We’ve discussed the merits of managed services at length on these blog pages. The term SaaS (Software as a Service) is well understood in the IT lexicon and the technology world. Managed services are also starting to become well understood and, generally speaking, are all about delivering an outcome-based level of performance and service for a set monthly fee. So, what, then, is Hardware as a Service (HaaS), and how does it play into the world of managed services? 

For the most part, HaaS is the same concept as any other managed service. We’re going to use a consumer example here, and while it may not correlate directly to the commercial audio-visual world, it is illustrative. 

Volvo currently offers some unique leasing plans for some of its models. In fact, they don't call it a lease; they call it a subscription. Unlike common car leases, this one offers full maintenance (including tires), insurance, road hazard coverage, and almost everything you need to operate the vehicle but fuel. It doesn't even require a long-term commitment. It’s as close as you get in the auto world to the car as a service, where you get almost all the benefits of ownership without most of the downside.

HaaS for your Phoenix, AZ company can work in much the same way as Volvo’s subscription-based model, and then some. Let’s explore the HaaS model for AV and its benefits in more detail below. 

Medical simulation is rising in popularity as an engaging and effective way to deliver education to medical students in a safe, structured environment. And with new sim labs popping up in training hospitals and universities in Miami, FL, and across the U.S., the need for qualified simulation technicians is rising as well.

Simulation education can take the form of many pathways, from certifications and trade schools to college-level degrees and courses. And it’s a field open and attractive to individuals with various areas of expertise — nurses, IT technicians, and AV experts could all find that becoming a sim tech is a fulfilling career path.

If you’re interested in pursuing a career as a simulation technician or similar role, we have some guidelines to help you create a simulation education pathway. Keep reading to get started!

The workplace is undergoing a digital transformation. The global pandemic that rocked the globe in 2020 sent millions of workers in Phoenix, AZ, and across the U.S. to work out of home offices, collaborate with teammates in the cloud, and meet over video instead of in person. Now, as people start trickling back to the office, they have new expectations for the environment they work in and the technology they use. Making Zoom calls from home is easy — now, employees want the in-office experience to be as easy as clicking a link and jumping on a video call.

And with Crestron Flex, it can be. Flex is an all-in-one unified communications solution that delivers everything you need in the conference room on a single, user-friendly platform. Flex was designed to support the new hybrid workplace and facilitate the digital workplace transformation. So what do you get with Flex’s single solution? Keep reading to find out.

We are excited to announce our annual “Adopt a Family for Christmas” program was a huge success.  The program asks for Level 3 Audiovisual employees to “adopt” a family and provide Christmas gifts. We started this program in 2018 by working with The Society of St. Vincent De Paul and we are now partnering with the wonderful people at H.E.L.P. (Homeless Engagement Lift Partnership).

Hello, friends! Welcome to the Qualiverse where we talk about all things quality, especially as they pertain to AV. My name is Jim Maltese and I have spent most of my career bringing quality to the AV industry, either as a system commissioner or instructor for InfoComm/AVIXA and AQAV or as VP of Quality Standards at Level 3 Audiovisual.

In a hybrid workplace model, employees have the freedom and flexibility to choose where they work day-to-day. For some workers, that’s alternating days in the office with days at home. For others, that’s only coming to the office for all-hands meetings or team events. So how can your organization reconcile differing employee schedules and work styles while keeping everyone connected?

The key to creating an effective hybrid workplace is cultivating an office environment where employees are just as comfortable, productive, and efficient as they are at home. A successful hybrid model allows employees to move fluidly between home and office workspaces and have the best tools and conditions to thrive in both. 

Tools like workplace experience apps, Crestron Flex room systems, and video conferencing platforms, combined with a fresh office re-design, can help your organization in Tempe, AZ, or elsewhere in the U.S. build the kind of workplace that makes workers want to come to the office. 

Keep reading to learn three tips for implementing a hybrid model in your office spaces. 

Everyone – including us – is talking about how hybrid work models will affect the nature of work and workplaces. While there is much being said, we don't know for sure what will happen. As companies and organizations manage the return to the office, they're adjusting in real-time to the realities of continuing health concerns, a workforce grown comfortable with working remotely, and what to do with physical office space and the technology that supports it. 

In the past few months, we’ve put forth our thoughts on these trends and how organizations can rethink collaboration technology and meeting room design. What about one of the largest meeting spaces, the training room? Will that space survive the new hybrid work model? If it does, how will training room design evolve over the next several years here in Tempe, Arizona, or elsewhere? We'll explore some challenges and ideas below.

Ready or not, the digital transformation is coming. Flexible, agile, and nimble software-driven AV tools like unified communications, video conferencing, and digital signage are becoming commonplace office technologies in the hybrid workplace. And in response, AV systems management solutions need to become as flexible, agile, and nimble as the tools they’re supporting.

AV remote monitoring and management (RMM) is the support model of the future. Under a managed services agreement, you receive 24/7 proactive RMM for a fixed monthly price. In return, you’re not responsible for the burden and costs of making sure your systems work — your managed services provider (MSP) is.

Remote monitoring and management lead to fewer problems that disrupt your workflows and cost your business money, time and resources. Keep reading to learn how RMM as a service supports your hybrid workplace in Scottsdale, AZ, or elsewhere in the U.S.