AVT Question: Please share insights on the ongoing transition to networked AV and the role the cloud and AI play.
Thought Leader: Jakub Kolacz, Manager of Product Management Software at Sennheiser
Without centralized visibility into how networked audio devices are behaving across a deployment, AV and IT teams are effectively reactive. Problems surface when users report them—not before. That dynamic is what cloud-based device management is designed to change, and it is where the most meaningful progress in networked audio is happening right now.
When every device across every room and every campus reports into a unified, browser-accessible interface, AV and IT teams gain a shared, real-time view of the entire environment. Firmware alignment can be maintained consistently without technician dispatch. Anomalies can be identified and addressed before they affect a meeting or a class, and configuration changes can be applied at scale rather than room by room. For organizations managing distributed deployments across multiple buildings or campuses, that kind of oversight should be viewed as an operational requirement rather than a convenience.
Cloud visibility functions as a connective layer above existing infrastructure, allowing organizations to modernize their operational approach without forcing a hardware refresh cycle.
Jakub Kolacz, Manager of Product Management Software at Sennheiser
The longer-term case for cloud management is what these platforms become over time. As they accumulate operational data across deployments, they create the foundation for AI-driven capabilities that can shift teams from reactive troubleshooting toward proactive management. Routine diagnostics, firmware validation, and performance monitoring can move from manual processes toward automated workflows, allowing AV and IT staff to focus on governance and exception handling rather than break-fix cycles.
Critically, none of this requires replacing equipment that still has useful life. Cloud visibility functions as a connective layer above existing infrastructure, allowing organizations to modernize their operational approach without forcing a hardware refresh cycle. That makes the transition financially realistic for a much broader range of organizations and allows migration to happen at a pace that fits both budget and risk tolerance.
