SiteVision Sponsors The Lucee Project

The SiteVision sponsorship encourages an open source and community-driven International effort to substantially enhance the ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) — a vital tool in web application and database development.

lucee logo 3Roanoke VA July 6, 2015— SiteVision, Inc. and its development team have elected to sponsor The Lucee Association Switzerland (LAS) in its quest to continue modernization of CFML. Lucee is a public source derivative, or fork, of the Railo CFML open source engine which is backwards compatible with both Railo and Adobe ColdFusion. The Lucee Project is led by the Lucee Association Switzerland, a non-profit Swiss association. It is a growing international project that is committed to the success of its community delivering quality, free, open-source software within a nurturing and supportive developer environment.

SiteVision’s (http://www.sitevision.com) long experience in CFML web application development led to its endorsement of the LAS (http://www.lucee.org) and Project Lucee. The firm’s background in expert level CFML deployments fully embraces disciplines that enhance dynamic Web page creation and database access in a Web server environment. SiteVision’s Lead Technical Architect, Daria Norris, has been an enthusiastic supporter of advanced CFML scripting and is a frequent presenter on the CFML circuit. Steven Neiland, SiteVision Senior Developer, is also actively involved in Lucee Project testing, blogging and documenting.

In its simplest form, CFML like many other web scripting languages augments standard HTML files with database commands, conditional operators, high-level formatting functions, and other elements to produce web applications. According to LAS, Lucee is made for the web; it simplifies common tasks for this environment. It is a light-weight, dynamic scripting language for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that enables the rapid development of simple to highly sophisticated web applications. Currently Lucee may be thought of as an upgrade to Railo which is itself, an open source modernization of CFML. The LAS group currently offers a stable release with Lucee 4.5, and has also recently released a 5.0 beta version, both of which are available to download from the Lucee Website.

In a keynote speech delivered at the dev.Objective() conference, 2015 in Minneapolis, MN, Geoff Bowers the acting LAS Secretary stressed that CFML compatibility was an essential goal: “For the sake of clarity, we will never remove something from the Lucee CFML compatibility layer that will decrease our compatibility with Adobe’s latest offering. Even if we choose to “deprecate” something, we mean simply that a better alternative exists . . . If you are a CFML developer you will be right at home with Lucee Language. Its got the same fundamental principles as CFML but with modern best practices, and language improvements built in.”

Daria Norris of SiteVision notes that: “The work LAS is doing with Lucee 4.5 is raising the standard for CFML programming. While it is still a beta, Lucee 5 gives us a glimpse into a future that includes ease of deployment, modern features and rapid language training and development.

About SiteVision: SiteVision, Inc. (www.sitevision.com) is an Internet application development, consulting, design and hosting firm providing solutions for a broad spectrum of markets and industries, as well as for state, federal and international entities. Expertise includes custom, back-end dynamic applications, consulting to achieve unique goals, geographic information systems (GIS), content management systems, hosting services including, map and GIS application hosting, as well as custom and dedicated hosting solutions.

SiteVision, Inc. participates in, or is available through, the following state and federal contracting vehicles, and is a SOC 1 SSAE 16 Type II compliant firm:

The firm has its home office in Roanoke, VA, with sales offices in Charlottesville, VA and Miami, FL.

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October 2014 News & Tips

Windows 7: October 31
Cut-Off Date

Win 7 LogoAs of October 31, 2014, Microsoft will no longer supply PC partners and system builders with copies of Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium and/or Ultimate to preinstall on new PCs.

Both consumer and business users may have concerns over the lifecycle cutoff date posted at Microsoft. Business users in particular have not embraced Windows 8 or iterations thereof for numerous reasons – all well publicized.

According to ZDNet’s overview, this means that OEM’s may continue to sell existing stocks of Windows 7, but may not replenish their supply. The deadline, however, does not apply to PCs preinstalled with Windows 7 Professional.

Microsoft will give a one-year warning before it demands that OEMs stop selling PCs with Windows 7 Professional. Under this rule, Microsoft will allow computer makers such as Lenovo, HP and Dell to continue selling PCs with Windows 7 Professional until at least February 2015. You can read more at ZDNet or at Microsoft.
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iPhone 6 vs Galaxy Note 3iPhone 6 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3?

So what’s it going to be? An iPhone 6 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy Note 3? For diehard Apple lovers, there’s probably no choice to be made.

But wait! Is the Galaxy a worthy competitor? Ah, perhaps.CNET’s Tim Stevens took the plunge. We won’t spoil it. It’s a quick day-to-day comparison, and you can find it here. If you simply want to compare specs, here’s a side-by-side.
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ShellShock:  Millions of Computers at Risk

ShellShockYou’ve heard about HeartBleed. Now there’s ShellShock. And it’s a biggie! Shellshock is the name given to a pair of vulnerabilities in Bash, a shell program distributed on Linux, UNIX, OS X systems, and some Windows installations.

As the default shell for millions of systems the vulnerability means that an attacker could run commands on any machine using it with the potential to wreak havoc. According to Mashable, Shellshock has the potential to affect anyone visiting a website hosted on a vulnerable server. If the server has been compromised via Shellshock, it could deliver other malware. And unlike HeartBleed, ShellShock is easy to hack and code.

There have been numerous patches issued quickly. Bottom line? If you have at-risk servers, patch now! As a consumer, beware (See Trend Micro). You can read more as follows:
ZDNet, ShellShocker.Net, RedHat, Mashable
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A Bendable Phablet
For Your Arm?

portal1Really? Yep, the “Portal” by Arubixs is being crowdfunded as a Smartphone you can wear. Part of you says wow, something I can actually use. It has a bendable screen! It’s waterproof. Shatterproof. Flexible.

So what’s not to love? Well, er, we guess it’s that it sort looks of like a medical device you wear on your arm, or some sort of weird digital cast that coaxes your broken wrist to the perfection it once was. At six inches, it’s a bit weighty, perhaps, and if you are a GQ man, can you really wear all that portal2coolness with one sleeve unbuttoned and dangling to accommodate your “Portal”?
But, seriously, maybe it’s an idea worth having. The specs are nothing to sneeze at, and the overall concept (albeit, one a bit more compact, perhaps) is something we’ve been hoping for. Check it out for yourself. The Arubixs website is here and the promotional video here.
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NCDevCon 2014NCDevCon.  It’s A Wrap.

Our developers are back from the conference and looking forward to next year! The folks at DevCon have posted many of the slide and video presentations. So if you missed an important session check out the links at NCDevCon.

SiteVision’s Lead Technical Architect, Daria Norris, was a presenter, and her sessions (and others) may be found as follows:
Slides:
Daria Norris – Better Living Through Version Control
Daria Norris – Simplify Your Workload But Not Your Delivery
Recordings:
All Currently Posted
Simplify Your Workload
Better Living Through Version Control

SiteVision Goes To NCDevCon – Daria Norris Will Present

ncdevcon-logoSiteVision developers are headed out to the popular NC Developers Conference, September 13-14 in Raleigh North Carolina where Daria Norris, our Lead Technical Architect, will present two sessions. Norris, an 18-year ColdFusion veteran, has been a frequent presenter on the ColdFusion development circuit over the past several years including presentations for NCDevCon, and cf.Objective().

The event, North Carolina’s premier web and mobile conference, focuses on HTML5, Mobile, JavaScript, ColdFusion and CSS technologies with contributors from across the globe. This year’s slogan “Feed Your Brain,” emphasizes the importance of learning current technology in enterprise level development.   Attendees will participate in two days of timely and important web, mobile development, and networking sessions at the Centennial Campus, NC State University.

Daria_150-sqNorris’s first session: “Simplify Your Workload, Not Your Delivery,” discusses how to make the transition from procedural programming to object oriented design concepts. She’ll cover how Framework One (FW/1) helps simplify the process while keeping code readable and logical.  She will also review the best practices to organize code around MVC and a service architecture that turns complicated code into easy-to-learn conventions. The goal is to simplify workloads while still delivering complex systems with all the bells and whistles.  You can read more here:

In her second presentation, “Better Living through Version Control,” attendees will learn how version control can improve their development cycle and make life easier. Norris will  go over the version control buzz words like branching, forking, merging and reverting, as well as how centralized and distributed version control differ from each other. You can read more here:

Last year’s conference attendees were really enthusiastic:  Here’s just one example:  “The number of sessions and quality of speakers you had was amazing. Videotaping the sessions was brilliant, so I can see other sessions I was not able to attend.”

We’ll be there for the whole conference. Hope to see you at the networking event, Saturday Night!

New CVWMA Website by SiteVision Goes Live

Roanoke, VA September 15, 2013: The Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA) has launched its new website.  The Authority, which serves CVWMA Home Pagethirteen Virginia localities, saw the need to redesign and update their online presence with a total reorganization that features a new content management system and numerous enhanced user options.   The new site was designed and implemented by SiteVision, Inc.

CVWMA  (www.cvwma.com) online challenges included the ability to serve each of its thirteen localities separately with up to twelve waste and recycling programs.  Among its programs are Curbside Recycling, Drop-off Recycling, Residential Trash Collection and Electronic Recycling. To meet this goal, the new content management system (CMS) features enhanced content organization, and an improved sitemap to make finding specific locality information easier and more logical.

CVWMA Home Page2Data streaming reduces previously duplicated content.  A new calendar, new recycling wizard, and easy to use forms help users move through the site more efficiently to meet their specific needs.  The recycling wizard lets users find locality specific information on waste disposal from appliances, to clothing, to solvent and paints.   Quick links are also included on each page to further enhance user navigation. Customers can report a missed collection; see Holiday collection schedules; find accepted items; Recycling Wizardpurchase a bin or cart; find guidelines and much more. The CVWMA newsletter has also been redesigned for a fresh new look.

Website content may now be accessed responsively by both mobile phones and tablets.  In addition to the numerous online user features, CVWMA personnel can easily make changes and updates within a familiar word processing environment at specified permission levels.

SiteVision, Inc. (www.sitevision.com) is an Internet application development, consulting, design and hosting firm providing solutions for a broad spectrum of markets and industries, as well as for state, federal and international entities. Expertise includes custom, back-end dynamic applications, consulting to achieve unique goals, geographic information systems (GIS), content management systems, hosting services including, map and GIS application hosting, as well as custom and dedicated hosting solutions.  

SiteVision, Inc. participates in, or is available through, the following state and federal contracting vehicles:

The firm has its home office in Roanoke, VA, with sales offices in Charlottesville, VA and Miami, FL. 

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SiteVision GIS Partnership With City of Roanoke VA Goes Live

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”5196″ align=”left” size=”Small 150 width” quality=”100″] July 14, 2013:  The new City of Roanoke GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Application is now live and online.  The new implementation developed by SiteVision, Inc. in partnership with city officials, features numerous upgrades, design enhancements and additions to the original citywide mapping and real estate system.  

The technology initiative enhances an already robust application environment while providing important, new state-of-the-art mapping detail, reporting and printing functions.  The effort provides geographic information to citizens and staff through the Internet, desktop applications, databases and mapping products. It is utilized to enhance existing business systems by providing an easy way to view spatial and other data by geographic location.

Roanoke City GISSiteVision and city officials worked closely together to integrate the existing system to the now enhanced version. Among improvements, existing web application servers migrated to the more feature-rich ESRI ArcGIS server and Adobe Flex environments.  New features include floating, pull-down menus to permit rapid switching between various base maps. The redesigned site also includes Google Map and Google Street views. Comprehensive mapping and real estate information includes property overview, images, assessments, sales history, flooding information, community attributes and incentives. Users may also print a full property report including images.  

Roanoke City PortalThe Community and Incentive Website Portals, a useful feature previously developed in cooperation with SiteVision, has been incorporated into the enriched site.  Community information provides users with a summary of specific neighborhood information including school zones, voter precincts, trash collection, parks and recreation, neighborhoods and libraries. The incentive portal provides a summary of city, state and federal incentive programs available to a specific parcel. 

As a seasoned veteran in the geospatial sector, SiteVision has been planning, developing and hosting GIS Internet applications since the mid 1990’s. The firm’s experience ranges from evaluating, recommending, and designing local, regional, and state GIS applications and related infrastructures, to developing national systems designed to store and access multiple petabytes of geospatial Information. 

SiteVision, Inc. (www.sitevision.com) is an Internet application development, consulting, design and hosting firm providing solutions for a broad spectrum of markets and industries, as well as for state, federal and international entities. Expertise includes custom, back-end dynamic applications, consulting to achieve unique goals, geographic information systems (GIS), content management systems, hosting services including, map and GIS application hosting, as well as custom and dedicated hosting solutions. 

SiteVision, Inc. participates in, or is available through, the following state and federal contracting vehicles:

 The firm has its home office in Roanoke, VA, with sales offices in Charlottesville, VA and Miami, FL. 

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SiteVision To Add Recycling Interface For CVWMA Petersburg Residents

CVWMARoanoke, VA March 16, 2013: In an innovative move some years ago, the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA) added an online support system for its customers in the Central Virginia area.  The original system allowed CVWMA to manage all customer curbside requests for central VA.  The system included the ability for customers to ask online about bin deliveries, missed pickups, info requests, email notification of scheduled pickups, recycling requests, reports, and the like.

More recently CVWMA added an E-Commerce Option so that customers can order and pay for their curbside carts online. In the new enhancement, Petersburg, VA residents will have a new recycling vendor interface.

The new interface by SiteVision will log calls and process users to the new, approved recycling vendor for that jurisdiction. The project includes database enhancements, email reminder forms, associated Q&A and testing, and deployment to production and backup servers.

The online ordering system includes a search function which permits users to find their specific address.  They are then presented with a screen that includes their address, a pop-up collection schedule for their area, an option to request an email reminder the day before pick-ups, a recycling bin request and the ability to order a regular 96-gallon curbside cart. The user then proceeds through the secure, online ordering and payment process. Upon successful completion of their purchase, customers receive an Order Confirmation page which can be printed, as well as an email receipt. The cart is then delivered within two to three weeks.

The Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA) is a public service authority that coordinates recycling and solid waste management programs with thirteen local governments in central Virginia. Since its formation in 1990, the CVWMA has provided economical waste management and recycling solutions for reach of its member jurisdictions. The service celebrated its 20th year of service in December of 2010.  A board of directors including representatives from each member locality governs the actions of the Authority and daily operations are coordinated by an experienced staff.

SiteVision, Inc. (www.sitevision.com) is an Internet application development, consulting, design and hosting firm providing solutions for a broad spectrum of markets and industries, as well as for state, federal and international entities. Expertise includes custom, back-end dynamic applications, consulting to achieve unique goals, geographic information systems (GIS), content management systems, hosting services including, map and GIS application hosting, as well as custom and dedicated hosting solutions.

SiteVision, Inc. participates in, or is available through, the following state and federal contracting vehicles:

The firm has its home office in Roanoke, VA, with sales offices in Charlottesville, VA and Miami, FL.

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Near Southwest Preparedness Alliance Gets New Web Presence By SiteVision

Roanoke, VA November 27, 2012:  The Near Southwest Preparedness Alliance (NSPA) was created in 2004 to advance and improve the state of disaster preparedness for healthcare organizations within the jurisdictions of the Near Southwest Region.  The new website, developed by SiteVision, was created to better communicate goals, events, current and ongoing projects with its members, board of directors, committees and the general public.

The Alliance is the identified regional healthcare emergency preparedness coordinating organization for the Near Southwest region as established by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) and the Virginia Department of Health.  The website is based on a content management system that permits NSPA users to easily update, add content and event notifications, as well as provide for future expansion as required.

SiteVision, Inc. (www.sitevision.com) is an Internet application development, consulting, design and hosting firm providing solutions for a broad spectrum of markets and industries, as well as for state, federal and international entities. Expertise includes custom, back-end dynamic applications, consulting to achieve unique goals, geographic information systems (GIS), content management systems, hosting services including, map and GIS application hosting, as well as custom and dedicated hosting solutions.

SiteVision, Inc. participates in, or is available through, the following state and federal contracting vehicles:

The firm has its home office in Roanoke, VA, with sales offices in Charlottesville, VA and Miami, FL.

 

Veterinary Association Chooses SiteVision For New Content Management System

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”4528″ align=”left” size=”Small 150 width” quality=”100″] Roanoke, VA November 20, 2012: The West Virginia Veterinary Medical Association (WVMA) has implemented a new website to better meet organizational goals. The Content Management System was developed by SiteVision, Inc.

As a provider of education, resources and fellowship, WVMA (http://www.wvvma.org/) required a basic, easily maintained website that allowed them to communicate effectively with their professional membership and the community. SiteVision provided the enhanced design, coding and implementation. The new site features general information, as well as a membership e-commerce module, plus online event management. The primary purpose of the site is to present the organization – its goals and vision – while providing the ability to update membership and the public on available resources, news and legislation, board meetings, events and other matters of member and public interest. As a content management implementation, the new site allows the Association to update their site as required while providing the flexibility to enhance or grow the site as their internet requirements change.

SiteVision, Inc. (www.sitevision.com) is an Internet application development, consulting, design and hosting firm providing solutions for a broad spectrum of markets and industries, as well as for state, federal and international entities. Expertise includes custom, back-end dynamic applications, consulting to achieve unique goals, geographic information systems (GIS), content management systems, hosting services including, map and GIS application hosting, as well as custom and dedicated hosting solutions.

SiteVision, Inc. also participates in, or is available through, the following state and federal contracting vehicles:

The firm has its home office in Roanoke, VA, with sales offices in Charlottesville, VA and Miami, FL.

 

 

 

SiteVision Awarded Hosting Services Contract for Virginia Commonwealth Agencies and Localities

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”2167″ align=”left” size=”Small 150 width”] Includes ArcGIS for Server and Other Specialized Hosting Services

Roanoke, VA September 19, 2012: SiteVision has been selected as a hosting service and Software as a Service (SaaS) provider for Virginia’s state agencies, including all local government entities. The new contract is part of Virginia’s electronic government services program (eGov). The Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) announced the contract awards with the stated objective of modernizing the Commonwealth’s procurements and providing enhanced value to the state, greater transparency, broader participation by multiple suppliers, and cost-effective access to best of class technology services.

Contract awards followed in-depth, multi-agency evaluations of responses to VITA’s requests for proposals (RFPs) for eGov services.  Awards were based upon demonstrated, measurable benefit to the Commonwealth and contract users. VITA is the Commonwealth’s central information technology (IT) agency.  VITA’s statewide contracts can be accessed and utilized by all public entities, including Virginia counties, cities, towns, agencies, educational institutions and public safety providers.

The Hosting Contract is: VA-120416-STVN – Hosting and details may be found at: http://www.vita2.virginia.gov/procurement/contractDetail.cfm?contract_id=1000732

“We are delighted to be selected as a provider for advanced hosting and related technologies,” stated Patrick Maddox, President and CEO of SiteVision, Inc.  “We will dedicate ourselves to ensuring that the transition for state agencies and public bodies will be as smooth and seamless as possible,” Maddox said.  “We take pride in our service offerings, and will do what is necessary to ensure that the first impression in the transition process is a good one.”

As a provider, SiteVision has offered application design, development, and hosting solutions to federal, state, local, non-profit, and private sector clients for nearly fifteen (15) years.  A dedicated hosting staff focuses purely on hosting services and solutions.  The firm services several hundreds of customers and thousands of domain names and e-mail accounts across all of their hosting services.  All major systems (ping, power, and pipe) are redundant, and all servers and required services are actively and consistently monitored for availability. In addition to conventional hosting technologies; the firm offers content delivery networking (CDN); media delivery and streaming services; failover, redundancy and disaster recovery services; Cloud storage solutions; and a variety of custom hosting options.

In addition, the firm has long participated in GIS application development and hosting. “Currently, many of our clients are realizing significant benefits in moving their systems to a distributed environment,” states Daniel Shaffer, Director of SiteVision’s Geospatial Systems Division.  “This contract should be of particular interest to Virginia’s mapping and GIS community.  With a minimal cost of entry, this contract allows organizations to take full advantage of distributed GIS and Internet map server technology.”

SiteVision, Inc. (www.sitevision.com) is an Internet application development, consulting, design and hosting firm providing solutions for a broad spectrum of markets and industries, as well as for local, state, federal and international entities. Expertise includes custom, back-end dynamic applications, consulting to achieve unique goals, geographic information systems (GIS), content management systems, hosting services including map server and GIS application hosting, as well as custom and dedicated hosting solutions. The firm has its home office in Roanoke, VA, with sales offices in Charlottesville, VA and Miami, FL.

 

September News & Tips

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”4243″ align=”left” size=”Small 150 width”]

IN THE NEWS

Corning Flexible Glass Might Change Our Future:

As technology speeds along, there is, every now and then, an introduction that makes your heart beat a little faster simply because the implications could be so huge.  Corning’s new high quality Willow Glass is just such a breed.  It rolls up like a newspaper.  It’s ultra, ultra thin (0.1 millimeters) – think of a human hair – and could be used, among a myriad of other possibilities, to create lightweight flexible Smartphones of the future.  Other ideas include roll to roll processing of electronic circuitry; curved digital windows , walls and displays, and flexible solar cells, to name but a few of the possibilities. Watch the video.  It seems entirely possible that our current computing DNA will be dramatically altered by innovation such as this!

Keeping Your Data Safe:  Hardware Encrypted Drives

You’ve heard about (or worse, experienced) the theft of critical customer, personal, or corporate data loss on external drives.  Until recently, reminds PC World, encrypting an external drive through software was a difficult and cumbersome project.  Enter the newer hardware encrypted drives.  They scramble and crunch data as it’s written.  They are fast.  They eliminate the need for special software.  And should you fall victim to a theft – not to worry – as long as your password is securely in your possession.

Is It Time To Review Your Failover And Redundancy Solutions?

Does your website or application require near zero downtime and availability?  We want to remind you that SiteVision offers custom failover, redundancy, and disaster recovery services.  While most sites do not require these solutions, for those that do, it is a mission critical business priority.  If you require this capability, whether you currently host your site with us or not, please give us a call.  We’ll help you through the process and provide a custom “continuity of operations” contingency for your organization’s systems and data.

Office 2013:  Does It Have Its Head In The Cloud?

Oh yeah.  Files now save to the cloud (SkyDrive) by default.  It’s also oriented to a subscription based experience, though you can still purchase via the traditional software method.  With a subscription, you download the various desktop apps and they follow you to various devices (depending on your MS ID). As with Win 8, touch becomes a part of the experience.  To some the touch integration is half-hearted and confusing.  To others, it’s a welcome addition with positive implications.  According to some reviews, the same might be said for Win 8.  Time will tell!   Engadget has a comprehensive overview, as does Techradar

 

Why SiteVision?

We’re your advocate. SiteVision has been providing web development and hosting services to government agencies and non-profit organizations for over 20 years. We understand how overwhelming it can be to seek out a reliable solution for you website, custom application, and hosting needs.

At SiteVision we are passionate about creating solutions for customers that make their life better. We excel at understanding your business process and developing an application that is easy to learn and operate. We will always be fair, knowledgeable, honest, and professional.