Meet Vishwas Lele, Chief Technology Officer of Applied Information Sciences (AIS), who is responsible for the company’s vision and execution behind developing business solutions with Microsoft Technologies. Lele is a visionary and an expert in Microsoft’s platforms that include SharePoint and Windows Azure. Lele sits down with WashingtonExec’s Aisha Jamil to discuss his background in software engineering, the four ways businesses should use SharePoint as an enterprise platform and how he is teaching his seven-year-old daughter Kodu.
WashingtonExec: Describe your professional background and what eventually led you to become CTO of Applied Information Sciences.
Vishwas Lele: I started out as a software engineer at AIS and worked there for 17 years. As CTO, I am responsible for the company’s vision and execution behind creating business solutions with Microsoft Technologies. For the last eight years, I have been the local Microsoft Regional Director, one out of 120 worldwide. Being an exclusive member of this program provides an important link between AIS and Microsoft, and as a result it provides ahead-of-the-curve expertise for our customers.
WashingtonExec: Could you explain to WashingtonExec readers what Applied Information Sciences is and/or does?
Vishwas Lele: Since 1982, AIS has primarily provided software engineering services to government and various companies. In some cases we also provide other IT support services. As a Microsoft Managed Gold Partner since 1994, we have focused people, partnerships and investments in Microsoft solutions expertise. We specialize in using tools, platforms and services to offer application development and modernization solutions, cloud computing services, business intelligence, business process management, enterprise content management, portals, and workflow solutions (such as case management). Today, we work with a wide range of customers including GEICO, Chemonics, The Kennedy Center, The U.S Marine Corps and The Department of Defense.
WashingtonExec: What are some of the best ways businesses can utilize Microsoft’s SharePoint 2010 these days?
Vishwas Lele: I focus on SharePoint as an enterprise platform. In addition to its canonical use in portals and collaboration, I see businesses leveraging SharePoint in the followings ways:
The need to provision more than one Web site based on a logical grouping — such as department, region or country — rather than have one Web site that serves all users.
- The need to manage un-structured content (i.e. documents, Web casts, etc.) combined with social networking capabilities.
- When organizations seek to involve the business users and analysts in all aspects of development, not just during the requirement gathering.
- When organizations are looking to build departmental applications that are based on external sources of data.
Washington Exec: You write about Windows Azure in your blog a lot. Could you explain what that is and how it can be useful to a small business?
Vishwas Lele: Cloud Computing is here. Rather than running and storing applications within their own data centers, organizations can now leverage internet-accessible data centers. These large data centers allow organizations to use their resources as much as they need while only paying for what they use. Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform is one of the more mature offerings in what is commonly known as a PaaS (Platform as a Service) style of cloud computing. Customers can take their Windows and non-windows based software programs and run them on the Window Azure Platform.
In the last year alone, we have worked with several businesses (including small businesses) who are looking at Windows Azure to quickly standup their applications without incurring the cost of setting and maintaining these applications. In many ways, Windows Azure has leveled the playing field by providing small businesses with a low-cost, high-scale environment to run and market their applications. We have seen a lot of excitement and traction around Windows Azure and have already deployed solutions for both a Federal agencies and for our commercial customers.
WashingtonExec: What would one catch you doing on your day(s) off?
Vishwas Lele: Well this summer, you would catch me teaching my seven-year-old daughter programming in Kodu.
