Blog, projects, news and events

Agile working is ideal for teams working remotely. Although we’ve used Agile for several years, there’s always room for improvement. Flexibility is part of this approach. Each client has their preferences, and so we refine our working methods to suit each customer. Fortunately, this type of refinement is more or less built-in to Agile: The Sprint Retrospective…

Agile development is part of our culture. During two recent Sprints, BSL delivered new versions of NBD’s Literom and Uittrekselbank online web services. LiteRom contains thousands of book reviews, as well as many articles about authors. Uittrekselbank subscribers can access thousands of extracts about books, as well as detailed author profiles. Find out more in our blog…

We’re working from home as much as possible due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We’re doing all we can to keep Business as Usual. Technical innovation is part of our DNA, and so we’re perhaps finding this easier than others. Nevertheless, we are having to change the way we work in response to these challenges. Our blog tells you about some of the steps we are taking.

BSL has always looked for designer and developer candidates who have their own stories to tell. Rounded individuals who offer more than just IT skills. Our work frequently begins with understanding the work carried out by our clients. So we supply inventive teams that deliver usable, productive solutions – not just code. Offering designers and developers with wide interests outside of IT.

2019 is a year where our long-term relationships with clients have kept us extremely busy. BSL provides highly skilled teams that complement our clients’ needs. As a result, we respond quickly to new demands. Designing, developing and delivering unique applications. This year we’ve worked on many new developments for existing clients.

Before Marc Stoffels made the move into IT, he was an actor. One of the theatre companies where he played, Het Houten Huis was recently invited to bring their performance to Moscow. A trip to Moscow is an experience in itself, and BSL didn’t want to deprive him of the opportunity. But with one condition – we asked him to write a blog about his trip!

Many websites ask visitors to share their contact details. And for many years the best anyone could come up with is a contact form. There are ways to make such forms more inviting, but a contact form shares many characteristics with a nightclub bouncer – it keeps people out. So we’ve started using Conversational Design UI’s. A technique that puts website visitors at their ease…

At the Bright Side of Life it’s in our blood to help clients to think about their needs, and to work with them to define the features needed in a first release. Going for an all singing and dancing first release is rarely the right approach. Focus on what you need – an MVP demonstrating great value to your users. It will save you money, gain insights into your users’ needs, and help to create a better product.

Our summer event this year was an opportunity for Martyn (Director, BSL) to finally experience a little Dutch culture. He’s not yet ready for the full Marco Borsato/Andre Hazes experience. So on June 6, we tore ourselves away from our work, and stood in the sunshine outside the office, waiting for a coach. A coach that was going to take us all to Katwijk, and the Soldier of Orange!

Recruiting talent for IT service providers is not easy. Good developers and designers are scarce. BSL uses our own website and several social platforms to find new talent. But when you’re a multinational, looking to recruit talent across Europe, you need to “Think Different”. And that’s just what the Keylane Careers team has been doing.