When most people who live outside the area think of the Mid-Atlantic, they picture Washington, D.C. or Philadelphia. Baltimore, Maryland is usually overlooked and forgotten about, unless you have seen The Wire. Baltimore is a city of about 600,000 located on the Patapsco River, a tributary to the mighty Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore and its metro areas are perhaps some of the most diverse areas in the country – from rolling farmland just 10 miles outside of the city to almost 70 unique neighborhoods that operate like their own little towns. You can easily find the many arts districts, restaurant districts, and waterfront areas that make the city beautiful and fun. Contrary to popular belief, Baltimoreans are not The Wire. Baltimore is the home of the Star-Spangled Banner and the fort that saved this country from British Invasion in 1814. A blue-collar city built on the backs of hard workers from steel mills, railroads, and maritime ports, Baltimoreans show that hard working attitude with the love of sports teams which rival and equal that of the neighboring cities. Being overlooked has created a chip on Baltimore’s shoulder which has created its unique charm, hence its nickname of ‘Charm City’.
Now, Baltimore may not be the tech hub like the Silicon Valley, but it has developed its own niches in tech. There are incubators all over the city with tech startups popping up frequently. Many are specifically in IT Security because of the proximity to Washington, D.C. without the high D.C. prices. Baltimore is home to major companies that most of you use or have heard about, from Stanley Black & Decker to Under Armor to T. Rowe Price. The hospitals and the innovations that come out of them are a source of pride in Baltimore. It is home to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma, one of the leading trauma units in the world that trains members of the US military and developed the trauma hospital system. As is well known, Baltimore is also home to the world-renowned Johns Hopkins University Hospital, one of the leading Hospitals in the world.
VSS has been a part of Baltimore since the company’s inception. Currently, we are a team made of up individuals who were basically born and raised in and around Baltimore. VSS has been doing business in Baltimore for over 30 years, and in that time we have learned that because Baltimore is below the Mason Dixon line but above the Potomac that we are not Northern and not southern but a perfect mix. Because of this dichotomy, our companies and our clients require the hard work, dedication, and great personalities that people have come to expect out of southern cities but at the breakneck pace and requirements of northern ones. These are values and mottos that VSS has come to be known for. Most of our Clients in Baltimore have been clients for over a decade. Between our unique location and our experience, we believe our team is well equipped to help Converge’s other teams across North America. Our goal is to offer the best solutions available and meet all of our clients’ needs; essentially, we believe in doing our job right.
VSS offers a wide range of capabilities to all our clients in our region, from private and public cloud solutions, managed services, automation, and staffing to general IT consulting. We strive to help our clients collect and appropriately utilize their data to create better outcomes for them now and down the road. In 2019, we were proud to become a member of the Converge family, a status that allows us to offer even more solutions and service to our clients. Baltimore is known for its small town feel despite being a big city; with our acquisition by Converge, we are that small team feel inside of a large and excellent organization. We look forward to continuing to serve our clients for many more years to come with the same level of excellency that we have always had.
Baltimore is one of the most unique and interesting cities in the country. Again, we are not The Wire and we probably aren’t even what you have seen about us on the news. We are a city of hardworking people who love our city, and we would say it’s largely underrated by the rest of our country. VSS loves Baltimore and we are proud to represent it.
