Since 1975: A Legacy of Support and Service to the Public Sector

Founded in 1975 by Judson B. Van Dervort, Sr. as “Keystone Data Systems”, a Philadelphia area, regional “Microdata Realty” hardware re-seller (one of the first “super-mini” / non-main frame business computer systems in production) and a service-oriented software developer / systems integrator for a variety of business uses, specializing in use of the “Pick” Multi-value database technology, “Keystone Information Systems” was reincorporated as such in 1979, as the company began to transition to other system platforms and turned its focus to creating packaged software solutions for public school and local government operations.

Keystone assets are, and have always been its customers and employees, both of which groups have led to the scope and depth of the application software that we offer in our current markets today. Both groups also tend to have uniquely long relationships with Keystone that is uncharacteristic in the volatile software industry. Keystone’s staff at all levels in the organization possess deep subject matter expertise, gained from personal involvement in automating our customers’ organizations. And many of our customers have been very collaborative and generous with their time and knowledge of their professions.

In 2005, upon Mr. Van Dervort, Sr.’s retirement, his son Judson, Jr. moved into the role of President/CEO after 18 years’ service with the company in a variety of marketing, sales and management positions. An internal stock transition plan took place gradually transferring ownership to Mr. Van Dervort, Jr. and his management team, as they look forward to building upon the company’s strong foundation and continuing to foster this successful community of employees and customers, highly beneficial to both groups over so many years.

Keystone’s Mission can be summed up as: “We want to exceed our clients’ best expectations.”
More specifically, it is:

Keystone’s management has as a core and guiding philosophy, the desire to provide highly efficient and cost-effective systems to our public sector customers. We view our customer’s successes with a source of pride, as if our own successes. Our focus on providing systems to smaller and mid-sized organizations is a source of pride for us, as we find we can provide comprehensive and practical systems to these lower-resourced organizations, effectively, and for an appropriate price point. As local community members and taxpayers ourselves, we view this as a worthy pursuit and an accomplishment in every local community we serve.

With regard to our present product suite and market focus, Keystone has, over time, provided versions of Financial, Payroll, Human Resources, Tax and Utility Billing/Collection systems to over 150 United States public school districts and local governments, ranging in size from approximately 2,500 population to 250,000, and student enrollments of approximately 200 to 20,000, in eighteen states.

Also, with regard to our public sector markets, over time Keystone had developed and supported a wider variety of software applications for these markets than are our present focus. For many years Keystone offered a comprehensive Student Administration software suite to its public-school customers, and a Public Safety software suite for local government use.
The current management team (in place in 2005) became convinced of the benefits in being focused on fewer applications, and on fewer differing needs within applications (as occur in different state markets) thus becoming more expert in our customers’ specific needs, and refining our software to more acutely address those needs. While never terminating support of any application, for any customer in any state, this gradual and graceful shift has led Keystone to greater degree of specialization, product depth and cost-effectiveness, to the benefit of our ongoing customers. In 2005 we began the gradual withdrawal of marketing our Student Administration products; and in 2006 sold the assets of our Public Safety system division to the newly incorporated “Keystone Public Safety, Inc.

Keystone has been involved in only one corporate acquisition or merger, the result of which has proven to align well with our current, ongoing strategy. In 1998, Keystone acquired from EDS (Plano TX) the assets of the former "Infocel Inc.", a Raleigh, NC -based mid-range local government system provider, and a former competitor in some state markets. This acquisition resulted in a significant increase in Keystone's local government presence (whereas we had more school district customers before this) and led especially to a new Keystone presence in the states of North Carolina and Virginia. In terms of software conveyed in the acquisition, the lead and enduring legacy was a set of functionally-mature applications, along with subject matter expert staff, for the particular and unique needs of property taxation, and related local taxes and fees in these two states. By 2002, Keystone had applied its modernization tools to these Land and Tax applications, deploying a Windows and web browser-based version to integrate with our Financial and Human Resources applications. It is from this basis product that we have moved forward with offering our “PAAS” property tax applications in the markets of North Carolina and Virginia.

Throughout its history, Keystone has also maintained a base of non-public sector customers who look to Keystone for technical consulting and custom application development services specialized in the Multi-value and U2 system platforms. Keystone continues to be one of the nation’s most experienced and respected consulting houses in the "Multi-value" relational databases, and especially the “U2" products, now of Rocket Software

Along with a supportive customer base, Keystone’s greatest assets are its employees. Keystone benefits from a higher than average retention rate of employees with its average employee having a greater than five year tenure with the company.

Keystone’s staff, at all levels in the organization, is a technically oriented group of professionals with deep subject matter expertise in their application areas of specialization. Nearly all employees have some level of interaction with our customers during a system implementation and/or on-going support and product enhancement activity.

Keystone has employed an on staff CPA for over twenty years with duties that include product planning review and input, and direct customer consultation and support of specific financial and reporting needs.

Keystone also often retains the services of retired customers, for their expertise and professional contacts. These often include certified school business administrators and tax assessors / appraisers.

Keystone successfully transitioned to the next generation of management, after thirty years, in 2005, with Judson B. Van Dervort, Jr. taking the role of President and CEO. Judd had spent the previous 18 years, working for Keystone in a variety of sales, marketing and management roles. Judd is the son of Keystone’s founder, Judson B. Van Dervort, Sr. An internal stock transition plan from Judd Sr. and his management team to Judd Jr. and his, has continued the closely-held and owner-operator orientation of the company, as the company looks forward to building upon its strong foundation, and continuing to foster its highly successful community of employees and customers.

Keystone’s Senior Vice President is Stephen D. Juliana. Steve joined Keystone just out of college, and quickly became one of Keystone’s lead technical personnel. Over the course of more than twenty years, Steve became the key designer and developer of a number of Keystone’s major product sets. Steve has held a variety of management positions and today is responsible for oversight of all product development, and is a shareholder in the corporation.

Keystone’s Vice President for Client Services is Michael J. Liggera. Mike joined Keystone in 2007 to head up customer relationships, project administration, implementations and support operations, which includes oversight of Keystone’s “Client Care” support team. Mike has a degree in computer science and a background in large scale system development and implementation projects.

To act on its mission, "To draw upon our deep experience…using the best and most appropriate technologies, to provide our customers with functionally superior, efficient, and cost effective information management systems," Keystone integrates the application software products we develop, with other "best of breed" products and services available in our markets.

With a combination of re-seller agreements, formal business partnerships, and some more casual business referral arrangements, Keystone places before our customers the best and most appropriate products and services to meet their needs and to complete and complement a Keystone system.