Will the hybrid work model be just a passing fad? As pandemics fade into memory, will companies demand that workers get back into physical offices in the name of productivity and fostering interpersonal relationships? We can’t predict the future, but the reality is that hybrid work was already a growing trend thanks to technological advancements.

Twenty years ago, knowledge workers could telecommute (a now quaint-sounding term) with voice and internet access. The experience was less than perfect, as the integration of offsite staff into onsite meetings and activities was not quite there with the existing technology. The advent of unified communication and collaboration (UCC) solutions provided powerful and scalable tools for workers to have a common platform that worked not only in the office but anywhere with a solid internet connection.

These solutions, embodied by such platforms as Cisco/WebEx, Microsoft, Zoom, RingCentral, Google, and others, provide a rich set of tools for knowledge work, unifying voice, video, messaging, collaboration, presence, and meeting tools into easy-to-use software. Further, these solutions have all moved into cloud-hosted SaaS (Software as a Service) models, making them easier to administer, manage, and scale.

How does this unified communication as a service model impact hybrid work? Read on below for more

Recently we posted about how the user experience is driving the modernization of AV systems and services. In the modern, connected world, everyone is a user and consumer of AV technology. The pandemic of the past two years created Zoom experts out of grandparents that had never video-conferenced in their lives. With the seismic shift to hybrid work models, the ability to see and talk to someone on a computer or device is merely baseline functionality.

So, users in the workplace - home workplaces too – have high expectations for AV systems. They need to be easy to use, allow them to multitask, hold large and inclusive meetings, and have sophisticated tools that integrate easily to share information and freely collaborate. As we noted – and you already know – this is a software-driven world. The smartphone showed the world how you build a smart device with an almost-ready-for-prime time feature set and proceed to make it far more powerful and usable with three years of software updates. Tesla applies that model to automobiles, in an industry not previously known for any upgrades that didn’t involve buying a new vehicle. One of the last industries to catch on is AV, and that presents new challenges.

Modern smart conference room technology is more dependent on software than hardware for the new features and services that today’s workforce expects and demands. And software is a different model when it comes to management. Keep reading below for an outline of three trends that are changing the game in AV services management.

Digital signage has been around for some time with many successful applications, from restaurants to shopping centers to building lobbies and transportation hubs. The advantages of digital display technologies are numerous and well-understood, but companies are taking a closer look at this solution for a new area  that is not so well-understood – hybrid workplaces.

Come with us, for a bit, for a walk back in time to the 1980s. That decade saw the dawn of the personal computing era. Until the advent of the personal computer (PC), computing power lay in data centers in mainframes and minicomputers. There were no such things as “apps,” but there were complex applications to run financial and operational aspects of companies.

Most importantly, however, before PCs (we mean all of them here of any operating system), the IT department controlled all that computing power. In those days, IT was called by many other names (sometimes not flattering ones), but generally, professional workers had little control over what IT did, and they might wait years to be able to take advantage of that computing power to make their job easier.

Managed support services are well understood and utilized in the IT world, and they are increasingly popular for various reasons. Perhaps one reason not discussed as much is the sheer breadth of technology in use today in organizations of all sizes. In IT, support has to cover services like cloud infrastructure, SaaS (software as a service), networks, wireless and mobile computing, security and cybersecurity, and much more. This breadth requires a significant amount of expertise and training, as well as specialized tools for monitoring and user support.

AV systems in organizations have gone through a similar evolution; they now encompass a wide range of technology and have joined the IT and IoT world as IP-based connected systems requiring the same security and monitoring levels as other IT systems. That means that user support must also include specialized training and tools, further burdening chronically understaffed IT departments. Managed support services for AV can ease the burden on organizations and provide the specialized services needed. Let's explore several models below and their potential benefits for your organization.

Once upon a time, IT was IT, AV was AV, and never the twain shall meet. Well, those days are long gone. AV devices are smart, connected, special purpose computers, and the digital convergence of video, audio, and communication over IP has ensured that they all meet on the same networks. 

While in the past, the isolation of AV systems meant that they had some immunity from hacking and online attacks, today, they may be as vulnerable as any other connected system. IoT security is a much-discussed subject these days, and AV devices are part of the IoT (Internet of Things). The problem? While other connected computers and systems have benefitted from either native or third-party solutions that add layers of security to those systems, AV technology has lagged in that regard.

For many years, organizations of all sizes have understood the necessity of protecting internet-connected computers from viruses and hacks. What hasn’t been as well understood or addressed is IoT security – securing non-computer connected devices from threats. Why is that? 

Historically, devices not based on general-purpose computing operating systems like Windows were thought to present, in security parlance, less of an attack surface. These systems might have been proprietary or based on open-source systems like Linux, where the development community could see and shore up potential attack points. The attack surface widened considerably in the Internet of Things (IoT), where all devices become "smart" with Internet connectivity to one or more cloud services. Add the ability of many devices to be accessed and controlled by publicly available APIs, and everything is now a computer – and vulnerable. 

What does that mean for AV devices like cameras, microphones, room control systems, and more? These are all now IoT devices, and the intelligence derived from their cloud connectivity makes them as vulnerable to threats as any Windows or Mac laptop. How do you improve IoT security for AV devices in your Phoenix, AZ organization? Keep reading for four general strategies below. But spoiler alert – these are similar to what you do with other connected platforms.

We’ve talked a lot on these pages about considering a different way to look at your AV infrastructure investments. Like payroll services, HR management platforms, and a host of other software and its attendant hardware, owning these solutions and managing them inside your organization makes less sense every passing day. The reasons are straightforward – you are looking for a business result, and owning the tools and methods for these systems doesn’t provide any business advantage to your organization. 

Video walls are increasingly popular tools for communication, promotion, and engagement. If you are considering an LED video wall for a corporate lobby, retail location, or operations center, you are looking at a significant investment in hardware, software, installation, maintenance, and training. Is there a simpler way to get the result for your Tempe, AZ organization without investing in all this support up front? There is, with VWaaS. OK, we may have made this term up. But there are excellent reasons why you should consider acquiring your video wall as a subscription service through Level 3 Audiovisual. Stay with us as we explain below!