We thought it might be interesting to step back 15 years and take a quick look at the newsletter from January 2007. Most of the content is familiar, with the same design and purpose, and of course the much anticipated New Year Tips.
At the time of the newsletter the FTSE 100 Index stood at 6220, but the FTSE techMARK 100 Index at just 1512, so the latter has come a long way since, even if the former has struggled.
There are some familiar names in the newsletter, like BATM Advanced Communications, Amino Technologies, Idox, Parity, MTI Wireless Edge, and Proactis, which became a new buy as we selected it as one of the tips for 2007.
So many of the company names in the issue have disappeared though, whether through takeover, reorganisation, or administration. This is one of the truly striking features about looking back, just how alien the landscape seems. Back then, we reported on Torex Retail, which would be subject to fraudulent accounting that sent the company into administration; Portrait Software, which was taken over by Pitney Bowes in 2010; CybIT Holdings, also taken over in 2010; Chelford Group, bought in 2008; Belgravium Technologies, which fought off a preliminary bid approach from Trakm8 in 2014 and became Touchstar; Patsystems, taken over in 2012; Maxima, taken over by Redstone in 2012; Quadnetics Group, which became Synectics; and the list goes on.
This perhaps serves as a useful reminder of just how dynamic the UK technology sector is, and how rapidly it changes as technologies and companies evolve. Whilst many things will continue to change quickly, the pace of change probably won't.