AVIXA CEO David Labuskes has said that AV has become a necessity in the modern workplace. Never has that statement been more true than in the era of COVID-19.
While IT has had to handle the load when it comes to bandwidth and security, videoconferencing, collaboration, and communications inherent in remote work all fall under the scope of AV integration.
Many organizations have turned to quick-fix solutions or even free platforms to handle the increase in remote users, but as businesses reopen and organizations reassess their remote strategy, they’ll seek to find holistic systems that make it as easy to collaborate from home as it is in the office.
Many tech managers might think less users in the office would mean a less sophisticated conferencing or collaboration system. AV integrators know that isn’t the case.When the time comes for crucial sharing or management of content in a videoconference, you’ll kick yourselves for not upgrading to a better system.
AV systems were very much one-size-fits-all once upon a time. It was once possible to have a videoconferencing system that began and ended in the conference room, or a collaboration platform that only saved information in a hard-wired box connected to the display.
People used to take photos of an interactive whiteboard and email it to one another. Now, videoconferencing systems are often collaboration platforms as well. Users need to be able to bring in diverse content pieces from multiple software programs, and those pieces need the ability to be manipulated by people within the room and without.
They need to work with a number of videoconferencing software providers to ensure customers or partners from another house can properly interact. More than that, with a sudden rise in remote work that many believe will have long-lasting effects, AV systems need to bring in remote participants.
All of that to say that AV can’t be jerry-rigged into existing spaces and business plans. For a new construction project, AV integrators need to be involved to help explain the special needs of boardrooms, conference spaces, huddle rooms, etc.
For a new technology project, integrators need to be involved in order to better explain to customers what they actually need from a project. Customers have only a low-level understanding of AV systems compared to integrators.
Integrators need to ask about workflow, processes, pain points that customers are having, then seek to develop systems that streamline workflows, match with processes and eliminate pain points. It’s up to the tech manager to bring in the AV integrator early enough that the information matters to the ultimate system. Too late and the integrator is confined to physical space or what tech managers think they need.
Getting integrators involved early will produce the best systems, uniquely created for your organization.
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