Standardization of AV Tech and Tools with Evolve

Picture this: you’re all set to give a presentation to a potential client that could be the biggest sale your company has ever seen. You remember reserving Meeting Room A, so you go in early to set up with all of your adapters, cables, and audio equipment (since there will be people joining remotely too).

As you go to enter Meeting Room A, you see people are in it. That’s when you remember that the HR department reserved that room because they needed to fit more people, and asked you to switch to Meeting Room B. No big deal, you bring your stuff to Meeting Room B…

…and none of your equipment works in that room. The AV technology set-up is completely different. And the senior executives from your potential client will be calling into the meeting any minute.

The Importance of AV Standardization

The above scenario is unfortunately all too common. It’s also one of the biggest reasons why the standardization of AV tech and tools is so important.

Standardizing your AV tech and tools is twofold. On one hand, you want to be standardized across your organization. That means that systems and equipment are consistent throughout all of your workstations, huddle rooms, offices, and mobile devices.

It also means aligning your technology with your business goals. When you operate from one set of standards and a unified mission, it’s easier to see the value in AV and technology upgrades. When you have the latest technology within your organization, your business will become more efficient and you’ll be able to accomplish key initiatives more quickly.

Putting these two together, it’s clear that AV standardization is mission critical.

Benefits of AV Standardization

“But our organization has been operating just fine as is, so why would we want to spend time, effort, and money standardizing?”

This is a common question. And we get it, justifying a technology investment is never easy. But there are so many benefits of AV standardization that even businesses that have been operating just fine should pay attention to. They include:

  • Increased mobility. When your AV systems are standard across all of your devices and offices, your teams can work at any location without interruptions or compatibility issues. This allows them to work where they need to when they need to, yielding optimal results.
  • Easier adoption and troubleshooting. Each type of AV equipment requires training, buy-in, and troubleshooting efforts. When there’s only one system to learn, the burden here is decreased.
  • Centralizing AV. Standardization and centralization go hand in hand. Having all AV efforts operate on one system increases visibility and gives greater control over costs.
  • Avoiding compatibility issues. When introducing any new hardware, it’s a hassle to have to check that it’s compatible with multiple systems. Standardization ensures you only have to do one compatibility check.

Maintaining the Standard with Evolve AVaaS

While it’s important to standardize AV tech and tools, it’s also important to understand that AV is always evolving. So how do you maintain standard if it’s always evolving?

There is a way. Our Evolve AV as a Service, or Evolve AVaaS, helps maintain AV standards in your organization. Rather than spending money on pieces of tech that work together for now, and having to replace them ad hoc, Evolve AVaaS offers a seamless integration with software and technology that’s user friendly and cost efficient.

By utilizing a subscription, you’ll get all the equipment you need, full servicing and on-call help, and the ability to upgrade at any time. So not only will you be able to standardize across your organization, you’ll be able to keep the standard while always knowing you’re using the most advanced technology.

The best AVaaS offerings allow you to change your terms at any time. Scale up, scale down, upgrade, go in a different direction… whatever your goals are, Evolve AVaaS supports them.

So, don’t ever get stuck in a situation like we mentioned before. Instead, standardize your AV and create a more efficient work environment.

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How IT Can Quickly Roll Out Remote Work Environments Amidst the Coronavirus Outbreak

As the U.S. braces for the coronavirus to spread, businesses have moved to both protect employee health and avoid disruption of their operations by taking steps to support staff to work from home. Though the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. remains low compared to other parts of the world, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned last week that the virus is likely to spread further in the coming months. 

Remote work has surged in China as a result of restrictions set forth by health officials. In a conference call last week, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, advised U.S. Companies to start making similar preparations. 

However, businesses that have not invested in developing and onboarding the tools for broad remote-work strategy and enablement,may be at risk for serious disruptions in operations and bottom-line drops that are made worse by the slumping stock market. So, what can IT teams do quickly to adapt?

IT Teams Need to Act Now
If businesses have yet to commit to a remote strategy and invest in enablement and adoption, it’s not too late to do so, but it will have to be done seamlessly and in a lot less time than originally planned. To make matters worse, a 2017 survey by Poly found that 62% of respondents didn’t believe the video conferencing tools they had in place were adequate and wanted their employers to provide better technology that’s both easy to use and help them stay connected. So even if businesses have made some effort to roll out video conferencing, employees aren’t using it effectively because of gaps in adequacy.  

Considering the problems associated with timing and adoption and utilization, IT teams are best suited to work with integrators that can offer them a strategy that’s scalable, delivering fast deployments and helping employees adopt and utilize any new or existing platforms that are available to them.

IT Needs to Consider AVaaS
The speed in which businesses will have to adapt also makes a compelling case to consider AVaaS options, for both short-term and long-term benefits.

In the short term, AVaaS allows companies to invest in AV design, deployment, integration, adoption and support at a significantly lower upfront cost; it’s the easiest way for IT teams to gain budget approval and deploy much faster than the traditional method of upfront capital expenditure.

In the long-term, AVaaS offers SRG’s (solutions replacement guarantees) that allow for upgrades or the ability to migrate to new tech if the solutions no longer fit within the organization; if decision-makers are hesitant to act quickly, they’ll at least have flexibility to change later on if the business needs adjust in the absence of a threat like Coronavirus.

Where to Go From Here?
The prospect of cancelled events and the need to keep workers productive provides the right time for companies to revisit collaboration tools and work-from-home policies, but more than anything it prioritizes the health of employees and mitigates the spread of the virus.

In response, many companies in the video conference industry are doing everything they can to support those affected by the outbreak. For example – video conferencing software provider Zoom scheduled several on-demand resources and tutorials to help new adopters learn how to use the platform in China. Networking hardware and software company Cisco has also expanded capabilities of their free Webex offering, allowing unlimited usage, support for up to 100 participants and toll dial-in. We can likely expect more offerings from providers as officials restrict areas, making it even easier to act quickly and reduce the chances of disruption.

For IT teams looking to quickly roll out remote work environments or get insight into what AV companies are offering while restrictions are enacted, IVCi is providing additional staffing to accommodate project deployment inquiries to ease the impact. Contact us here.  

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Evolve: the Future of AV is Here

By now, most businesses understand that equipping your workplace with cutting-edge AV technology is the best way to streamline and futureproof processes. But with a lot of moving parts — knowing what technologies to invest in, when to upgrade, how to manage maintenance and repairs — doing so can be a challenge for a lot of organizations.

With those challenges in mind, we’re rolling out Evolve, our user-inspired AV as a service program. With one single subscription, you can have everything you need for modern productivity.

You’ll never have to worry about your systems becoming obsolete, or unpredictable business changes drastically altering your technology needs. From strategy and design to deployment and service, you’ll be backed by a team of experts who can help bring the power of collaborative environments to your business.

Benefits of Audio Video as a Service

Audio video as a service (AVaaS) subscriptions has a substantial advantage over traditional AV implementation and maintenance processes. AVaaS allows businesses to:

  • Know what new technologies to invest in and upgrade at any time.
  • Re-set term options at any point to protect against changes to your business.
  • Get an in-room QR code that connects to a MVE team for on-demand support and learning.
  • Plan and achieve goals set for the future.
  • Have break-fix services for the entire lifecycle.

Regardless of industry, company size, or business goals, all organizations can benefit from more advanced technology and more collaborative workspaces. These benefits that are only available on a subscription basis will allow your teams to work together more efficiently and effectively.

Key Features of Evolve

Evolve has some key features that you just won’t find anywhere else:

  • The IVCi Portal which gives users full visibility into projects and quotes, with a helpdesk and all relevant documentation.
  • In-room QR Code Support for the most comprehensive adoption and utilization program.
  • Full, in-person QBRs so you can trace the impact of AV environment on your business goals.
  • Hardware and software that’s monitored by an in-house team ready to quickly resolve any issues that may arise.

Sound too good to be true? That just might be because your current AV environment isn’t measuring up. But with modern productivity evolving rapidly, it’s time to embrace the future by looking at AV in an entirely new way.

With Evolve AVaaS, you’ll be able to get there first, go with confidence, become the experts, and achieve your goals. In other words, you’ll be charging ahead and setting the pace in your industry, allowing you to achieve things you never could before.

Ready to Embrace the Future of AV?

The future of AV is here, and it’s yours for the taking. Interested in learning more or getting started in future-proofing your AV capabilities? Contact us and start speaking with an Evolve expert today!

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What’s the Difference Between SVC & AVC?

There’s a lot of technology that goes on behind the scenes of video conferencing in order to make it a seamless experience for the user. One of these processes that video conferencing endpoints perform is video encoding, or the compression of digital audio and video signals, for transmission across networks in an efficient and effective manner. Then, another video endpoint decodes, or decompresses that signal, where video is displayed on a screen and audio is produced from a speaker. Today, there are two major video encoding and decoding implementations that are in use by industry leading manufacturers – Scalable Video Coding (SVC) and Advanced Video Coding (AVC).

Advanced Video Coding (AVC) was introduced in 2003 and is currently one of the most commonly used formats for audio/video compression. A core concept in AVC compression is the use of a specified resolution and frame rate in every call. The specific call quality (SD, 720pHD, or 1080pHD to name a few) which is used in a particular call is based on a negotiation between endpoints or bridges in a call about the capabilities which they can support. One downside is that the endpoints in many cases can support qualities that the network between them may not be able to support. In this situation the endpoints agree to connect at the best quality they are capable of, but when the network cannot accommodate all of that digital data, packets are dropped and video can become choppy or completely freeze.

Scalable Video Coding (SVC) is a newer form of video compression which dynamically adjusts the frame rateor resolution in real-time based on varying network conditions. For example, if one participant’s network becomes congested by other applications on their network (file downloads, system backups, and internet streaming are common bandwidth “hogs”) the call rate (and resolution or frame rate) will automatically decrease in order to preserve call integrity at the cost of slightly lower call quality. One downside to SVC is that there may be increased processing required at the endpoint to support the constant monitoring of packet loss and there may be increased bandwidth compared to AVC to support similar resolutions.

Determining which option is right for your organization depends on your business needs and requirements, how you plan on using video, and what your network constraints are. For example, SVC may be a better option for an organization looking to deploy a soft video client to their entire organization on a shared network that is shared by many other applications. However, AVC may be a better option for a more controlled network environment where QoS can be implemented to ensure a time-sensitive data such as real-time conferencing data does not compete with other data which may not be time-sensitive (such as co-workers watching YouTube).

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What Does an AV Room Consist Of?

What is an AV Room? A place to collaborate? A place to meet with remote team members? A place to present PowerPoint slides? While the correct answer may be all of the above; none of these functions would happen without the proper design and configuration of the space. Technology integration and the actual room environment  are essential considerations when designing an optimal meeting space. As stated by Tim Hennen, SVP of Engineering at IVCi, “An audio visual integrated room is a meld of art and science. The art is in the design of the room itself; the lighting, furniture, and the selection of the right technologies that will eventually come together. The science comes in with the building of those technology connections and making each device work together as if they were one.” That being said, there are 4 core design and technology components that are imperative when creating an effective collaboration environment. Understanding these will also help with determining what you would like to accomplish within the room.

Video “What do you want to see?” Video in an AV room is about the display of content, how you see meeting participants on the other side of the video call,  and how remote participants see you. The equipment associated with video includes cameras, displays, a matrix switcher, a digital video processor, and a codec.

Audio “How do you want to hear/be heard?” Audio in an AV room is about how audio is projected in the room, how sound is sent to remote participants, and how you are heard to remote participants. Equipment for audio includes speakers, microphones, acoustic panels, and an audio control system.

Control “How do you want to control the room?” Control in an AV room is about managing what you display, where you display it, and who is heard. The equipment involved includes a control processor and the control panel.

Lighting “How will the room be lit properly?” Lighting in an AV room is about where the lighting is placed, where current natural light sources are located, and where you want your furniture and equipment placed. Lights, shades, and lighting placement are the essentials associated with lighting in an AV room.

Understanding how these components affect the collaboration space is as important as selecting the the technology itself. Poor lighting or acoustics impact the collaboration experience just as much as not having the right video conferencing or presentation equipment. Download a copy of our AV Buyers guide for detailed explanations of each core component in addition to some handy tips and tricks. 

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