Customer Spotlight: TechKnowSys
Applied Innovations wanted to get to know a little bit more about New Jersey-based customer TechKnowSys and its founder Tom Murzenski. So we sat down together over some nice afternoon tea with crumpets. (Okay, not really… we had a friendly, efficient and ecologically sensible email interview… but crumpets sound delicious.)
Applied Innovations: So when was TechKnowSys founded?
Tom Murzenski: TechKnowSys opened its doors officially in 2004.
AI: How do you describe TechKnowSys’ Core Competencies?
TM: Think of the solar system. For us, the sun is solving business-related problems, be that increasing sales, generating leads, building a brand or solving a procedural problem. The planets that orbit this sun are things like custom programming, high-end design, content development, SEM, post-Panda SEO, analytics, and unique e-commerce solutions.
AI: Great metaphor! So what path did you take to end up founding TechKnowSys?
TM: Directly out of college, I worked as a chemist and was eventually a lab manager for an environmental testing laboratory. In that capacity, I started programming custom scientific applications. From there, I moved to environmental consulting where I did more programming. Next I found myself working for a boutique development shop during the early days of the Internet. After spending some time getting great experience as a freelancer, I settled down and founded TechKnowSys.
AI: Tell us a little bit about your team.
TM: We have a strong, multi-disciplinary team consisting of developers, designers, copywriters and Internet marketers. In addition to our core team, we have a full Rolodex of people with unique talents with whom we’ve worked in the past.
AI: Do you have any particular industry focus? Major customers?
TM: We have lots of smaller clients, but have done quite a bit of work for high-profile clients such as A&E TV, the US Air Force – Air Combat Command, Allergan, Bessemer Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Columbia University, Johnson & Johnson, NJPLEGA (New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association), NJEDA (New Jersey Economic Development Authority), NJSFDA (New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association), MasterCard and Prudential.
AI: Wow, you have clients across a bunch of different silos. Excellent diversification! Tell us about some of your big wins over the past 8 years.
TM: Two of the projects we developed were subsequently patented. One was a system for A&E to manage their assets in a global context and one helped indigent medical patients to access free or reduced-cost medications through various pharmaceutical company programs. We also make sure to stay up on our certifications, and are a Google AdWords Certified Partner, a Google for Non-Profits Featured Provider and an Authorize.net Certified Developer.
AI: You have been hosting with Applied Innovations since 2010. Who were you hosted with previously and why did you decide to trust your hosting solutions to us?
TM: We had been with various providers, including Server Intellect and midPhase. We were introduced to AppliedI through Microsoft’s WebsiteSpark program. We got a year of free VPS hosting. So initially, it was a no-brainer! Then we ended up staying with AppliedI because they treat us like a really valued partner, not just a customer.
AI: What hosting services do you purchase from Appliedi?
AppliedI provides cloud servers for our development and production sites. We have also referred several clients to AppliedI, who are running their own cloud servers. I’m usually pretty reluctant to recommend a specific company to a client because it can so easily backfire, but I have no problem recommending a client to set up their sit on an AppliedI server.
AI: Who is your primary contact at Appliedi?
TM: Cara Pluff – she always answers the phone and responds to chat immediately. She really can be counted on to follow through with the information I need. (AI: Sounds like we have another Employee Spotlight coming up! Cara, get ready!)
AI: Can you recall any especially significant interactions with Appliedi or ways their services have really positively impacted your business?
TM: To be honest, a lack of significant interactions is a key differentiator for me! I have had a handful of minor support tickets which were all handled quickly and efficiently. Some of the things we do are complicated enough without having to worry about the platform or the plumbing, that’s why we really appreciate AppliedI’s services.
AI: Wow, thanks for the plug! Now it’s our turn! What’s next for TechKnowSys? Any big news or announcements?
TM: Our clients are seeing a lot of success with search engine marketing, so we are looking to "double down" in that area and expand our practice there. We are really turned on about new technology that’s becoming so ubiquitous and, most importantly, is perfect for solving some really difficult business problems (and doing a great job of solving even some easy ones!)
AI: Thanks Tom! Great getting to know more about you and TechKnowSys. For more information or to follow up with Tom, go to the TechKnowSys website. Or reach out to them directly at:
TechKnowSys Corporation, PO Box 188, Broadway, NJ 08808
Fax: 973-270-2488 | Sales: Rich Toomey 973-796-2635 | Technology: Tom Murzenski[LSL3] 973-796-2820
Do you want to be profiled in the Applied Innovations Newsletter? Send us an email (info@appliedi.net) telling us a little bit about your company and we’ll do our best to give you a chance to tell your story.
