AVT Question: Please share insights into the company's roadmap and what 2026 holds for its AV/IT customers.
Thought Leader: John Henkel, Product Marketing Director at NETGEAR AV
The AV industry's greatest challenge in 2026 is making technology easier to deploy confidently. That's the philosophy driving every aspect of NETGEAR's roadmap—from the new managed switches that integrators have requested, to the Engage software enhancements transforming network design workflows, to expanding our ecosystem to more than 520 partners.
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Making it easier starts with education. We believe knowledge isn't a competitive advantage to hoard; it's a rising tide that lifts all boats. Our NETGEAR Academy partners with Crestron, Q-SYS, NDI, SDVoE, Dante by Audinate, Lightware, Sennheiser, and others to offer free, comprehensive training. In 2026, we're accelerating this collaboration with additional manufacturer partners and advanced certifications. We believe that, when integrators build holistic knowledge across multiple technologies—not just ours—they become better consultants and the entire industry advances.
Making it easier also means building complete solutions. Our VAAG Systems acquisition brings AI innovation to simplify networking for SMEs. Exium integration positions us in rapidly expanding SASE security. We're not just building switches; we're building the infrastructure and support ecosystem that makes deploying those switches straightforward.
Some manufacturers say they want industry growth while optimizing for competitive advantage. We're betting on a different premise: that the AV-over-IP market is still too immature for zero-sum thinking. When integrators struggle with deployments, they avoid the entire technology category—not just one technology partner. By raising collective technical competency, we’re addressing the adoption barrier that constrains everyone's growth. The market we're trying to build is bigger than any manufacturer's current share of it.
