AVT Question: Please address pain points faced by AV/IT departments today and share insight into how your company supports AV/IT end users in creating a successful installation.
Thought Leader: Charlie Jones, Senior Partner Relations Manager at Sennheiser
AV/IT departments must constantly fight a two-sided battle: How do you ensure systems are easy to use and administer, while still ensuring platform and data security? As systems become more interconnected, teams must balance reliability, security, and scalability—often while contending with legacy tools, fragmented device ecosystems, and pressure to support seamless collaboration experiences.
Interoperability remains one of the most persistent challenges. Many organizations still operate a patchwork of proprietary device tools, resulting in friction across rooms, campuses, and departments. Standardized, centralized management platforms are essential to simplifying deployments and giving teams clearer visibility across their environments. Widely adopted technologies like Dante offer valuable ecosystem consistency, and AV/IT teams should consider open standards such as AES67 to ensure broader compatibility and long-term flexibility. Solutions that enable fast device onboarding, with minimal dependencies, allow IT teams to focus on higher-value initiatives rather than complex, room-by-room configuration.
AV/IT environments that succeed are built on simplicity, security, and scalability." —Charlie Jones, Senior Partner Relations Manager at Sennheiser
Security is equally important to any system. As AV endpoints sit directly on enterprise networks, encryption, authenticated access, and secure transport protocols must be foundational. Platforms that incorporate AES-256 encryption, TLS/HTTPS, and role-based permissions help safeguard both control data and media streams. Regular firmware updates and proactive monitoring further reduce vulnerabilities and maintain compliance.
Organizations should also prioritize solutions with certified integrations for platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, ensuring that collaboration workflows fit naturally into existing enterprise ecosystems rather than requiring workarounds.
AV/IT environments that succeed are built on simplicity, security, and scalability. By embracing open standards, centralized management, and trusted security frameworks, teams can overcome today’s pain points and deliver reliable, high-quality audio and video experiences across every space.
