Archive for the ‘JB Systems – About Us…And You’ Category

Our Commitment to Downtown Eau Claire

Monday, March 19th, 2012

As many of you know, JB Systems has always been a big proponent of the downtown area in Eau Claire. From 2005-2011 we were quietly tucked away in a second floor office off of E. Grand Ave., overlooking the beautiful Chippewa River. Now, in our new Barstow St. location, we are committed to staying here to grow our web development and design business. We’re very excited to watch this area flourish.

Recently, our very own founder and President, Jerry Bauer, took JB Systems’ commitment to downtown to the next level by accepting a position on the Downtown Eau Claire, Inc. Board of Directors. He will be representing the North River Fronts Neighborhood and will serve on the board for a 2-year term.

“Being a part of the DECI board is a great opportunity because it allows me – as a neighborhood resident and downtown business owner – to provide a voice regarding important downtown decisions such as its festivals, marketing campaigns, business development, and more,” says Jerry.

Not only does Jerry have his business located downtown, but he and his wife, Meghan (JB Systems’ Art Director), also live within walking distance of downtown.

“I like the convenience of being so close to downtown, and having the option to walk or bike to work,” says Meghan. “Not even just for work, but on a Saturday morning we can walk to Phoenix Park for the Farmer’s Market or music in the park. It saves money, too, since we’re not using much gas.”

Many of JB Systems’ employees live near downtown and frequently walk or bike to work – taking advantage of the amenities and convenience of the downtown area.

“I enjoy walking to work – it’s good exercise,” says Tyler, one of JB’s programmers.

“It’s so nice being able to run home quickly or walk down the street to grab something for lunch,” says Erin, our Marketing Director. “It’s really convenient, and getting better all the time.”

Jerry says he is excited about the potential to help grow the downtown area and bring some new ideas to the organization. He’s passionate about keeping the local businesses alive and well, and is looking forward to giving back to the downtown area.

“It’s a great opportunity for me personally, and a wonderful community service addition for JB Systems.”

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JB Systems created the new DECI website in 2011 – check it out here for great information about Downtown Eau Claire!

New Service – Linux Administration

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

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Over the past eight years, JB Systems has been building the core of our business around Linux – an operating system just like Mac OS X and Windows. In 2008, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer admitted that over 60% of all webservers globally were Linux-run.

Linux is known for its stability (unlike other operating systems out there, eh hem) and has been the mainstay platform of not only our webservers, but also our dedicated email and database servers. We are qualified to maintain RedHat and CentOS distributions of Linux and use them on a daily basis.

Starting in January 2010 – JB Systems is offering a dedicated server administration service – allowing clients to have JB Systems manage a dedicated Linux server to support their internal email, file sharing, and web-application needs.

Do you have an old LAMP project that needs support?

JB Systems has been chosen by numerous companies to “adopt” their LAMP-based web application built in the past and to continue supporting it, if not upgrading it altogether. Contact us today if you think you may benefit from this service.

Planning – An Aspect of Development Often Missed

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

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Regardless of industry, be it website development, video project, product development or implementation – one of the most important components of the entire process is often rushed, if not skipped altogether.

That component is, you guessed it, PLANNING. At JB Systems, we cannot stress the importance of planning, and moreover – the importance of budgeting for that plan both in terms of budget and timeframe.

We are frequently asked, “How long does a website project take?”

This question can have several answers – all dependent upon the project itself. But, a general rule of thumb for certain projects can be found below:

A Branding Package or Identity Design:

  • 2-3 Week Project Lead Time (Time Developer Needs To Start)
  • Initial Meeting With Client, Planning, Creative Development: 2 Weeks
  • Review of Concepts, Determine Creative Direction: 1 Week
  • 2-3 Rounds of Revision, Meeting To Discuss: 1 Week
  • Final Tweaks, Digital File Preparation: 2-3 Days

As you can see, it’s not unrealistic to budget 7 weeks or so for the entire process. On average, most people think 3-4 weeks is ample. For a larger development company or creative agency, that might be true – but at JB Systems – we feel that not rushing the process allows for more creative development, which in turn means a better product (design) for you. Again, the example above is heavily affected by a project’s lead time – and this could greatly decrease (or increase) the time needed for development.

Tune in later for an example of a identity package and more project planning tips for Website Development.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

From the team at JB Systems, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving!
So spend some time with family – put the projects on hold – and get some R&R during
these busy holiday days!

We’ll be back-in-action come Monday.

New Website & Video Packages!

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

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JB Systems and The Post House have joined forces to offer some of the most compelling multimedia packages available in the Chippewa Valley. All packages include WEB & Video – and start at $2,995.00 – an offer that simply can’t be beat.

Visit our website (www.jbsystemsllc.com) for package details and more information.

JB Speaks For CVHBA

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

The good folks at the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association have asked our owner (JB) to give a presentation on social networking – highlighting Facebook, LinkedIn, and Blogging.

The presentation is only 30 minutes and is comprised of “Top 10″ reports collected from gurus of Internet-Networking.

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JB Systems / Post House – Online Marketing Team

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

JB Systems is pleased to announce our partnership with Don Byrne and his company “The Post House“.
As an avid video professional, who’s been doing commercial video work for over 20 years, Don Byrne was our first choice in helping us get customer videos online.

The web is a fantastic place to show video. As a joint venture, JB Systems and The Post House have invested in a dedicated online video server – allowing a separate machine to handle our video files and thus offering more speed and bandwidth for their delivery on your next website. Check back soon for special packages good through December 31, 2009 with valuable savings on website and video projects.

To learn more about JB Systems and The Post House, see our video below:

Website Browser Updates

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Website Browser Updates

Attention: There are now new updates to Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3, and Safari 4 that can change the way your website looks, works, and functions. It is important to keep your website compliant with all new browser updates. If you do not, it can adversely effect what your website visitors see when they view your site. It can also impede certain aspects of web applications and videos. Below are some of the new features that can effect your website.

What We Will Do

  1. Test your website to ensure it looks good and operates correctly in these new browsers.
  2. If errors exist, we will document them and correct them.
  3. We will send you a report of our findings.
  4. We will give you peace of mind that your website works with these new browsers.

New Website Browser Features

Internet Explorer

Tables created with CSS rules will nest elements to become valid, whereas tables created with HTML will close containers to avoid unexpected nesting.

Firefox

Firefox now supports cross-site XMLHttpRequests, making web applications able to access material from other servers.

Safari

CSS Effects allow developers to style images and photos with gradients, precise masks, and reflections.

If you wish to have this update made, please return JB Systems, LLC at 715.830.9375 today. Customers will be assessed a one hour ($75) fee for this update. Maintenance Plus customers will receive this update for FREE. Updates are scheduled to start September 15, 2009.

Your Next Web App

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Eau Claire Web Application Development – JB Systems

The web is a fantatistic place to securely build and host applications that are crucial to your day-to-day business operations. JB Systems has the experience of building large-scale web applications for multi-million dollar companies such as Genesco (parent company of Dockers, Hat World, and Journeys) as well as other companies in the seminar planning, rental property, and inpatient / resident care businesses.

Why Have  A Web Application Built?

We’ll list the top five reasons:

1) Unlimited Client Usage. No per-license fees or hardware requirements. If you have a computer, an internet connection, and a browser (we prefer Firefox) – you’ll have everything you need.

2) Remote Access – Access your application (and your data) securely from the web. When you’re out of the office, at a conference, or simply at home wondering about something – your application can be accessed.

3) Simultaneous Users – Unlike some database-driven applications, like Access, our web based applications will allow several people to access your application simultaneously – without any database corruption or speed degregation.

4) Mobile Phone Support – Any online web application can be easily ported over to a format that is mobile phone ready – giving your application “Ultimate Portability”. Did we mention JB Systems can create an iPhone app out of it?

5) Secured Data & Protection – JB Systems runs all web applications on a dedicated server that is protected by client-specific security certficates and also passes PCI compliance testing. This is huge – and ensures that your data is safely transported between server and client and also is backed up on our triple-redundancy program – which stores your database on 3 geographically separated backup locations. Your data is your business, and we know how important it is to never, ever, ever, ever (did we say never?) lose it!

So if you’re interested in learning how to take your business (and its data) on the web, give JB Systems a call. Initial consultations are always free and our proprietary project design life-cycle ensures your project is done on time, on budget, and per the specs we define in our project discovery.

JB Systems
www.jbsystemsllc.com
Eau Claire Website Design Specialists

JB Systems – Version 2

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the new JB Systems, LLC blog. This first entry will be primarily focused on the launching of our new website ( HERE ).

It is common knowledge here at JB Systems that we’ve been long overdue for an update, revamp, oh come on – we’ll admit – complete overhaul! We’re proud of the new site as it offers some of the latest and great technologies we’re capable of providing:

Top Notch Graphic Design
Expert-Level XHTML / CSS Layout
Dynamic PHP Scripts
Flash Enhancements
Integrated Content Management System (CMS)
And more…

In addition, you’ll find links to our Facebook page, this blog, our gallery of web design work, and more.
Thanks for visiting the blog, and we hope you enjoy the new – long overdue – JB Systems website.

Regards,

Gerald Bauer
JB Systems, LLC