Archives: Timeline Stories

Due to the continued strong growth, HQ GmbH was founded.

Launch of the ad serving platform adNET.de.
At launch, it was designed to deliver up to 10 million impressions per day. From the outset, we developed the software in such a way that it could be scaled dynamically to any required capacity within just a few hours.

The system was installed on a redundant high-performance cluster system, with a direct uplink and an internal GBit connection between the servers.

Start of the development of an ad server system with the aim of offering affordable ad server technology at the highest technical level for small and medium-sized enterprises.

From Hosting Provider to High-End Software Architect

A decisive milestone in our company’s history: We no longer provided our customers with high-performance servers alone, but began developing complex custom software and carrying out in-depth optimization of underperforming third-party code.

This step laid the foundation for our present-day expertise in code forensics. The trigger: Our customer, Cashcrawler GmbH, complained about an allegedly “too slow” rental server. Our analysis, however, clearly showed that the hardware was not the bottleneck – inefficient software was.

Since the customer doubted this – after all, his developer had programmed the system specifically for him and declared it error-free – we made a risk-free offer: We optimize the code. If there is no improvement, we cover the costs.

After three weeks of intensive refactoring, the result was clear: The server ran completely effortlessly. On exactly the same hardware, the customer was now able to operate four projects simultaneously instead of just one – without any overload whatsoever. He was more than happy to pay for our work and remains loyal to us even today – now with his successor company. This uncompromising focus on software efficiency remains the foundation of our work to this day.

2002: Pioneering Work in E-Commerce & High-Performance Hosting

We began actively working in the development of shop systems and e-commerce software. Initially, we distributed, installed, and operated the php-auction.org platform and secured the exclusive rights to the licensed versions as the sole distributor in Germany. In doing so, we were already setting technological standards in web-based commerce in 2002 – long before the term “SaaS” (Software as a Service) became established in the industry.

Alongside software distribution, we laid the foundation for our uncompromising server architecture. Even back then, Mathias Goldhan understood that demanding web projects require a highly available foundation. This philosophy, which still forms the basis of our enterprise cluster systems today, was expressed for our customers in 2002 with the following guiding principle:
“We are not a discount web host and do not wish to be compared with such providers. We host your website or virtual server on high-performance servers that are neither overloaded with customers nor operated at their limits. We offer you very good quality with fast transfer rates, one of the highest levels of availability, and very good service at affordable and fair prices.”
This uncompromising commitment to quality from our early days has remained an unshakable part of HQ GmbH’s DNA to this day.

2001 – Early Internet Infrastructure and Digital Business Models

As early as the beginning of the 2000s, our focus was on developing and operating web-based business models. At a time when the commercial use of the internet was still largely shaped by custom development and proprietary infrastructure, we supported companies in establishing their digital presence – from web hosting and server solutions to customized internet applications.

Under the umbrella of internet-total.net at the time, the first pioneering projects involving web technologies, hosting, online marketing, and digital business processes were developed. Even then, the focus was not merely on creating individual websites, but on providing technical platforms and stable infrastructures for professional online operations.

This early experience with complex, web-based systems forms the foundation of our current expertise in e-commerce platforms, Shopware architectures, system migrations, and highly available hosting environments.

The archived versions of our internet presence from that time document our pioneering work in 2001 in the areas of web design, web hosting, server operations, consulting, and internet services.

Due to increasing demand, web and server hosting was also added to the range of services.

Founded as a sole proprietorship in Frankfurt/Main.
The main focus was on the hardware sector, including the custom assembly of PCs and the sale of accessories and office electronics.

Mathias Goldhan as a Panelist at the 2019 Business Day of the Greiz District

Participation in the Panel Discussion “Companies/Entrepreneurs Communicate”

As part of the 9th Business Day of the Greiz Region on November 6, 2019, Mathias Goldhan, Managing Director of HQ GmbH, participated as a panelist in the workshop discussion “Behind the Scenes” on the topic of communication in the digital transformation.

With several hundred participants, the Business Day of the Greiz Region is one of the district’s most important business events and brings together companies, public institutions, and representatives from politics, media, and business for professional exchange.

The event was held under the main theme “Companies/Entrepreneurs Communicate” and was organized by the Greiz District Administration together with the East Thuringia Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the East Thuringia Chamber of Crafts, the Employment Agency, Sparkasse Gera-Greiz, and the BVMW.

Discussion with Representatives from Business and Media

Together with other industry experts, Mathias Goldhan discussed the importance of digital communication channels for companies and the transformation of the media landscape.

Participants in the discussion included:

• Simone Gebler, Head of Corporate Communications at Bauerfeind AG
• Mathias Goldhan, Managing Director of HQ GmbH
• Axel Krieger, Managing Director of axxo Service + Production
• Boris Lochthofen, Director of MDR’s Thuringia Regional Broadcasting Center
• Uwe Müller, Sparkasse Gera-Greiz
• Klaus-Dieter Volger, recipient of the Greiz District Small Business Award 2019

The panel discussion focused on digital communication, the transformation of the media landscape, and the question of how companies can reach their target groups through the right channels. Mathias Goldhan participated in the expert panel as Managing Director of HQ GmbH and discussed the challenges of digital communication together with representatives from the media, business, and financial sectors.

Recognition of Professional Expertise

The invitation of Mathias Goldhan as a panelist at the Greiz District Business Day highlights his professional recognition in the fields of digitalization and digital communication. At the same time, it documents the close cooperation between HQ GmbH and public institutions as well as regional business organizations.

Source: Greiz District Journal, Issue 11/2019, report on the 9th Business Day of the Greiz Region.