Commercial Integration Blog

Have you ever packed your car for a trip?  Meticulously choosing the space and orientation for each item, ensuring that everything fits and nothing gets damaged becomes a real-life game of Tetris.  However, it rarely fails; with everything perfectly in its place you close the trunk only to realize you forgot your suitcase.  So much time and effort were spent organizing, but you forgot the most important item, now what?  Building or remodeling a new facility can be the same way.  The plans are drawn up, contractors are hired, ground is broken, but what about the AV needs of the space?  Is this going to be the crammed in suitcase, now full of wrinkled clothes? 

We’ve all heard those commercials from car dealers.  They tout leases on brand new cars that give you a payment less than your cable bill each month.  It almost sounds too good to be true, but it’s not.  If you were in the market for a new car but didn’t want to blow your hard earned savings on a high sticker price, or commit to a burdensome note each month, this can be an ideal option.  Wouldn’t it be great if businesses had the same opportunity when it came to technology?

Finding the right and best technology for your business can be challenging.  What can be an even bigger obstacle is finding the right professionals to design, install, and service it.  This is especially true when it comes to commercial AV and automation projects.  But with a little research, this process can be an easy and smooth one, that makes your organization more productive in the end.  Here are few things to look for in AV consultant.

Not long ago when you would pack for a trip you would need to bring along a variety of different devices, each with a different function.  This also meant you would need to pack a number of different chargers, batteries, cables, and other accessories that would quickly monopolize the space in your luggage.  Today however, what once required a suitcase now fits in your pocket, or at the very least a backpack.  Phones, tablets and laptops have replaced the Walkman, portable DVD player, books, magazines and any other gadget you would use to pass the time while traveling.  No more wrestling with random elements that don’t work together and honestly become cumbersome while offering little reward.  Boardroom automation technology has followed a similar pattern.

With the constant innovation of technology, face-to-face meetings are quickly becoming less economical, and less common.  In fact, a study by CMS Wire shows that 95% of those surveyed plan to use other business communication tools in lieu of traditional, in-person meetings.  This means that platforms like video conferencing are becoming more important.  But are your conference rooms and meeting spaces prepared for effective communication? 

Keeping up with the fast pace of technology can be a challenge; not only from an implementation and execution perspective, but especially from a financial standpoint.  At the same time technology is an expense that can’t go ignored.  However for small to medium sized business, and even larger organizations, having the resources and capital to invest in a state-of-the-art platform can be challenging.  At least it used to be.

“As-a-service” is a model that is changing the ways that businesses operate.  This idea that traditionally expensive commercial platforms can be offered on a service based level is creating opportunities for organizations of every shape and size.  The role that technology plays in daily operations and communication is not getting any smaller; it is in this sector that “as-a-service” has generated the most potential.  Cloud based applications have catapulted SaaS (software-as-a-service) into becoming a business norm, and this same approach can be applied to audio/video integration.

It wasn’t long ago that in order to enjoy technology on a personal level we had to agree to be handcuffed to hardware, platforms, and tangible accessories that would overwhelm bookcases, require special compartments, and a significant initial investment.  In order to watch movies you had to buy a DVD player and DVDs.  To listen to music you needed a stereo and CDs.  To do anything you needed infrastructure and recurring resources.  Today, that is not the case.  Technology, especially in the entertainment sector has become streamlined through an entire new model.  No more buying components and accessories.  Consumers have shifted from needing to hold a tangible, physical piece of media to preferring, for a nominal fee, to have access to a song, movie, or show on demand.  Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, and Pandora have changed the landscape in our living rooms and cars.  Everything you could ever want lives in the cloud and is ready when you want it. 

Goalposts used to be in the front of the end zone.  The front.  On the goal line.  From 1933 to 1974 this is the way football was played, as an obstacle course.  Then they rethought it.  Players stopped running into the goal posts, scoring increased, and the game became the most popular sport in the country.  However, not everyone takes the opportunity to “rethink”.  Do you remember going to Blockbuster Video to pick up the latest movie?  Chances are that you do.  Did you know that Blockbuster was given an opportunity to buy NetFlix in 2000?  They were, for $50 million.  However, as history has shown, they passed on the deal.  They thought that their model: the brick and mortar, please be kind, rewind, and late fee charging model would always work.  They didn’t “rethink”.  Today NetFlix is a $32.9 billion company, and Blockbuster went out of business in 2013. 

A recent study by the University of California at Los Angeles shows that 38% of what is learned during a presentation stems from audio.  While 55% of what is learned comes directly from visual elements, having a quality, effective way to share sound as well is imperative to a fully integrated work space.