AVT Question: Please share insights on the ongoing transition to networked AV and the role the cloud and AI play.
Thought Leader: Andrew Starks, Board Member and Marketing Work Group Chair at AIMS
These days, many vendors talk about offering complete suites of networked AV/IT solutions. For most organizations, however, the real question isn't whether a suite exists; it's whether adopting it means starting over. Security is often the first concern, and for good reason: Networked AV puts audio and video traffic on the same infrastructure that IT teams are already responsible for protecting. Systems that rely on proprietary approaches to identity and access control tend to create more work for IT departments, while those built around established standards for encryption and authentication integrate more easily into existing security frameworks.
Phased migrations, where new IP-based systems coexist with existing equipment, give organizations more room to move at a pace that matches their budget, operational priorities, and risk tolerance.
Andrew Starks, Board Member and Marketing Work Group Chair at AIMS
Legacy equipment is another factor that’s often overlooked in these conversations. Most facilities have made significant investments in gear that still works perfectly well, and few of them can justify tearing it out on a vendor's timeline rather than their own. Phased migrations, where new IP-based systems coexist with existing equipment, give organizations more room to move at a pace that matches their budget, operational priorities, and risk tolerance.
The real value of this approach becomes even more apparent with the adoption of cloud and AI technologies. Once content moves across standard IP networks instead of dedicated point-to-point connections, distributed production, ground-to-cloud workflows, and AI-assisted capabilities like automated monitoring and quality control become far more practical. These capabilities are still maturing across the industry, but it’s already clear that the organizations best positioned to take advantage of them are those that built flexibility into their infrastructure from the outset.
