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Oval Business Solutions

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Oval Business Solutions

Boutique consultancy offering bespoke software development and social collaboration tools

Innovation, Creativity, Expertise, Productivity...

We provide a unique blend of business and technical expertise, consistently delivering high-quality, fit-for-purpose business solutions. We offer our clients a genuine means of increasing effectiveness through improved software, streamlined processes and smarter thinking.

04/06/2026

The £0 line item that is silently draining your bottom line. 📉

Every C-suite executive knows how to spot an over-budget project or an inflated vendor license. But what about the invisible drain?

In many UK businesses, the most expensive technology isn’t the new platform you’re considering...it’s the legacy system you’re currently "making do" with.

When you look at your balance sheet, that 10-year-old software looks remarkably cheap. The hardware is paid off. The license fees are minimal. But according to McKinsey, technical debt now accounts for roughly 40% of IT balance sheets. You aren't saving money; you're simply shifting the cost to your operational efficiency and your risk profile.

The hidden tax of "making do" hits your business in three critical areas:

1️⃣ The Human Toll

Research shows that nearly half of UK workers waste three hours or more every day due to inefficient systems. That’s not just a productivity drain—it’s a morale killer. Your top talent didn’t join your company to fight laggy systems, double-enter data into disconnected spreadsheets, and use clunky manual workarounds just to get through a standard Tuesday. Outdated tech breeds cultural frustration and drives talent out the door.

2️⃣ The Cybersecurity Blindspot

Insecure, unsupported systems are a hacker’s best friend. Over 30% of UK businesses have suffered a cyber breach in the last 12 months, often because old software can no longer support modern security standards or critical patches. When the average cost of a data breach for an outdated system hovers around £3.5M, "making do" stops being an inconvenience and becomes an existential risk.

3️⃣ The Velocity Tax

Every delayed update and fragile integration slows down your time-to-market, keeping your business trapped in a cycle of reactive maintenance rather than proactive innovation.

True digital transformation isn’t about chasing the latest tech fad or buying an overly complex, off-the-shelf software package that forces you to change how you work. It’s about building lean, transparent, and beautifully crafted tools designed around your specific workflows.

Don't postpone action until 2027. Every month you wait is another month of wasted hours, exposed vulnerabilities, and frustrated teams. June is the perfect time to audit your operational workflows before the H2 push.

We can help you to stop patching yesterday's tools and start building a platform that can grow with you.

29/05/2026

AI bites back: The window for patching vulnerabilities is collapsing.

In his latest pragmatic analysis, our Digital Security Officer, David Mulvey, highlights how advanced AI models (such as Anthropic’s Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT-5.5) are fundamentally reshaping the cybersecurity landscape.

The core takeaway is simple: the barrier to exploitation is falling, and the timeline from vulnerability disclosure to active attack is shrinking from months to mere hours.

Here is why technical leaders and executive teams need to take action now:

• Offensive AI is accelerating: Modern frontier models can analyse large codebases, spot insecure patterns, and assist with exploit development in seconds. This changes the economics of cyber attacks entirely.

• Real-world proof: Recent Linux vulnerabilities like ‘CopyFail’ and ‘Dirty Frag’ demonstrated that the critical issue is no longer just the bug itself—it is the speed at which that information can now be weaponised.

• The "Zero-Day Clock" is ticking: Data from ZeroDayClock.com confirms that automated reconnaissance means unpatched systems are being targeted much faster after a public disclosure.

What does this mean for business leaders? Security cannot be treated as a passive compliance exercise or a delayed IT task. In an AI-accelerated environment, slow decision-making and deferred patching create immediate, unnecessary liabilities.

Managing risk today requires faster patching, sharper visibility, and a consistent culture of security awareness.

Head here to read David’s full blog post: https://lnkd.in/eMggFgG3

20/05/2026

One month on from the Oval Business Solutions team (Leah Capaldi-Robertson, Doug Tait, Adam Foster, and David Mulvey) heading to Engage 2026, the energy in the HCL Domino community is still buzzing. The biggest takeaway was absolutely clear:

🔘 The future of AI isn’t just about capability. It’s about control.

A major highlight for the team was watching our own Adam Foster take the stage to present on AI-powered helpdesk solutions powered by Domino IQ. He proved that businesses can deploy practical, high-value AI while maintaining 100% data sovereignty—no external cloud required.

Between sovereign AI shifts and HCL’s new agentic AI platform, 'Leona', Domino is proving that you don’t have to compromise on security to innovate.

Our Digital Security Officer, David Mulvey, has broken down the team's key reflections and the live demos that blew us away in our latest blog.

Read the full insights here: https://www.ovalbusinesssolutions.co.uk/thoughts/engage-2026

14/05/2026

It’s May. The clocks have long since changed, the days are getting longer, and we're officially approaching the halfway mark of 2026.

For many UK business leaders, "New Year strategies" have now met the reality of the Q1 and Q2 market. If you haven't paused to audit your trajectory yet, now's the time. At Oval Business Solutions, we’re seeing a clear divide between companies coasting on 2025's momentum, and those proactively insulating themselves against the specific shifts of this year.

As we look toward the second half of 2026, these are the three critical risks that should be on every boardroom agenda:

1. The "Agentic AI" Data Maturity Gap
In 2026, we’ve moved beyond simple chatbots to Agentic AI—autonomous systems that execute complex workflows.

• The Risk: Many UK SMEs are sitting on "dark data"—unstructured and fragmented information.

• The Reality: AI is only as good as the data it can access. Without a solid foundation, AI tools risk generating "hallucinations" or security leaks.

2. Sophisticated "Identity-First" Cyber Threats
Cybersecurity has moved beyond the firewall. The primary attack surface in 2026 is Identity.

• The Risk: Ever more sophisticated AI-powered targeted phishing (spear phishing) and deepfake technology run the risk of undermining traditional MFA

• The Fact: Recent UK data suggests that identity compromise remains the leading cause of data breaches for SMEs.

• The Oval Advantage: We take this seriously. We are proud to share that Oval Business Solutions has recently been recertified for ISO 27001. This isn't just a badge; it’s our commitment to our clients that our information security management systems meet the highest global standards.

3. The Compliance Ripple Effect (DORA & ESG)
Regulation is no longer just for the "big players."

• The Risk: Even if your business isn't directly governed by the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), your larger clients likely are.

• The Reality: By mid-2026, major corporate customers are demanding real-time evidence of digital resilience from their supply chain. If you can’t prove your security posture (like our ISO 27001 status does), you risk being "de-selected" as a vendor.

We help UK leaders bridge these gaps through secure, bespoke software development and strategic consulting. Get in touch if you'd like to find out more!

07/05/2026

As we head into May, it’s a natural moment for those of us in technology leadership to take a breath and look at how our teams are actually functioning day-to-day.

In our fast-paced world, it’s incredibly easy for "always-on" habits to become the default. We’ve all been there: the endless pings, the back-to-back calendar invites, and that feeling at 5:00 PM that you haven't actually had a moment to think.

The data backs up that "busy" feeling, too. Research from Microsoft’s Work Trend Index shows that employees are interrupted roughly every 2 minutes. It’s no wonder that deep focus and overall wellbeing can start to feel out of reach.

At Oval Business Solutions, we’re big believers that small, intentional shifts are often more powerful than massive overhauls.

Here are a few gentle ways to help your team reclaim their headspace:

• Create "Focus Windows": Encouraging blocks of time where notifications are turned off so deep work can happen.

• Define "Urgent": Setting realistic expectations for response times to lower the pressure of the "instant reply."

• The 25-Minute Rule: Shortening standard meetings to give everyone a few minutes to reset between calls.

• Lead the Way: Simply showing that it’s okay to disconnect sets the most powerful example of all.

We genuinely believe that these aren't just "nice-to-haves"—they are the foundation for better decisions and a team that feels energised rather than drained.

05/05/2026

ENGAGE 2026: AI, Sovereignty, and the Future of Domino

In April, the Oval Business Solutions team attended Engage 2026, a landmark event for the HCL Notes and Domino community. This year made one thing clear: Domino is evolving rapidly, with AI and data sovereignty at its core.

A standout moment was our own Adam Foster presenting on AI-powered helpdesk solutions using Domino IQ.

TURNING AI INTO PRACTICAL OUTCOMES
Adam demonstrated how organisations can enhance support by embedding AI directly into Domino helpdesk applications. Using Domino IQ—HCL’s on-premise AI solution powered by local LLMs—he showed how businesses can:

• Deliver faster, more accurate support responses.
• Reduce resolution times and downtime.
• Maintain full control over sensitive data.

The takeaway was simple: AI can deliver real operational value without relying on external cloud services. It’s a great reflection of the work we’re doing at Oval to apply AI in practical, business-focused ways.

DOMINO'S GENERAL AI DIRECTION

The broader conference message aligned closely with this: a shift toward sovereign AI. Keeping data and intelligence within your own environment is increasingly vital given the legal and geopolitical risks of externally hosted platforms.

Domino IQ enables this adoption with minimal friction. HCL even showcased a new sidebar in the Notes client with full context awareness, providing responses relevant to the specific data within an application.

INTRODUCING LEONA: Agentic AI for Domino
Another major development was Leona, HCL’s new agentic AI platform. Leona allows users to build Domino applications from natural language prompts, working directly with native Designer elements.

Rather than sitting "on top" of Domino, it is deeply integrated. This was proven live when HCL’s Jason Roy Gary created a fully web-enabled dashboard with SMS capabilities from a single prompt. The result? Faster development and drastically reduced complexity.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BUSINESS

Domino is positioning itself as a platform that uniquely combines:

1️⃣ AI capability (Domino IQ)

2️⃣ Automation (Leona)

3️⃣ Data sovereignty

For organisations, this means innovating with AI without compromising security, compliance, or data ownership.

LOOKING AHEAD

Engage 2026 reinforced our confidence in Domino’s trajectory. Seeing Adam present was a proud moment for the team and a perfect example of how we are both contributing to and learning from this community.

The shift is impossible to ignore: AI adoption isn’t just about capability—it’s about control. That is exactly where Domino is focusing its future.

30/04/2026

No signal? No problem. Your web apps shouldn't die in a "dead zone." 📵

Construction doesn’t always happen where the 5G is. Whether it’s deep underground or in a remote rural site, safety checks are non-negotiable—regardless of the internet connection.

We recently developed a Progressive Web Application (PWA) for a major US construction firm to solve this exact problem.

The Challenge:
Supervisors needed to complete a 10-point safety checklist via a web browser, even with zero connectivity.

The Solution:
1. The app loads and runs offline.
2. Data is saved locally on the device.
3. Once back in range, the app automatically syncs with the central server.

Safety shouldn't depend on a signal. At Oval Business Solutions, we build applications that work wherever you do. 🏗️

23/04/2026

Veni, Vidi, Vici – Ghent edition! 🇧🇪⚽

We came, we saw, we... talked a lot about AI!

What an incredible few days for the Oval team at Engage 2026. From the unique atmosphere of the Planet Group Arena to the deep-dive technical sessions, the energy from the HCL community was unmatched.

The highlight for us? Seeing Adam Foster take the stage in Room C. It was officially standing room only! 🎤

Adam’s candid case study on using Domino IQ for real-world user support clearly hit a chord. We are so proud of the team for sharing practical, "no-fluff" insights that people can actually take home and use.

To everyone we shared a coffee (or a Belgian beer) with—thank you for making it such a memorable event!

See you at the next one! 🚀

20/04/2026

Our fresh-faced Oval team is officially on the ground in Belgium, ready and raring to go for Engage 2026! 🚀

There's nothing quite like the energy of the HCL community coming together, and we're looking forward to a fantastic few days of learning, networking, and catching up with familiar faces. If you’re here in Ghent, we’d love to connect:

• Say hi, if you spot Adam Foster, Leah Capaldi-Robertson, David Mulvey or Doug Tait 👋 Better still, grab a coffee with us!

• Plus, catch Adam on stage. He’ll be sharing a candid case study and practical, real-world insights in:
HelpDesk AI - Using Domino IQ into HCL that you won’t want to miss.
🗓️ Tuesday 21st | 14:10-14:55 | Room C

We're super excited to be part of the best Engage yet. See you there!

Address

The Coach House, 16b High Street
Godalming
GU86BQ

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 5:30pm
Thursday	9am - 5:30pm
Friday	9am - 5:30pm

Website

http://www.ovalbusinesssolutions.co.uk/

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