Once upon a time...
Our story begins in Spring of 1993 when Jones GraFiXs was opened and registered with the City of Atlanta. The primary business was Document Refinishing and Form Design. The company became popular as a resource for editing resumes and formatting documents for students at the surrounding area colleges and universities including the Atlanta University Center (AUC), Georgia Institute of Technology, and Emory University. In addition to document work, we would train and assist students with interview etiquette, locating resources on the Internet (before it became known to the masses as the Internet), desktop programs (e.g. MS Word, Word Perfect, Lotus 1-2-3, etc.), and electronic slideshow presentations. A growing desire to utilize our development experience in the corporate sector prompted us to create simple applications early on for internal use, with the hope that later we could possibly position them for distribution. The first application release was our Personal Contacts System (PCS) version 1.0. The application allowed the user to store basic contact information in a simple data planner module, as well as the ability to hold up to ten (10) user defined data items. PCS, developed in PASCAL, could export the data into text files that could be uploaded into Microsoft Works. PCS, along with other computer presentation development, captured the attention of a small credit agency. The agency contracted the company, now known as JGI Systems, to perform business development projects with tasks such as forms design as well as automated internal processing applications. The experience gained from this contract engagement got the ball rolling and JGI Systems was afforded new opportunities that eventually spread to other regions of the country.
The Move
The company moved to Dallas, Texas in Fall of 1995. During this period, our focus shifted to custom system design and networking. We decided to leverage this new market and began learning the nuances of the local and federal government technology procurement process. From 1995 to 1998, we worked in various industries including telecommunications, emergency management, distribution, media, and retail. Countless hours of research and development were spent becoming intimately, and even politically, involved with the various industries upon which work was requested. The staff became diverse and very valuable outside of their application development experience. Each contract presented us with new challenges and new information to examine. The company recognized that the industry was littered with good developers, but not very many students of information technology. In 1998, there was a major organization change. We implemented a mission statement which acknowledged, and qualified, the value of communication and research. Marketing and web design became the new development platform and the Research and Development department became the cornerstone our contract procurements. The future of JGI Systems would mandate that communication and research precede any, and all, other principles.
Party Like its 1999
The year, 1999, was pivotal in the growth of JGI Systems. In May, the years of diligent work and industry research paid off with JGI Systems winning a City of Dallas bid to create a PC-based Electronic Cash Management System to be used at five (5) locations for the city's Planning and Development Department. JGI Systems was now operating as an independent contracting firm. We were the youngest company, and first MWBE, to ever win a bid of that size in Dallas, TX.
In late 1999, JGI Systems received a contract to develop a web-based forms management systems. This was the first Internet development project in our brief history. The staff began research on web technologies, its benefits and disadvantages. Creating dynamic web content was very immature at the time, but competition in the industry was choking its growth. Developers using PERL, ColdFusion, ASP, Tango, PowerBuilder, Java, C++, and others were producing development implementations that appeared to segment the web development industry. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) along with independent developers were pushing to establish standards that would both satisfy industry demands and provide a set of "rules" for development. As these standards matured, so did web development. Most of the limitations of web development that existed during the 'Desktop Development Era' were no more. A web application could now be built to the same specifications as a compiled program.
In late 1999 we recognized that to build high-performance web applications, a maturing web development industry was only half of the story. Data management was the other crucial component. Database management was a loosely defined, and relatively new specialty in Information Technology. Often times developers and system analysts serve the role of database administrator, with poor results. We focused the majority of our resources towards data management development. As data warehouses, data marts, and data analysis matured, so did our web development solutions. The key to world-class web development had to be coupled with high-level data management. Late in the Summer of 2000, JGI Systems dropped its desktop development division to focus on Internet initiatives. Lower deployment, update, and integration costs made the decision a slam dunk. We were now focussed on building web-based applications that rivaled the best desktop applications both in functionality and performance.
"V"is for Vendaetta (pronounced vin-data)
Looking towards the future, JGI Systems announced on December 31, 2000 that it would partner with Chase Design of Houston, TX and the company name would become Vendætta Systems. The question has often been asked whether the name of the company was actually 'Vendetta'? Here's the answer from the original press release in February 2001:
"...during our years of work in the public and private arena, we have often felt the vicious bite of the growing number of independent consultants. Unfortunately, consultants have gained a somewhat unpopular reputation in general industry. We often joke about our company being built on an "anti-consultant" values and we have worked very hard to develop integrity and character within our industry. To answer the question, YES, we do have a vendetta against casual and shoddy application design and business development...and against the lazy consultant. We intend to execute this vendetta by urging quality and maturity from ourselves and our colleagues."
To continue our pattern of growth, Vendætta Systems completed a major strategic alliance with FlatBlue Studios, a marketing and design firm also out of Houston, Texas in summer 2001. After nearly two (2) years in the web-based IT market, we recognized the importance of media and marketing services to any web development effort. Considering the potentially large hurdles to overcome in the industry, it was apparent that in addition to a focus on content management and emerging web development tools, we also needed to focus on the marketing aspect of web development products. FlatBlue Studios provided the tools and marketing experience of a large company with the personal reputation of a proven company held in high regard within our local market. This alliance was an integral piece in developing an organization that would provide the total web-based solution.
Beginning in 2003, we opened our second location in Atlanta, GA; back to where it all began. Atlanta had grown exponentially since 1999 and had become the new hub for international business relations. This strategic move was made to both capitalize on previous procurements as well as provide us with a more global reach across multiple industries. As a result, we transitioned our operations more towards business development. Our experience is significantly more wide spread than information technology and this transition produced more opportunities and leveraged our award winning customer support in way we couldn't have imagined.
Our Vision
Vendætta Systems looks towards the future with anticipation and an open mind. IT is an ever changing industry. For our organization, Research and Development plays the role of speculator, while our development teams serve as the broker. Our quality controls ensure that we develop in a path consistent with established industry standards. Our future is not based on a static concept of what "has", what "was", or even, what "will be", but rather an organic, ever evolving approach to solutions.
Our vision is clear. We will continue to provide web-based alternatives to traditional desktop application design. We will also continue with our pledge to promote the education, standardization, and growth of businesses around the world.
If there are any questions, feel free to contact Customer Care and you will be assigned an IT Professional to consult with you on your IT issues. We look forward to a long, and healthy relationship providing business solutions for your organization.