From diskettes to cloud computing

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.

The late 1970s

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.

The mini-computer

"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."

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.

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

For example, utilizing innovation 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.

The computer business

Since Zeigler has been in the computer business, out and away 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.

The key to our success

"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.

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

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