Three decades of technology, in your corner.

The company

Luminary Research is an independent technology advisory practice. I help small and mid-sized businesses make sound decisions about AI, architecture, and security. The approach is advisory first: I provide the strategy, the design, and the oversight, while the hands-on implementation is handled by your own team or a partner I trust. That keeps my advice independent, keeps your costs down, and gives you senior direction without adding an executive salary.

The name says something about where the practice is going. Alongside client work, Luminary Research is grounded in ongoing, hands-on work in applied artificial intelligence, so the guidance you receive is informed by real engagement with where the technology is heading.

David C. Brown, Principal

I have spent more than 30 years in technology, building, protecting, and leading the systems businesses rely on. My work has run the whole range, from hands-on Linux systems engineering to leading technology as an executive.

For over a decade I served as CTO and Director of IT for a mid-sized e-commerce and manufacturing company, responsible for the technology and infrastructure behind a business that combined online retail with physical production. Earlier in my career I built high-availability clusters and multi-site redundancy for a high-frequency trading platform, where downtime was measured in dollars per second. I migrated a national booksellers' association from aging Sun servers to Linux, hosting more than 200 e-commerce sites, and I ran IT for one of the largest wholesale and retail distribution businesses in Texas, across dozens of locations. My roots go back to the early days of the commercial internet, including work at an early dial-up ISP and at well-known names like McAfee.

That range is the point. I have seen what works and what fails across startups and established companies, in finance, retail, e-commerce, and manufacturing. I bring that experience to businesses working through AI and modernization today, with a current, active focus on artificial intelligence.

How I work

• Honest over impressive. If the right move is a simple tool, or no project at all, I will say so.
• Advisory, not lock-in. I design and oversee. You keep control and ownership.
• Business first, technology second. Every recommendation ties back to what it does for your business.
• Clear and dependable. Plain communication, a clear scope, and no jargon.