If your company is looking for a systems integration contractor, you may be wondering whether to go with a large conglomerate, like IBM, or a smaller company. In the world of managed AV services, is it best to trust big businesses—or “shop small”?

While large system integrators may offer a variety of IT-focused services, we believe the quality of those services won’t compare to a small or mid-sized firm. The provider you work with will assume most of the risks of your AV systems and will need to actively monitor your technology and always be available to troubleshoot.

So, for a more tailored and customized experience, we recommend working with a smaller contractor. Here are three reasons why.

As everyone is painfully aware, the past two years have brought about big changes in how and where people work. The pandemic moved millions of workers out of offices and into homes, and collaboration moved from meeting in physical offices and conference rooms to online platforms with cloud-based applications.

While platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco WebEx and many others existed previously, the new work models presented new challenges for IT and AV departments. They needed to support remote workers, maintain security with an army of people connected through home internet services, onboard and train new workers that never set foot in the office, and figure out how to adapt existing IT and AV infrastructure to the new remote and hybrid work models.

If that sounds like a lot, it is – IT and AV departments have had their hands full with all this disruption. The accelerated pace of change also brings the need for flexibility and adaptation. Hybrid work models are not set in stone, as companies are grappling with getting workers back in offices and if it needs to happen. Many companies are looking at managed IT solutions to augment beleaguered IT and AV organizations already strapped with issues from supply chain shortages and the ability to hire the right skill sets.

Managed IT/AV solutions may not be the solution for everything, but it is a viable option for filling in the gaps in your IT and AV technology needs. Let's examine six reasons why it's a smart move for your Arizona organization.

I recently got into an argument with my wife over something relatively small. It was a very busy week at work, and I had two scout leader meetings back-to back immediately after I clocked out for the day. At the first scout meeting, one of the leaders left some forms that I needed to fill out at his house... but since I was going to be running around that evening, I offered to pick them up after my second meeting. No big deal, right? I’m out anyway, and I thought my wife would be asleep by the time I got home. I went to the second meeting, and some of the other leaders and I got to chit-chatting and it went longer than expected. I called to let my wife know that the second meeting wrapped, and she was not asleep as I expected. She sleepily asked if I could pick up some bread on the way home. And here is where I messed up.

While you may be familiar with Software as a Service (SaaS), have you heard of Hardware as a Service (HaaS)? If not, let us introduce you. 

HaaS offers businesses a simpler approach to commercial technology. Rather than purchasing your office equipment up front, a monthly subscription supplies your business with all necessary technology, ready to replace and upgrade at any time.

What makes HaaS different from renting or leasing? That would be the “service” part of the plan, which includes maintenance, upgrades, and assistance as needed. Some business managers may still wonder: why shouldn’t we own our technology?

There are many reasons companies forgo hardware ownership for HaaS instead. Here are our top three reasons your business can benefit from HaaS, too.

You may have heard the terms “Zero Trust” or “Zerotrust” being tossed around in marketing materials, but what does Zero Trust really mean?  Is it just a trendy word, or words?

The traditional castle and moat security model doesn’t work in modern cybersecurity as so many of us are now telecommuting and working in the cloud. A more recent paradigm called Zero Trust is trending. 

The Zero Trust movement being lead in some part by the U.S. Government. In 2020 the director of DISA, the Defense Information Systems Agency, laid out three main tenets of Zero Trust, “Never trust, always verify; assume breach; and verify explicitly.”

As you are aware, this is a data-driven world. Activity data is used everywhere to help shape products, cities, experiences, and just about everything you can think of. Sensor and GPS technology, software interfaces, and smartphones are the catalysts for much of it, but in the workplace, there are other methods for collecting information and gaining insights.

For instance, companies have used occupancy sensors for years to understand building usage patterns better, manage capacity planning, and create more energy-efficient environments. In today’s hybrid work environments, they are even more useful. Now, companies can measure how much to stock the snack areas based on heat maps showing the space's usage. Similarly, companies can also gauge the use of attractive common areas and other perks. Armed with data, they make better decisions on the usage of space, specific facilities, and plan for future needs. 

Nowhere is data more useful than in the planning for meeting and collaboration spaces. Today’s systems measure how much rooms are used, what equipment, how many people are in a meeting, and more. With hybrid work environments, the future for balancing in-office versus remote work is being defined in real-time. With advanced workplace analytics, a company in Scottsdale or anywhere in the world can study usage and create more adaptable and optimized environments. Keep reading below to learn more about how analytics can shape your workplace.

This quarter we took it back to an organization we have worked with in the past, Feed My Starving Children! FMSC is a nonprofit organization empowering volunteers to pack meals for the malnourished in nearly 70 countries, hungry in body and spirit. With most of our team working remote now, we saw this as a great opportunity to gather our colleagues, friends and family members and work together in support of a wonderful cause. Through our donation efforts we were able to cover the costs of 3,200 meals, feeding 8 children for a year! Through our volunteer efforts, we were able to help pack 28,080 meals, feeding 76 children for a year!

Is your business equipped for hybrid meetings? 

Whether your office is adopting a hybrid work model or is entirely in-person, video calls are here to stay. As remote meetings with clients, contractors, job applicants, and training personnel become more convenient, video calls will remain ‘the norm.’

So how will your teams gather in conference rooms to join meetings—while ensuring everyone is seen and heard clearly? As many business owners and integrators are realizing, it’s not as simple as putting a laptop at the head of the table.

Luckily, tools like Teams Rooms and Teams-certified hardware open the doors to collaborative, easy-to-use conferencing spaces. If you’re curious about hybrid conferencing solutions, continue reading to learn how Teams Rooms work and what options are best for your business.