From diskettes to cloud computing, software company has seen it all

When Savannah native Andrew Zeigler started his computer software business in 1977, a single-user business computer was about the size of a desk. It cost anywhere from $18,000 to $30,000 and featured 8-inch diskettes that could hold a whopping 2.2 megabytes of memory.

"That was a really big deal back then," Zeigler said. "Today, of course, you can put more than a thousand times that memory on a tiny thumb drive that fits in your pocket."

In the late 1970s, with the introduction of Tandy Corp.'s TRS-80 Model 1 microcomputer and the Apple II, the concept of personal computers was about to explode.

Indeed, few industries have evolved as radically in the last 30 years as the computer business, and Zeigler credits much of his company's success to an ability to stay on the cutting edge of that growth.

A graduate of Armstrong Atlantic State University, Zeigler started his career writing software programs for IBM.

"When IBM first introduced the mini-computer, it was so far ahead of its time that there was very little software for it," he said. "The people at IBM were more sales oriented than software oriented, so when they sold a computer to a business in the area, I was contracted to help develop the software that particular company needed."

Breaking new ground

Zeigler said he would study a company's ledger cards and processes and write a computer application program that would work for them. As more small and medium-size businesses began to use computers, he realized the need for customized software programs was growing, too.

In 1977, he formed his own company, one that has grown to 15 full-time employees and a customer base of more than 200 clients within a 100-mile radius.

Early on, the young company worked with businesses to help them computerize such essential tasks as billing and inventory tracking.

"The first software I wrote was a billing program for Scott Concrete Pipe here," Zeigler said.

Putting everything on the computer was also a quick way to find irregularities, something the company owners appreciated, he said.

"For example, we had been contracted to bring a small rural newspaper on line. Everything was going smoothly, except that the woman who handled the delivery boys simply refused to cooperate," he said. "We worked around her as long as we could, but she kept resisting.

"Later we found that she had been pocketing a portion of the money the delivery boys turned in every month."

Solving problems

Today, the programs ABS writes are as complex and ever-changing as the businesses they represent.

For example, utilizing technology from Psion Teklogix - a global provider of mobile computing, bar coding and wireless data collection - ABS wrote a software program that scans bar codes on autos coming off ships at Georgia Ports' Brunswick auto terminal.

"This job, which can be done with one person using a hand-held scanner, puts critical information at the fingertips of our client, International Auto Processing, which can then transmit that information to both the manufacturer and dealers," he said.

"This has helped prevent paperwork backups and replaced three teams of three people each with one person," he said.

The computerized scanner has applications closer to home, as well.

Bobby Awtrey of Dixie Plywood said his company had been trying for years to justify the cost of a barcode and scanning system to replace labor-intensive quarterly inventories.

"The Psion Teklogix hand-held scanners, combined with the expertise of the programming group at ABS, allowed us to achieve this goal and do it cost effectively," he said.

Game changer

Since Zeigler has been in the computer business, by far the biggest game changer has been the advent of Microsoft, he said.

Today, Advanced Business Software is a Microsoft Gold Partner for data management and business solutions, and most of its staff members hold multiple Microsoft certifications.

"I've always believed education is the key to our success," Zeigler said. "It's critical that we are on top of everything that's happening in this business that's constantly changing.

And, in the computer software business, change can come at warp speed.

"Just look at the hand-held or dash-mounted Global Positioning Systems that were so hot as Christmas gifts just two years ago," said Adger Ross, who's been with ABS for nearly six years.

"Now, smart phones can do the same thing, so why buy a separate GPS?"

So, what's the next big thing in computer software?

Zeigler, Ross and business operations manager Claire Howell answered without hesitation and in unison.

"Cloud computing."

In its simplest form, cloud computing involves services and applications that are hosted on and accessed through the Internet.

"Basically, it's your software online instead of on your server - all you have to do is log onto it," Ross said. "With features like automatic disaster recovery, the cloud will take a lot of the need for IT services out of the equation."

ABS is already working with Microsoft and a company called Acumatica to provide software specifically created for cloud computing.

Cloud computing will be a good thing for ABS, Ross said.

"Especially in the realm of problem solving, we've been operating as if we were 'in the cloud' for the past 15 years.

By Mary Carr Mayle
http://savannahnow.com/exchange/2011-01-01/diskettes-cloud-computing-sof...