About

Who we are

At ZJS Technology, us and we are me.

My name is Rich Stern. I am the founder and President of ZJS Technology. I am also the guy who takes out the trash, opens the mail, does the bookkeeping, among other duties that go along with running a small business. While I do enjoy occasional big company projects, most of my clients are small businesses. My own day-to-day experiences make it easy for me to identify with the unique realities faced by small business owners and managers.

Background and skills

In the world of information technology, I am a generalist. I have worked as a systems analyst for a Fortune 500 company, a software developer for various business applications, a software development manager, a technology executive at a small company, and as an information technology consultant to companies both large and small. My best skills are creating software applications that emphasize ease-of-use along with integration of database functionality. I also specialize in relating to my clients on a business level. I don’t like it when techies make things more complicated than needed.

What you can expect as a client

As a prospective client, you may be wondering what the ups and downs of using me for web site hosting, development, consulting, etc., would be.

What you don’t get: High powered salespeople in suits. Lunch at the Ritz. An 800 number to a twenty-four hour call center in a foreign country. Glossy marketing materials. Big invoices.

What you do get: An easy to talk to, experienced business and technology professional, with an interest in what you need. Modest prices. An honest appraisal of whether or not ZJS Technology is right for your project. If I don’t have the expertise or resources you need, I’ll tell you.

Technology, equipment and facilities

Ready for some alphabet soup? I use both Linux and Windows as hosting platforms, with PHP, MySQL, Javascript, jQuery, .NET, MS SQL Server, XML, and a variety of other technologies. Custom WordPress sites are where most of my development efforts are directed these days.  I do a lot of e-commerce implementations using Woocommerce, but I try not to get caught up in “ABC 4.1 is better than XYZ 9.2” thinking. My allegiance is to customers. I’ll use what makes sense for your project based on your requirements and my skills.

For web and application hosting, I maintain high quality server hardware in professionally run data centers around the United States. These are large, secure, state-of-the-art facilities with redundant Internet connections and their own power generation systems. I also maintain testing and backup repository servers in my home office, as well as fire and theft resistant secure storage for backup records.

Other facts about ZJS Technology

Headquarters for ZJS Technology is the basement of my home in Hartwell, Georgia. Many of my clients are local to the Atlanta area, but I do also work on long-distance web development projects.

I am often asked what “ZJS” stands for. The company was founded in 1997, shortly after the birth of my son, Zachary. ZJS are his initials. If he ever decides to take over the company, the name is already in place. One less thing.

Please use my Contact page if you need to get in touch with me for further discussion about your project.