EPC Spotlights... Visionality 

Designs That Compute, dba Visionality was founded in 1985 as a technology consulting company, and has always been at the forefront of high tech development. Visionality has assisted many companies and agencies throughout Texas with new product and application developments over the decades. In 1997, Visionality honed its efforts more specifically on videoconferencing and audio visual products, and became a direct reseller of Tandberg, Polycom, and Smart Communications (among other respected manufacturers in this market), serving clients in public and private sectors throughout the US. 

As a 20-year industry veteran, a Texas state HUB vendor, and a value-added reseller of a variety of product lines, Visionality provides superior customized solutions to public sector customers. Visionality is one of only two vendors selected to participate on the State of Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) and the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) Purchasing Contracts.

Visionality continues to be an active supporter of TxDLA as an annual conference exhibitor since 2002, and as a TxDLA Partner since 2005.

In this interview, we speak with Bill Barnett, Director of Sales for Visionality, at their Richardson, TX headquarters office. Bill shares his insights on some crucial issues facing Visionality  and, in general, distance education. Interviewing Barnett is TxDLA CIO, Bennie Tschoerner.

BT: In the past, Visionality was more commonly known as Designs That Compute. Why the company name transition?
BB: When we (Designs That Compute) truly began to make a name for ourselves in the videoconferencing sector, we decided to change the corporate name to more closely align us with this particular segment. However, we simultaneously landed some critical state-wide purchasing contracts before having the chance to implement a formal name change, so our official moniker is “Designs That Compute, DBA Visionality”.

BT: OK, something that affects us all... what do you see as probably the biggest issue facing the distance learning practitioner today?
BB: The biggest hurdle we see in distance learning continues to be a lack of sufficient funding available to the schools. Many educators and administrators don’t have the time to become “experts” in tracking down the various sources of subsidies available to them, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by such a daunting and time-consuming task. 

BT: And where does Visionality fit into all this?
BB: We step in, at this point, to provide a truly value-added array of services. Visionality arranges webinars, seminars, and newsletters specifically designed to inform educators of the vast array of grant sources available to them, and we also instruct them on how to implement “best practices” so their grant requests are likeliest to succeed. As participants on the DIR and H-GAC contracts (two powerful master purchasing contracts that offer low, pre-negotiated pricing and allow buyers to bypass the time-consuming multiple bid process), we’re planning a large-scale communications effort to inform the education community about these valuable resources.

BT: WOW... you have a lot on your plate. In working with your customers, what do you see as probably your biggest challenge during the next 12-18 months?
BB: Our biggest market challenge has to be keeping our customers and prospective customers abreast of all the new products and services coming to market almost daily. It’s amazing how this technology has matured to the point where video communications systems are now almost like PBX telephone systems: affordable, easy to use, robust features, intuitive interfaces, and capable of running powerful applications. Tandberg’s new content server, for example, can archive and stream recorded content anytime, anywhere…even to I-pods – truly amazing stuff!

BT: Any specific short-term strategies that you could share with us?
BB: Our strategy for 2008 focuses on informing Texas state agencies of our contract status to enable them to benefit from the special pricing advantages these contracts offer. We’re also honing in more specifically on distinctive videoconferencing applications that have not traditionally received full attention from other vendors in the past, but are nonetheless in great need throughout the state. A sampling includes pairing up community colleges with high growth industry companies to spur job growth, providing turnkey solutions in the area of videoconferencing for the disabled, and pursuing a variety of Emergency Management specific applications.

BT: Finally, looking into the crystal ball, what does the future hold for Visionality? 
BB: Well, for one thing, we’re growing! With additional staff at our Richardson headquarters, and new personnel in Austin, our expansion plans will continue throughout 2008. We’ll soon incorporate a couple of new video communications vendors into our product portfolio, and we’re thrilled to once again be at the forefront of the industry with some truly revolutionary technologies. Although I can’t share more details with you just yet, I can say that these two new partners are set to unveil some jaw-dropping capabilities! Stay tuned… 
  

In addition to Bill for taking his valuable time to respond to this interview, we would also like to thank Denise Eissler, Marketing Manager for Visionality, for her support in the writing of this article.

The EPC Spotlight profiles one Executive Partnership Council member organization each month. EPC members have given substantially of their time and resources to support TxDLA. For additional information about becoming an EPC member, contact Kevin Eason, EPC Chair at epc@txdla.org .