 business finalists and sponsors. Brian Ferrie and Susan Chadwick, the co-founders of Edge, were delighted to accept the award.

The award was for businesses less than three years old that demonstrate a high degree of entrepreneurship and vision for the future, with the potential for further growth in turnover, profits and employment levels.

Edge Testing Solutions sees this award as recognition of the contribution of the entire Edge team and a focus on service excellence, thought leadership and delivering unique solutions which enable our clients to meet and exceed their business objectives.

The main sponsors were Amey and the new business award was sponsored by Lanarkshire Enterprise Services.

20 October 2009

Does your testing process have to rely on stand alone documents, a collection of disparate systems and non-standardised practices? This approach increases the risk of cost effective application deployment due to missing information or coverage, inneffective communication and lack of consistency and repeatable processes. HP Application Quality Management supports your entire testing methodology, saving you time, decreasing costs and mitigating risk.

HP Quality Center is the industry leading software for requirements and test management and the latest version has enhanced that position. HP Quality Center helps your developers, QA teams and security professionals coordinate and consolidate functional, performance and security testing. It provides visibility of the process from end-to-end to optimise our quality assurance.

Edge Testing Solutions invites you to attend a breakfast seminar on 4th November in the Apex Hotel, Waterloo Place, Edinburgh (2 mins walk from Waverley station) where you will be able to see a demonstration of the product, new features and template accelerators. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss your requirements with the experts and other users.

Whether you are an existing user who wants to understand what the latest version provides or may be considering investing in the tools this event is a must. Call Edge Testing Solutions today on 01236 702088 or email contact@edgetesting.co.uk to book your place or find out more.

01 July 2009

Susan Chadwick, co-founder and director of Edge Testing Solutions, has been appointed to the board of ScotlandIS. The trade body for the ICT industry in Scotland recently approved the new board of directors to include representation from a more diverse range of companies and organisations.

Susan commented "It is an honour to be asked to join the board of ScotlandIS and I look forward to contributing to the vision of raising the profile of the industry and raising an awareness of issues on behalf of member organisations".

A link to the news story can be viewed here...

23 March 2009

The practical training courses offered by Edge have a 'real world' and practical focus providing attendees with the 'how' rather than just the 'what' that is offered by most testing training courses. Our public courses are delivered at our training facilities in Coatbridge, near Glasgow or in Edinburgh city centre. We can also deliver closed courses at your offices.

Our current suite of practical training courses offered includes:
- An Introduction to Testing (2 days)
- An Introduction to User Acceptance (1 day)
- The Top 5 Test Design Techniques (2 days)
- Better Requirements, Better Outcomes (1 day)
- Testing in an Agile Environment (2 days)
- A Practical Risk-based Approach to Software Testing (1 day)
- Exploratory Testing in the Real World (1 day)
- Becoming an Effective Test Manager (3 days)
- Test Process Improvement & Metrics for Business Benefit (1 day)

Our courses are priced at £225 (ex VAT) per course day per delegate. This includes all materials, lunch and refreshments.

To register your interest for our Q2 and Q3 courses or for more information please email contact@edgetesting.co.uk or call us on 01236 702088.

20 October 2008

We are hosting a public training event aimed at improving requirements gathering and management.

Purpose

Prevention is better than cure. Minimising the cost to fix defects and hence influencing the overall cost of delivery is best achieved by finding potential problems as early as possible in the project cycle. Static testing techniques can dramatically reduce the overall cost to a project, with this course focusing on the key area of Requirements.

Requirements Testing, a simple yet effective technique, can realise savings of up to 30% in rework. This workshop highlights the key components of the techniques and considerations on how to effectively align the implementation of these with the way in which requirements are established and maintained throughout the project lifecycle, providing full traceability.

Cost:
£195, ex VAT, per delegate. Includes materials, lunch and refreshments.

Location:
Held at our Coatbridge offices (with free parking or 5 minutes walk from the train station).

Date:
Wednesday 12th November 2008.

To request a booking form or for more information please email contact@edgetesting.co.uk or call us on 01236 702088.

13 June 2008

Edge Testing Solutions is delighted to announce it has joined the HP Software Business Partner Programme. As an HP Silver Partner, Edge Testing Solutions are able to act as a reseller of HP Software as well as delivering its innovative solutions to complement the technology.

Focusing on the applications formerly belonging to the Mercury suite, the primary areas of expertise lie within the Quality Assurance and Performance Validation solutions of HP BTO Software. In essence, this ensures that Edge Testing Solutions are perfectly placed to provide solutions through Edge Practice in tools such as TestDirector for Quality Center, QuickTest Professional ("QTP"), WinRunner and LoadRunner.

Brian Ferrie, co-founder and director of Edge Testing Solutions comments "We are delighted to join the HP Partner Programme. Partnering with the industry leading testing tools vendor provides our clients with a fantastic opportunity to realise benefits from effective and efficient testing through our testing solutions which can now be underpinned by world-class technology".

Further information on our solutions related to HP Software can be found by following this link Edge Practice - Tools or by contacting us via contact@edgetesting.co.uk.

03 June 2008

Edge Testing Solutions have been announced as a regional finalist for the HSBC Start-Up Stars awards. Start-Up Stars is Britain's premier awards for new businesses, with a top prize of £50,000. Now in its eighth year, Start-Up Stars is supported by HSBC, Sky News, the Daily Express and Google.

Commenting on the achievement, Susan Chadwick, co-founder and director of Edge Testing Solutions said "We are proud to be selected as a regional finalist for Scotland. This award recognises new businesses with inspirational ideas and creativity in their industry and provides us with confidence in our business model and market proposition".

Susan is pictured receiving the award from David Laing, Senior Regional Commercial Manager for Scotland HSBC Bank.

Further information can be found at www.startupstars.hsbc.co.uk