From Jim Schweitzer, Operations Manager at Vision Point Systems:

At Vision Point Systems, we consider ourselves "language or platform agnostic."  We're software engineers who use the right tool for the job. We are not, for example, a Microsoft Partner Network company, but we hold a Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Professional Subscription.  This allows us to set up a lab in our office to test out the various pieces of software we write in a wide sample of target environments.

The best example of our lab in practice was for a piece of software we wrote back in 2003. Our requirements were that the desktop application run on every version of Windows from 3.11 to XP and Mac from 8.6 to 10.3. Oh, and it had to be self-contained on a floppy disk. We got it done, but it wouldn't have been without our lab of various environments in which to test. One lesson learned: Not everything that runs on a clean Windows XP install will run on a clean Windows 98 install.

Times have changed since then. We've had the opportunity, because of MSDN, to get out in front on Windows 7 a bit, having beta and release candidate versions available to us on the day they were released without any hassle. We also employ virtualization in our lab these days. We can keep pristine virtual copies of all our lab machines to load up any time we need to have a clean environment.

Here's more about what we do at Vision Point Systems:

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Vision Point Systems is an engineering and technology consulting firm with offices in Fairfax, Virginia and the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.  Vision Point Systems serves clients ranging from local high-tech and non-profits, to the DOD and multi-national pharmaceutical companies. Vision Point Systems helps transform clients' tough projects into reality through thoughtful and inventive software and systems engineering.

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This edition of the Tech Showcase on Handshake 2.0 is sponsored by Coldwell Banker Townside, REALTORS (R), a full service real estate agency specializing in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Roanoke, and Salem, Virginia real estate and homes.  A client of Handshake 2.0, Coldwell Banker Townside, REALTORS (R) strives to be the best online source for real estate listings in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Roanoke, Salem and all of the  Roanoke Valley and New River Valley.   Experienced agents are available to provide expert real estate advice and quality customer service. 

You're invited to view this week's featured properties, read the Keepin' It Real blog, and become a fan of Coldwell Banker Townside, REALTORS (R) on Facebook.

 From Jim Schweitzer:

Imagine this scenario: You call up your buddy on your favorite video chat software. When he picks up, you notice he's standing in front of a big painting that's filling up the background of the entire screen. Upon asking where he is, he tells you he's at a coffee shop at the mall where he is buying new artwork for the office. After a few minutes of chatting, he says he has to go and asks you to call him back in 15 minutes. Anxious to finish the discussion, you call him back and pick up the conversation where you left off. As soon as you're done, you hang up and walk down the hall to grab some coffee. Suddenly you notice your buddy sitting in his office hanging his new painting. What the heck just happened here?

This is The Cloud in action. Let's dissect the scenario.

When you clicked your buddy's name in the buddy list, your goal was to see and speak to him. This was a name-based transaction. The data, in this case, was the video and audio that made up both calls, and as far as you knew, the first call was just as valid as the second call. The Cloud is at work here - location becomes irrelevant because the reference queues (your buddy and the background view) are identical in all scenarios. In the typical Software-as-a-Service, SaaS scenario, the items held constant are the databases being accessed and the presentation of the web user interfaces, etc.

Location irrelevance is one of the foundations of the World Wide Web. Domain Name System, or DNS, exists to provide human users with name-based routing to avoid the need to access computing resources by specific addresses. In this regard, The Cloud is nothing new. The added concept is only that some businesses are deciding to take advantage of the Internet available outside their office walls for the housing of critical services that typically have been maintained in a specific location.

When is it appropriate to externalize critical IT services? Under what scenarios is it preferable to keep full control of a system in-house? These questions don't have universal answers. Businesses should conduct a risk analysis on aspects such as security, data sensitivity, performance, infrastructure, cost, intellectual property and training to determine their ideal mix The Cloud versus in-house solutions.

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Jim Schweitzer is the Operations Manager at Vision Point Systems, an engineering and technology consulting firm with offices in Fairfax, Virginia and the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Meet Chris Burgoyne, Project Manager, Vision Point Systems:

Vision Point Systems, VPS, is a creative software development company with a proven record of delivering smart solutions that exceed the expectations of our clients.  We specialize in computer-telephony integration and custom web applications.

I've been in the New River Valley for 10 years. I came to Virginia Tech and stayed.  I am a bluegrass musician. 

The terrific thing about bluegrass jams is that I can get together with people from all sorts of really divergent backgrounds and immediately make music.  The music is something we all share and enjoy, and becomes the basis for broader friendships.

Having then broken the ice with a few tunes, I've built a great community of friends and pals, and that is what has made southwest Virginia my home, as opposed to just being the place where I now live.