Past Project Spotlight

We were approached by Linwood “Chip” Lacy to see if VBL could provide network technology, integration, and support in a marine environment for a custom sports fishing yacht that he was building on the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

Mr. Lacy, a Computer Industry Hall of Fame member is widely considered as the visionary who created the computer distribution channel in use today. His contributions to the technology industry are legendary.

Dubbed as the ‘Kingpin of Distribution’, Mr Lacy has had an impressive career in technology that spans nearly 25 years. His career achievements are well-known including, catapulting Ingram Micro into an industry powerhouse and taking their growth from $100 million to $12 billion in revenue while he served as CEO.

Obviously, Mr. Lacy is no stranger to technology. He had very specific needs and requirements for the systems on his vessel.

First and foremost, he wanted the ability to have Internet Access anywhere worldwide using various Internet Service Providers. Our solution needed to accommodate multiple Internet sources depending on what was available in proximity to the vessel. This required extensive planning and specialized equipment as our support staff would not always be onboard to reprogram and configure complicated network components.

We set out to design a system that would be robust and fully functional in terms of networking power. Our design utilizes both indoor and outdoor equipment that was specifically selected to withstand the harsh marine environment. Down to the method of securing the equipment for safety and proper operation while underway, we employed state of the art shock absorbing isolators.

Our network solution offers all the capabilities of a modern, full-blown, land-based network including a built-in workstation console, a 2 terabyte storage system, connection to any available hot spot and also the unique ability to function as an actual hotspot and provide wireless and wired Internet access to anyone on or around the boat. All this with full integration to the other onboard electronics provides a truly complete shipboard system.

Here is what Mr. Lacy had to say of our project together:

“I was referred to VBL Technologies by several individuals that had high praise for its work. We required a firm to provide a custom network solution in a marine environment. We needed careful attention to detail and coordination with many other tradesmen building my sports fishing yacht in the Outer Banks, NC. From the planning and design sessions on through to implementation, VBL put together a marine hardened network with near seamless integration between the network, navigation, satellite, and entertainment systems of the boat. The VBL team put together scripts and automation to simplify working with the various components making operation reliable and very easy to use. Whether at home port, away port, or even while underway, my onboard system can keep constant Internet connectivity and communications with the rest of the world. This system continues to perform reliably.”

We are very pleased to have worked withMr. Lacy on this project and are proud of our success. VBL’s work is featured in the March 2010 issue of Marlin Magazine, an international sport fishing magazine. The article focuses on combining work with play, and creating the ideal offshore office. The Anne Warrick represents just that. To read the complete article, click on the Marlin magazine image to the right.

VBL stands for “Visions Brought to Life” and that's exactly what we did...we took Mr. Lacy’s vision and made it a reality. It’s the cornerstone of our DNA, working closely with our clients to help them achieve their objectives.