About Active Lightning

Active Lightning provides custom software development and marketing services, including: desktop-publishing automation, database applications, system integration, website development, consulting for ecommerce marketing, and search engine optimization [SEO].

Active Lightning plugs in with ideas, a strategy, and solution. Each project engages a team of intelligent creative trustworthy people led by Sally Seaver Shabaka. In delivering specified IT functionality, we attend to technical design, cost-containment, sustainability, marketing and the client’s brand. We thoughtfully work for our client’s best interests on many levels.

Ideas – Consulting – Solution Design – System Integration
Teamwork – Project Management – Custom Software Solutions

We tame technology to work for you.

Client-Focused

We are here to serve our clients and support their goals. Some common themes in the solutions we deliver include: automation (computers do the work), operational efficiency, visual or graphic design, website-related services, marketing communication, database-related capability, Eagle-related integration, and integration of the ecommerce sites with in-store point-of-sale (POS) systems.

Click here to see feedback from clients about their experience with Active Lightning. Here is an example.

"A couple of positive phrases about having Active Lightning as our software developer... This is just off the cuff...

1. Active Lightning is not afraid to tackle even the most complex and cumbersome projects. When no one else even wanted to give us a quote they gave us results!
2. Active Lightning gets the job done right with professional perseverance and quality programmers.
3. Active Lightning never charges unfairly for work. Projects are done to spec and completed in a timely manner.
4. Active Lightning is very easy to work with. They are flexible, considerate and genuine.
5. With Active Lightning we really get the feeling that they are "on our side"- fighting for what's best for us even when it doesn't directly benefit them."

— Nathan O'Neal
A-1 Appliance Parts

Information Management Technology and Visual Design

The visual design of a screen or a printed page:

• creates order
• reinforces the message
• sets the tone
• guides the attention of the reader
• helps to clarify ideas
• affects how easy or hard it is to understand the content
• invites or repulses

A business gathers relevant information in its databases. There are 2 major efforts:
1) capturing the data in a database, and
2) getting the data out is such a way that it is useful.

Visual design plays a role in the first task via forms and screens where users input, edit, and view information. Visual design plays a role in the second task via reports, brochures, catalogs, price lists, and other means of communication.
		MAIN SCREEN FOR ACTIVECONTROL
		Every screen or document provides an opportunity to reinforce the brand of the organization. Many software developers do not have training or understanding about issues involved in marketing and graphic design, but this is not the case at Active Lightning. Sally Shabaka who leads each project has apprenticed with graphic designers, had years of experience in marketing communication, and had formal training in art. She looks for opportunities to improve the design features—as well as optimize marketing efforts—as an added benefit to the technical solution.
HANNEKE CATALOG – AUTOMATED PUBLISHING

Designers typically work with static content. What happens when the content changes over time? How do business rules and standards get implemented consistently in the presentation of information? This is done through a content management system that employs one or more databases for central data storage, and has the means for variable data publishing (or database publishing). This strategy also enables small businesses such as Cox Hardware and Lumber or Hanneke Hardware to produce catalogs without the cost of additional staff. Variable data publishing solutions are a specialty of Active Lightning.

Understanding modern technologies for content management along with understanding the importance of strong design and branding make Active Lightning a strong partner in crafting a website that properly represents the client's organization.
		STOUGHTON LUMBER WEBSITE

Technology Strategy

• Costs are reduced for both development and maintenance
• Functionality is stable
• Each solution has the best chance of a long lifetime

Our strategies utilize modern techniques for communicating between different IP locations. For example, the integration project that we did for The Hardware Center (Paoli, PA) integrates communication and data transfer between an Amazon store, a PDG Commerce shopping cart (at hardware-toy.com) and an in-store point-of-sale system (Eagle) from software that resides on one PC.

When designing a solution we look for the optimum blend of simplicity and complexity. We want solutions that are easy to use and maintain. These goals are balanced against cost. We strive to deliver optimum value for solutions that fit within the client's budget.

Advantages of Active Lightning Services

Active Lightning understands design, data, and marketing. This understanding is brought to bear on creating solutions for our clients. Each communication vehicle receives careful attention for maintaining the corporate brand, whether a website or an automated catalog. We tame technology to support marketing. Active Lightning strives for well-engineered solutions that will be dependable over time.

Solutions

• expert attention to visual design, marketing, and technology
• automation of manual labor
• preference for using proven applications that have a strong
  community of users
• optimum blend of off-the-shelf software and custom software
• simple, elegant, great fit; NOT brute force

Company

• attentiveness to client's needs and wants
• responsiveness to direction
• motivated, intelligent, creative, capable people do the work
• commitment to ethical integrity
• excellent customer service
• attention to requirements of visual design
• effective direct communication
• strong project management
• flexible organization of talent
• greater security of proprietary information with small task force
• value: less time and money to overhead, more to the project

Additional Information and Business Relationships

Active Lightning is a VAR for PatternStream, a product created and distributed by Finite Matters Limited (Goochland, VA). We do a lot of work for businesses that own Eagle systems, a combination of hardware and software that provides point-of-sale, inventory, and accounting. Eagle is created and distributed by Activant Solutions, Inc. (Livermore, CA). Active Lightning uses and promotes products of Adobe Systems Inc. (San Jose, CA), and we are an authorized reseller of Adobe products. Other products we like for our clients, as appropriate, are:
— a shopping cart by PDG Software: PDG Commerce
— automated data feeds to shopping sites by Practical Data: StoreFeeder
— online libraries, archiving and deep search by Microsearch Corporation
— integrated design environment [IDE] for automated publishing by FML: PatternStream

Active Lightning is a state-certified disadvantaged business according to the US Department of Transportation guidelines. It is also a state-certified woman-owned business.
     Active Lightning is listed in the Business-Inc.com online business directory, and it is registered online with the government site for Central Contractor Registration. Services from Active Lightning are available via GSA as a subcontractor of Microsearch Corporation, providers of online archiving and deep search capability.