If your college or university conducts hybrid learning, are you prepared for some of its technical challenges? Many college classrooms are not equipped to instruct in-person and remote students simultaneously and are struggling to make it a worthwhile experience for all.

In worst-case scenarios, remote students might strain to see and hear professors and fellow students during lectures. They might feel left behind and struggle to pay attention. 

But your institution can get ahead of these issues by installing classroom technology that simplifies remote and hybrid learning. From lecture halls to auditoriums and small classrooms, everyone can see and hear to facilitate collaborative learning.

Here are some technologies and strategies that can improve your school’s remote learning!

Many of you reading this already understand edge computing, although it probably means different things to different people. By definition, edge computing is done at the edge of the network, close to the data source. In cloud computing, data is sent back to the cloud for processing. So is it just a fancy way of differentiating between distributed and centralized computing, some older terms for similar concepts? Perhaps, as the computer and software industries excel at developing new terminology for old concepts applied to new platforms. 

We joke a little here, but let's look at an example. Apple's fancy term for software-enhanced photography and computational photography is taking advantage of the considerable processing power of today's iPhones to do some serious editing, enhancement, and tricks with images. Could that be done in the cloud? Yes, as Google Photos does with any browser-equipped device. So what are the advantages of doing this at the edge? If you have the computational power, edge computing can enable faster, more responsive applications. And the less potentially sensitive information that has to travel back and forth from the cloud, the more secure the application.

Security is important in edge computing. And edge computing is important in network monitoring and management of AV devices in internal networks. You don't want all those inherently insecure devices directly connected to the internet, as they present many attack points into your network for would-be hackers. Instead, an edge appliance or computer sits at the "edge" of your network, monitoring and collecting information and sending it back to the cloud to aggregate into other management systems. But how do you ensure the security of the edge appliance sitting in your Scottsdale, AZ offices from the wild and woolly internet? That’s what we explore further in this blog post.

Your local courthouse or municipal building is a beacon for citizens that want to know more about what’s going on in their community. As the person in charge of audiovisual technology, you’re responsible for many things, including providing access to meetings, assistive listening in public spaces, or emergency notifications. Your audiovisual technology should be easy to use and work every time—especially for emergency meetings. Read on to learn more about AV solutions that can make your job easier and help government officials better serve their constituents.

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.”