Level 3 Audiovisual is proud to announce that we have once again been recognized as a Top 50 Systems Integrator by Systems Contractor News (SCN) for the year 2023. This prestigious honor, now in its 15th year, acknowledges companies that exemplify outstanding innovation, creativity, and excellence within the audiovisual industry.

In the realm of law enforcement, the integration of technology has revolutionized crime prevention and investigation. Real-time Crime Centers (RTCCs) stand as pioneers in this evolution, employing proactive analysis and response strategies to enhance officer and citizen safety. As law enforcement agencies increasingly adopt technology-driven policing approaches, the significance of RTCCs in managing and leveraging a variety of technological tools becomes paramount.

Now more than ever before, companies and organizations must continually consider how they can improve communications within their teams. As such, it is no surprise that topics like meeting equity have only increased in their relevance. Despite that, many working professionals still don't have a firm grasp on what meeting equity is and how improving it can benefit just about any organization. For those not yet in the know, this article will give you a quick introduction to what meeting equity is and how to improve it.

For companies in the private sector, updated technology is critical to beating competitors and increasing revenue, so many businesses build their budgets to prioritize AV and IT spending. For public sector organizations, however, updating technology is not so simple. An incremental, year-to-year budgeting process can make large capital investments in technology difficult. And, because government agencies are not profit—or competition—driven, big tech investments can be difficult to justify. However, updated technology and the way it improves business processes, delivery and customer satisfaction should be just as important to the public sector as it is to the private sector. Here are five reasons government agencies and organizations should update their technology.

Do you know the old saying about the best-laid plans? You can plan for every contingency or occurrence, but inevitably something happens that you didn't imagine and throws a huge wrench in your intricate plan. So while planning is necessary, a great strategy can adapt to the unforeseen. So what does all this have to do with meeting room solutions? 

The internet is breathless with all the discussion around hybrid work, and we've also postulated plenty about the subject on these pages. But as we all know, the future of hybrid work is uncertain. How many people will return to offices? What will be the mix of remote versus in-office staff? Most companies are wading through that right now, with many mandating some minimum days in the office while others adopt a remote-first approach. How, then, do you plan your meeting room technology investments? The best way is to invest in adaptable solutions, ready for anything the future holds. 

As everyone knows, two of the leading platforms enabling and advancing hybrid work are Microsoft Teams and Zoom. And much of the upgrades to meeting room technology in the past 2-3 years have involved integrating these platforms into meeting spaces seamlessly. Some of the most flexible solutions for this come from Poly, a well-known and longtime brand in meeting room technology. They offer built-in Teams and Zoom Room functionality, so you don't have to choose. And significantly, they leverage the latest features of these platforms to give your teams a collaborative edge. 

The point is, whether you have two people in your meeting room versus eight people the next day, your meeting room AV makes each meeting just as productive, no matter where all the participants are. Let's explore some of these key features below.

In the not-too-distant past, setting up a video conferencing room was an exercise in integration. Separate cameras, microphones, speakers, processing, interconnects, and control interfaces all had to be integrated into a cohesive system. Many conference rooms are still custom-built this way, depending on the specific needs of that space and the organization. However, there has been a rise in the “appliance” meeting room solution, an integrated solution that solves the audio and video communication needs of most conference rooms. 

Some of the best of those solutions come from Poly, a longtime player in conference room AV, starting with the ubiquitous Polycom conferencing phones from the 1980s that were found in most corporate meeting rooms. Now, you might think, does an appliance-type solution work for the enterprise? One of the things that aids in deploying meeting room solutions across hundreds or thousands of rooms in disparate locations is standardization. If you can operate a solution in each space that is consistent in usage and operation, you decrease complexity, downtime, and cost. Aided by the fact that Poly is now part of HP and has worldwide distribution and support, solutions like the Poly Studio appliance series are a smart choice for enterprises in Phoenix, AZ, and around the world. 

Keep reading below to explore the benefits of Poly meeting room solutions for your organization.

As technology continues to advance rapidly, businesses may find themselves replacing their AV systems every few years to keep up with modern demands—or be stuck with outdated solutions. If only there were a simpler way to update and expand…

There is—the “as-a-service” model applied to technology integration. Integration as a Service works like a subscription plan in which your provider integrates disparate systems and technologies, providing them as a working, on-demand service to your organization. IaaS includes systems monitoring and maintaining the infrastructure for you. 

And just like phone plans allow customers to upgrade their smartphones every few years, IaaS is a convenient, simple way to outsource AV management. So rather than pay one time for an integration installation, you’ll pay a monthly subscription for much less of a hassle.

Here’s why Integration as a Service is worthwhile for your business.

As a term, service delivery management seems self-explanatory. If you’re in the information technology world, you also understand how it applies to your sphere of influence. In the AV world, let’s say that considering your AV infrastructure – like conference rooms and meeting spaces – as a service might not seem intuitive, but it is. Your AV investments are not a collection of rooms, microphones, projectors, screens, cameras, and audio mixers; they are a service to facilitate communication and collaboration for your organization. 

How, then, do you apply principles of service delivery management best practices to your AV systems? If you’ve adopted the mindset that AV is a service, you're halfway there. We can take many of the same techniques applied to IT services to AV and adapt them accordingly. Let's take a closer look at five essential practices and metrics to ensure your Tempe, AZ, organization can properly evaluate the quality of service delivery management.