Welcome to the SDS annual roundup of achievements throughout 2024! This year has been a landmark year for SDS, filled with innovation, growth, and meaningful impact. From groundbreaking projects to strategic partnerships, this year has truly been one for the books!
This year marked the 30th anniversary of SDS. Yes, you read that right, we have been providing tools and services to the housing sector for 30 years now. A lot happened through all these years, but if we would need to mention just one today, it would be the business transformation SDS has undergone since its acquisition by Valsoft in May 2023.
In this blog post, we’ll take you on a journey through our 2024 highlights. Whether you’re here to celebrate with us, or gain insights into our journey, you’re in for an inspiring read. Let’s dive in!
Q1 Highlights
All SDS Training Became CPD Accredited
We kicked off the year with another significant milestone: all SDS training programs achieved CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accreditation. CPD accreditation means that the training the customer receives meets high standards, ensuring they gain relevant and valuable knowledge or skills.
Through these milestones, the consultancy & training department not only reinforced its commitment to excellence but also set the stage for an even brighter future.
Sequel
We revamped the SDS calculation server in January to boost calculation efficiency and accuracy.
Q2 Highlights
Landval Cloud
We launched our new Landval Cloud product in June 2024. Landval Cloud is SDS’s first cloud-based SaaS product. Designed to streamline land valuation for private developers and housing associations. It is an innovative cloud-based solution designed to revolutionise land valuation and management.
First Landval Cloud Implementation
The official launch of Landval Cloud came with an early success of it. This product has already made noise in the market, with RPs and Private Developers leading the way in adoption.
The dual appeal of Landval Cloud across public and private sectors showcases its versatility and innovative edge. By addressing the specific challenges faced by each audience, we’ve positioned this product as a game-changer in the housing and property ecosystem.
ProVal
In April, a new version of ProVal was released enhancing cashflow visibility with four new rows, we added a new Financial Forensics section, and improvements were made to appraisals and consolidations.
User Group Meetings
Our User Group Meetings brought clients and colleagues together, fostering dialogue and mutual learning. These sessions served as platforms for sharing best practices, gathering feedback, and strengthening relationships, all while showcasing the value SDS continues to bring to its community.
Q3 Highlights
Sequel
During Autumn, we released a new version that improved the performance of the appraisal import and Outtrun features, along with other bug fixes.
ProVal
Throughout summer and autumn, we released several new versions of ProVal that addressed issues relating to the Sensitivity Function, along with continued improvements to accuracy of the single Cashflow Model.
Tippy’s Retirement
2024 also marked a bittersweet moment for our team with the retirement of Tippy, a beloved figure within the company. Tippy’s dedication, expertise, and warmth left an indelible mark on SDS, and her legacy will continue to inspire us. We wish her all the best in this new chapter of life and are profoundly grateful for her contributions.
Q4 Highlights
Proval and Sequel
Our focus for ProVal and Sequel this year has been to improve stability, reliability and performance via regular maintenance updates throughout the year. So, in this last quarter we updated both programs to .NET v4.8 for improved stability and performance.
Landval Cloud
A new version of Landval Cloud was released in October 2024, including:
- Ability to add multiple organisations
- New Global Admin role that can access and control info across all organisations
- New and improved dashboard reports
The Year in Review
New Customers
One of our standout achievements of 2024 was welcoming 10 new customers, representing a diverse mix of housing associations, local authorities, and private developers. This accomplishment not only expands our footprint but also reaffirms SDS’s position as a trusted and versatile partner for organisations of all types across the housing sector.
New Product Owner
We appointed a Product Owner during the second half of the year, who has been focused on developing the roadmap for 2025. Aligned with this, our focus for this year has been to engage with our customers more frequently and listen to their feedback to help shape the future direction of our products. We will continue in this vein throughout 2025, so you can expect to hear from us on the progress we are making in delivering the roadmap.
AWS Managed Services retaining the Top Spot
Our AWS Managed Service continues to being at the top of our offerings. This year, we hit a major milestone: 60 managed services customers in approximately 18 months!
Cloud technology remains at the heart of business transformation, and our AWS Managed Services have become the go-to choice for those organisations seeking to leverage the power of the cloud without the complexity of having to manage it by themselves.
Hitting the 60-customers mark is not just a testament to the demand for AWS solutions but also a reflection of our team’s commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. We’re already excited to see where 2025 will take us as we continue to build on this success.
The Professional Services team have been hard at work managing, improving and implementing AWS solutions for our clients. A lot of work goes into onboarding customers and ensuring the partners we use are the best in the market and have the most suitable solutions.
Individual Training Participation Surges
2024 has been a good year for the Professional Services department at SDS, marked by key accomplishments that strengthened our position as a leader in professional development and industry engagement.
This year saw over 300 individual clients benefit from our training programs, reflecting the growing demand for high-quality, industry-relevant education. This milestone underscores our commitment to empowering professionals with the tools and knowledge they need to excel.
Housing Innovations Awards Nomination
This year has also been one of recognition and achievement. We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve been shortlisted for the Housing Innovation Awards in two categories:
- Most Innovative Supplier
- Most Innovative New Product for Landval Cloud
Being recognised among the industry’s best reflects the dedication, hard work and creativity of our team. We’re excited to continue innovating in 2025 and beyond!
Event Presence in 2025
We are also delighted to share that we will be attending two key events in 2025:
These gatherings are incredible opportunities to connect, share insights, and showcase our innovative solutions for the housing sector.
If you’re planning to attend, we’d love to meet you! Stay tuned for more updates as we prepare to bring our latest advancements and expertise to these events.
Closing Thoughts
As we prepare to wrap up the year, it’s clear that 2024 has been a defining chapter in the SDS story. From innovative product launches to heartfelt moments, this year has been one of growth, collaboration, and achievement. This year, we focused on re-establishing connections with our customers, demonstrating our commitment to transparency and inclusiveness by actively involving them in our product improvement processes.
As we look ahead to 2025, we remain dedicated to deepening these relationships and further strengthening our principles of openness and collaboration.Looking ahead to 2025, we are inspired to build on this year’s success. With exciting opportunities on the horizon and a team dedicated to pushing boundaries, the future is bright for SDS. To our customers, partners, and colleagues – Thank you for being an integral part of this journey. Your trust, feedback, and collaboration continue to shape who we are and what we achieve together.
From all of us at SDS, thank you for making 2024 a successful year. We can’t wait to see what 2025 will bring!
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