Over the past several months, we’ve talked a lot about one of the largest trends overtaking the commercial AV industry: a decisive shift from owning conference room equipment to using audio-visual systems as a service. AV as a service makes sense — these days, technology systems depreciate so rapidly that owning them is no longer worth the investment.

But to truly understand the value of purchasing conference room systems on a subscription-based model, you must know what you’re getting as part of the managed services contract. It’s not just hardware on a payment — it’s 100%, fully covered, end-to-end support. Under a managed services agreement, all ownership costs and responsibilities rest in the provider’s hands, not yours.

What you get is pure service for a fixed price. So, what does that look like in your Scottsdale, AZ, or global conference room managed by Level 3 Audiovisual? Keep reading to find out.

It seems only fitting to begin a post about analytics by dropping some data for you to digest. According to market research from Density.io, global average meeting room utilization is only 30%. Furthermore, when meetings are in session, only 40% of seats are filled on average. And while most meeting rooms can hold at least six people or more, the average meeting size is less than four people.

Do you remember Verizon's popular commercial series with the slogan "Can you hear me now?" This is one phrase you don't want to hear if you are on an audio or video conferencing call in your meeting room. Even if you only lose a few minutes to some garbled audio or video, think about the productivity loss. You have your team in the meeting room, your partners or supplier's team on the other end, and many people on both sides participating remotely. Multiply what all those professionals get paid for their services, and you might be surprised what a few wasted minutes of a meeting actually cost your organization.

You can banish “can you hear me now” or perhaps the newer “can you see me now” from your meetings with some smart investments in new audio-visual systems for your Tempe, AZ, offices. Read on for three ways to up your collaboration game in your meeting spaces.

The old adage “Close enough for government work” is a cheeky way to justify results that almost hit the mark. But when it comes to audiovisual technology solutions, many government agencies don’t come close to having the capabilities they need. That can end up costing governments—and citizens—a lot of money. For example, the Government Accountability Office recently reported that the federal government’s 10 legacy technology systems most in need of modernization cost taxpayers $337 million a year to operate and maintain, while newer systems are must less expensive to manage. The catch is, updating outdated AV is also an expensive proposition, and government agencies and organizations may struggle to find the necessary funding in their year-to-year-budgeting cycle. However, strategic updates to government AV can improve processes and create better experiences for citizens, making government organizations and entities more effective in the long run. Keep reading for insights into the best ways to update your government AV technology.

Cast your mind back to middle school science (if you can!) and you’ll probably remember learning about ecosystems—a group of interconnected organisms or elements all cooperating in the same environment, like a rain forest or a coral reef. But ecosystems aren’t only found in the natural world. Interacting technologies—such as an integrated AV solution—can also form intricate systems that rely on additional interconnectivity. More broadly speaking, the systems can also connect with AV manufacturers, integrators, and end users, and missing any one of the elements threatens the health of your system. Keep reading for examples of outstanding AV systems integrated by Level 3 Audiovisual.

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.

Have you ever started a home improvement project by uttering these famous last words: I bet I can do that myself? Only, you later discover after multiple trips to the hardware store, a string of unforeseen complications, and a lot of swearing that it would have been faster, easier and cheaper to hire a professional in the first place? Now, have you ever been tempted to start an AV integration project the same way? Before you find yourself cursing at your video conferencing system, consider this. Just like you need the right skills and tools to install a new toilet, you need the right skills and tools for a truly successful AV integration and AV integrators have them. Involving them early in the process can help you avoid mistakes and missteps that will be time-consuming and costly to fix later. For example, according to industry standard expert AQAV, the cost of fixing poor quality AV can approach 20 percent of the total cost of the system, while monitoring and maintaining a good quality AV system only costs 2.5 percent of the total purchase price.

There are some instances—for example when you are choosing formal attire or a piece of decorative furniture—when form trumps function. In the case of audiovisual technology for a command and control center, however, form and function go hand in hand to help operators quickly receive and process information required to monitor and respond to specific incidents quickly and effectively.