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At InfoComm 2025, DTEN Head of Alliances Scott Krueckeberg took AV Technology on a brief tour of the company’s latest interactive, intuitive meeting management solutions

Check out the full video interview below.

With DTEN’s core product—a turnkey touch-screen collaboration board complete with camera, speakers, and microphones—end users can host a meeting right out of the box. State-of-the-art, built-in features that fly under the radar have always been central to the company’s design philosophy:

“We think that the best technology disappears in the room,” Krueckeberg said. “If you're constantly looking at it, or if it's intrusive, you're not really going to engage with that, and it's not going to keep you as productive as possible.”

However, Krueckeberg emphasized that DTEN’s expertise extends well beyond hardware. “We have a full software suite built on the back end, where a single IT manager—they might be new or inexperienced—is able to see all their devices on a single pane of glass,” he said. “We provide health reports. We have things like predictability, where they can check to know what things are important that day so they can stay on top of it.”

And when it comes to flexibility, end users can rest assured that regardless of their chosen collaboration platform or device management needs in the workplace, DTEN is going to be a reliable foundation for all their spaces.

“We're able to scale solutions to small, medium, and large rooms—and some of our customers haven't settled on their platform of choice, so we're staying flexible. Not only do we provide multiple platforms, but we also have BYOD technology in there.” Krueckeberg continued, “We have kiosks that allow you to engage virtually and manage people that aren't on-prem employees, but also guests in your building. These workplace tools are coming to life and being implemented more than ever. That more-than-just-the-meeting-room approach is a big value add to the DTEN structure.”

About DTEN

DTEN is changing the way people connect and collaborate through immersive, video-first devices and subscription services. Our solutions are found in businesses, schools, homes, and hybrid environments worldwide, delivering intuitive, high-quality, and real-life video conference experiences for every meeting space. As the recipient of multiple international awards, DTEN is recognized for plug-and-play simplicity, superior audiovisual clarity, and fluent, elegant designs.

DTEN, Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California, and is a certified technology provider for Zoom Rooms and Microsoft Teams Rooms.

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Building on more than a decade of success with its legendary Solstice Pod, Mersive is poised to make yet another leap forward in keeping people connected with the software-based Mersive Collaboration Suite.

Theresa Benson, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management at Mersive, recently sat down with AV Technology’s Cindy Davis to discuss how the three solutions comprising the Suite are thoughtfully designed to accommodate organizations of any shape or size.

Check out the full video interview below.

For Benson, a desire to advance the entire collaboration space has been at the heart of her career at Mersive from the start.

“As a technologist, I think, ‘Why haven't we been able to solve this elegantly?’ You see display manufacturers trying to solve it, and you see computer manufacturers trying to solve it, but nobody has come up with a bulletproof, smooth way of connecting.” Benson continued, “I hope Mersive is the rising tide, and that what we do lifts all ships across the collaboration space.”

Mersive’s Collaboration Suite marks a paradigm shift for the company. The most approachable solution in the Suite is the Mersive Smart app, designed for smaller businesses with smaller budgets. It offers simple wireless sharing to smart devices without the need for a pod. Mersive Essentials is the mid-range product, with a Mini device and subscription plan ideal for conference rooms, huddle spaces, study rooms, and other places where teams gather. The performance tier is Mersive Pro, featuring dual 4K out, a powerful performance processor, more cache than ever, multi-share, and AI features for creating gorgeous visual experiences for complex or high-impact spaces.

“We looked at the very human pain points of connectivity and asked, ‘Why are they there?’” Benson said. “How might we help an organization be able to share content wherever they want—not just on the screen right in front of people standing in the room? It's all about that connection of people and ideas and concepts—on one pane of glass or many panes of glass—that we tried to bring forward with this new product line.”

Security is a perennial concern in any workplace, but particularly in settings where sensitive information is being shared using collaboration technology and vulnerable networked peripherals. Mersive customers, however, can rest assured that the Mersive Collaboration Suite will have no such weakness.

“When we built these new products, security was not an afterthought; it was the first thought,” Benson said. “We have done the work of educating our people, defining policies and practices for software development, and then doing the hard work. And it's really involved, now that we've put this extra layer of security in our software and firmware, but it's worth it.”

And finally, in an era of ever-increasing technological complexity, Mersive strives to bring things back to basics—from lightning-fast installation to an intuitive user experience. Mersive’s retro website (retromersive.com)—created just for InfoComm—is a nostalgic throwback to simpler times.

“We have this mantra of: ‘Tech was easy, then it got hard, and we fixed that.’ Thinking back to the original Pong and Space Invaders, you didn't need a manual to use what was insanely high tech back then. Somewhere along the way, technology companies forgot that and made everything complicated. So the whole idea goes back to when things were easy and intuitive and just worked. Retromersive.com will walk people through that journey.”

To experience the Mersive Collaboration Suite firsthand, be sure to stop by the Mersive at InfoComm 2025 and play a game of Centipede while you’re at it in the company’s retro-themed booth (5055).

About Mersive Technologies

Mersive began by developing edge-blending technology for immersive multi-projector displays. As the company evolved, it reimagined its technology to break down barriers that prevent teams from working effectively. In 2014, Mersive introduced dongle-free, cable-free sharing, transforming how people collaborate. Today, Mersive continues to push the limits of what’s possible, creating intuitive technology that brings people together. With certifications like ISO 27001 and HIPAA, along with a SOC 2 Type 2 attestation, users can rest assured that Mersive products protect privacy and safeguard data through encrypted connections and secure access protocols. Whether in business, education, or healthcare, Mersive’s solutions help teams connect, innovate, and achieve their goals. For more information, visit mersive.com.

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A recent classroom AV upgrade at Virginia Tech has afforded instructors and students alike the ability to remain connected to their remote counterparts—utilizing a dynamic, BYOD approach to collaboration technology that facilitates a seamless lecture experience. In a virtual interview powered by one of the university’s new, ceiling-mounted microphones from Panasonic Connect, Eric Brooks, audio engineer, and Rob Viers, director of Classroom AV Services at Virginia Tech sat down with Cindy Davis, brand and content director for AV Technology to discuss the update, and how pandemic-era technology decisions have set VT’s campus communities up for present and future success.

Audio has always been a consideration when selecting new campus AV products, but according to Brooks, it took on an entirely new significance in the wake of COVID-19. “Post 2020, everyone was used to calling with clear audio; your face was close to the laptop screen and you could hear everyone really well,” he explained. “And so, when we started to come back in person, we really had to take audio into account as far as folks in these hybrid settings. This helped us shift our focus to ceiling microphones, and making sure that classroom audio was clear and concise not only for local students or faculty but also for those on the far end of the call.”

Since the beginning of the upgrade, the team at Virginia Tech has outfitted approximately 50 percent of their 350 AV-enabled classroom spaces with at least one ceiling-mounted microphone and camera, facilitating flexible in-person and hybrid learning. “We basically turn the room into one giant webcam, so end users can just plug a USB into their computer and utilize whatever software that they want,” Viers said. “It's been very popular, so we're trying to get it into every single space. Of course, budget and time don't always allow for that, but we're utilizing it in as many locations as possible.”

Speaking from a standard classroom with a capacity of 25 to 40 students—equipped with just a single ceiling mic—Brooks and Viers came through crystal clear. “This Panasonic Connect ceiling microphone also allows for an extension out to add a couple more Dante channels for lapel or handheld mics or what have you,” Viers said. “If I was an instructor and I had a long day, I could utilize that and not have to speak very loudly. I'm not exactly yelling right now. I'm more or less just talking and the single microphone does a great job picking that up.”

Multi-purpose

But in addition to these upper-level classrooms, a unique multi-purpose room now offers higher-end and executive-level users an unparalleled meeting experience. “This room has five projectors, two televisions, three ceiling-mounted microphones, and 11 cameras, on top of 44 Panasonic Connect digital wireless DECT microphones,” Viers said. “The room itself had to be very versatile so that a standard class could hold a session very easily. We can shift into what we call the governance mode when the president's council is in session, and then we also have special guest layouts as well.”

Previously, according to Viers, meetings for any of these higher-end users were a massive, manual undertaking. “We would bring in a full video production suite—40 microphones and four cameras—and we'd have operators running everything just to provide that realistic feeling of an actual video production for the people on the web call,” he said. “We're talking six to eight people, and six to eight hours of setup and teardown.”

Standardization and Ease of Use

For Brooks and Viers, standardization and ease of use were foremost concerns when it came to outfitting learning spaces of every size during this upgrade. “It just makes life easier on end users. So, whether you come to the Blacksburg campus or the Northern Virginia campus, or even the upcoming Innovation campus—we want you to experience that same look and feel when it comes to engaging with the technology,” Viers said. “We don't actually support computers in many of the classrooms, so our BYOD has to be open and inviting for everybody.”

To further ensure that future end users are able to reap the benefits of the recent installation, Viers pointed out that they have tried to steer clear of hardwired connectivity. “A lot of what we do these days is IP-based,” he said. “With our cameras, we're trying to go a lot more NDI, if at all possible. We’re certainly looking at PoE for powering them and things like that—leveraging the network as much as possible.”

Brooks was quick to credit Viers’ design work, as well as Virginia Tech’s installation team and programmer, for the success of the university’s massive AV rollout. “There was a lot going on between the planning and on the back end, but over the course of roughly a week and a half it all kind of came together.” He continued, “The end users have been incredibly happy with it. And with the simple USB connection, no one's the wiser as to the smoke and mirrors behind the curtain.”

Click here to see Panasonic Connect's AV portfolio.

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At Panasonic Connect, we harness our decades of expertise and listen to our customers to provide innovative, forward-looking solutions that help you reach specific goals and meet evolving industry demands. What sets us apart as a leading technology provider is our ecosystem of partners, innovators and integrators that we work with to connect customers to the right technologies that move your business forward.

NetApp is known for its cloud-led, data-centric software which empowers organizations to lead with data in the age of accelerated digital transformation. Its systems run applications from data centers to cloud, performing across diverse environments and helping organizations to securely deliver data, services, and applications to the right people—anytime, anywhere.

NetApp employs approximately 11,000 people globally, with around 1,000 of those based at its state-of-the-art headquarters right in the heart of Silicon Valley. The company moved to these premises as part of an ongoing transformation, accelerated by the pandemic, and its future of work strategy. 

NetApp operates a flexible, hybrid work model and its office amenities are designed to cultivate inclusion and increase business agility while prioritizing employee health, safety, and wellness. The company has meeting and conference rooms of varying sizes, which both internal staff and customers use for in-person and virtual meetings. Technology is an important tool to help to deliver a first-class collaboration experience, and the internal NetApp Multimedia Group began to look at upgrading its large-format displays as people began to return to the office, post-pandemic. 

Bart Saunders, Multimedia specialist at NetApp and Eric Benson, director of Engineering at Creation Networks the AV integrator on the project, organized a “shoot out” to trial a variety of displays on site. One of the key requirements was for full interactivity and touch technology, something that was lacking from the existing displays. 

“Team-based work and collaboration are very important to us at NetApp,” Saunders said. “As such, we wanted more interactivity in our meeting rooms, so our chosen displays would need touch screens to help with that, as well as BYOD compatibility so employees could use their personal devices. After weighing up the options we found that the Avocor G Series offered the best touch experience; it was really responsive and had a nice finish on the glass. In fact, the overall device is well designed and looks great. BYOD worked perfectly with staff being able to smoothly join meetings with their own laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. We’ve had no issues, reliability has been superb, and, in truth, our experience has been so positive we’ve settled on Avocor as our go-to standard display for all meeting and conference rooms.” 

Following the trial, the new Avocor G Series interactive displays are now installed in many of the conference rooms and smaller huddle spaces at NetApp. “The devices offer excellent support for digital whiteboarding, an activity that is proving increasingly popular amongst our teams since we made the switch to Avocor.” Saunders added.

The G series displays are installed at NetApp in their full range of 65, 75, and 85-inch sizes. These 4K-enabled units feature a sleek, bezel-less edge-to-edge design with bonded, crystal-clear InGlass technology to deliver ultra-fast performance across 20 individual touch points and four passive stylus options. The result is a pixel-perfect, interactive user experience for participants in the room, and meeting equity for those who are joining remotely.

NetApp is interested in one of the most talked-about recent trends in display technology, the ultra-wide 21:9 format. “I’m really interested in the new wide-format display Avocor has just launched and the potential it has for displaying and breaking up content in new ways,” Saunders concluded. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how this market segment develops.”

John Clancy has been with Crestron Electronics for seven years but has been chief sales officer for just a few months. Most recently, he served as EVP of global sales, residential, and previously owned a residential integration company for more than 20 years.

“I have been a Crestron customer longer than I have been a Crestron employee,” he said. “However, both of those experiences have dovetailed nicely into this new role.”

While commercial is currently leading sales, both commercial and residential markets are growing nicely for the company. Plus, Clancy reported that Crestron is slowly starting to see the pressure ease on supply chain issues.

“Our shipping times are improving,” he said, “but pacing with the incredible demand for product has been another layer to the challenge.” That said, Crestron is seeing more products join the “available to ship now” list each week. “We’ve made changes to our operations to ensure we won’t find ourselves here again,” Clancy added.

Crestron is seeing a huge drive toward BYOD for the hybrid workspace, and its AirMedia system has become a popular choice for wireless collaboration. The new AirMedia Connect Adaptor, for example, uses a single USB-C connection and one button press to launch any meeting—no driver or software downloads required.

Last year, the company introduced the Crestron Sightline room experience at InfoComm. According to Clancy, more than 1,000 meeting rooms have been deployed with Crestron’s intelligent video cameras and Automate VX.

[PSNI Global Alliance Welcomes Crestron as Global Sponsor]

“These two products are the lynchpin to creating that unparalleled hybrid experience,” he explained. “Each room has been scaled and tailored to each customer, which was exactly how we intended the concept to be applied. Our customers have been able to duplicate the same experience that wowed everyone at the show. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Video is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ component for hybrid meetings—it’s a must-have, and it must work consistently and seamlessly.”

Another growing area of the hybrid workplace that Crestron is addressing is hotdesking, with the company offering the new Desk Q and Desk Touch scheduling hardware. Both solutions are easy to use and deploy, Clancy said, but they also tie into “resounding requests” for data.

“Our customers want to know what spaces are being used and how often,” Clancy noted. “This is a great way for companies to assess their technology investment and see a holistic view of their space. Crestron XiO Cloud provides a seamless way for companies to pull reports and analyze space usage—when coupled with the new desk scheduling solutions, the data can be even more precise, desk by desk.”

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The buzziest of buzzy terms to come out of the post-pandemic age is “hybrid work.” It’s the new reality for many businesses and employees: during any given day of the week, some staffers will be remote, and some will be working in the office.

That growing mode of work has, however, created a demand for new collaboration solutions. Chief among them: BYOD. For the uninitiated, that’s “Bring Your Own Device,” also sometimes dubbed BYOM, or “Bring Your Own Meeting.” And that’s changing the way we look at collaboration spaces.

The traditional conference room—a table and chairs in a space with fixed unified communications solutions—still exists in this new reality, but the spaces in which hybrid workers collaborate are becoming increasingly diverse. From small niche spaces to huddle rooms to lounge areas and break rooms, connectivity and content-sharing have become a necessary feature for nearly every square foot of the modern office building. BYOD can bring the right content-sharing options to those spaces where dedicated conferencing solutions aren’t always feasible.

Additionally, there’s a new coexistence between BYOD and native room solutions. Traditionally, rooms were outfitted with one or the other, but usually not both. As each meeting has different needs, organizations are looking for a way to bring the benefits of each solution to their organization. Some rooms need to be native, while others function better as BYOD spaces. The key is being able to manage them all as a single solution. Solutions like Crestron’s AirMedia® technology are especially handy for retrofitting traditional offices for the modern hybrid workforce, and it’s an incredibly rapid way to bring third-party platforms (such as Microsoft Teams® software functionality) to those spaces.

Ubiquitous BYOD

One of those solutions comes in a single device, the AirMedia® Connect Adaptor, a dongle shaped like a fairly large puck with USB-C® connectivity at the end of a short cable. It’s a “plug-and-play” answer to the BYOD issue that works without downloading an app or any kind of software (and there’s now a version built specifically for the Microsoft Teams platform). It’s something that Crestron believes will soon be ubiquitous throughout the industry—a solution that offers instant interoperability for any BYOD collaboration.

Security’s always a concern, too, but there’s an elegant answer: The solutions Crestron is creating live on their own network.

Ultimately, though, having as many options as possible—while creating a consistent experience throughout an organization—is the goal, and a partnership such as the one between Crestron and Microsoft provides just that solution for a business that’s already standardized on the Microsoft Teams platform, according to Lauren Simmen, Crestron’s director of product marketing. “BYOD is one collaborative solution in an organization,” she said. “Microsoft Teams Rooms are another. Everything we’ve learned tells us that people want both.”

Check out the "Let's Talk BYOD with Microsoft" video below.

SCN: How long have you been with this company, and what are your responsibilities?

Jamey Swigert: I was responsible for managing Atlona's inside and outside sales teams in the Americas upon Panduit’s acquisition of Atlona in 2019. That included setting sales strategy, establishing quotas, overseeing sales incentive plans, developing partner programs, and managing the distribution channel. I became executive director of Atlona in 2021, and today I am responsible for overall management and P&L responsibilities as it relates to Atlona’s business.

[Editorial: How Fast Is Pro AV's Carousel of Progress?]

I joined Panduit in 2014 in a product management role and then later moved into business development where I had the opportunity to take Panduit into the AV market. I developed a strategic plan that included developing acquisition target lists, initial approach to owners, offer development and due diligence. That journey led Panduit to Atlona and led me to my current position.

SCN: As Atlona celebrates its 20th anniversary, what are you most proud of?

JS: Two points come to mind. The first is how we successfully integrated Atlona into Panduit. We have an intentional and well-thought-out plan to maintain Atlona as an independent organization and brand. We also wanted Atlona to leverage the resources and capabilities of a larger parent organization and bring the best of each company to the other. We have achieved those objectives.

Plus, we wanted to maintain Atlona’s culture, which was and remains very distinct from Panduit’s culture. There has been some blending of those cultures, but in a way that doesn’t make Atlona employees feel as though they have been swallowed by a large global company. They maintain their independence and Atlona still projects that feel of a private company. I think that is very important in the AV industry. 

SCN: What’s been the response to the new online Atlona Academy?

JS: The pandemic forced most companies to reconsider their training objectives and how they deliver training content. That naturally meant shifting all training online. We rebuilt our curriculum as we transitioned out of lockdowns and created an entirely new structure. Today we have 100 percent new content and we have recently resumed in-person, hands-on training now that business travel has fully resumed.

The response has been positive. People’s approach toward hands-on training has changed since the pre-pandemic days. Just like hybrid work and hybrid learning, training initiatives now benefit from a hybrid approach. The people who come to our in-person training events learn a lot, and our online content is well-organized and developed in a way that allows us to easily add and change content as new products and features become available. 

SCN: How is Atlona addressing the growing trend of BYOD in meeting spaces?

JS: Atlona was among the first out of the gate with wireless collaboration products in 2017. This was around the time that the BYOD movement gained momentum, and most products at the time relied on dongles or software downloads. We were at the forefront of supporting native casting capabilities direct from the user’s mobile device. Last year we began shipping the AT-WAVE-101, our second-generation wireless presentation platform, which added dynamic content layouts and automated connect and disconnect capabilities, which among other enhancements positioned the WAVE 101 as a hands-free BYOM solution.

[Executive Q&A: Creating Connections]

We continue to move forward with other connectivity innovations that are at the core of Atlona’s philosophy. That includes the inclusion of USB-C in many Atlona products, as USB-C is becoming the predominant connection technology. We are adding more power into USB-C delivery for our customers, including the ability to charge devices as they present. Finally, we continue to advance our capabilities with USB routing, such as tying microphones, cameras, and speakers together. Working on the core technology that enables our products and everything to seamlessly work together helps us stand out in the marketplace. 

SCN: What trends—or stumbling blocks—are you seeing in the AVoIP space?

JS: The integration side of the AV business remains somewhat challenged with fundamental networking knowledge, such as properly configuring switches. The industry has made strides in developing networking talent from the inside and bringing in outside talent with IT experience. But integrators lacking those networking skills are hesitant to propose or specify it.

The lack of standardization among vendors presents another challenge. There are arguments to be made about whether standardization is good or bad, but when products do not work together, that is problematic for the end user. Interoperability matters, and while it’s not a complete barrier to AV-over-IP, it does make customers think longer and harder about whether that’s a route they want to take. 

SCN: Atlona is known for its connectivity solutions, but then there are the Atlona Room Kits. What makes your room kits unique?

JS: The Atlona Room Kits, or ARKs as we call them, developed from discussions with our integration partners. We were hearing that they wanted to bid on more projects but lacked the resources to handle the workload. When you have two designers and 10-15 bids, the math doesn’t work. Project bids are time-consuming tasks that require a lot of knowledge, parts from at least several manufacturers, and assurance that those parts will work together. This was made more difficult as supply chain challenges emerged.

The ARKs were developed to reduce the bottleneck of design, procurement, and hours on site. These are all-in-one kits that helps integrators complete jobs as quickly as possible. That begins with a single part number that provides everything an integrator needs to setup a meeting space—down to the pre-terminated category cables. All the customer needs to know is the size of the meeting space. There is no design, the ordering is simplified, and the kits are 80% configured upon being received. This speeds up the entire process and helps the integrator get in, get out, and move on to the next job.

[Executive Q&A: All the World's a Stage]

As for cameras and speakers, Atlona has been making PTZ cameras for several years. However, our new Captivate Series includes an ePTZ camera that provides the high-quality performance and imaging of a conventional PTZ camera, and automatically resizes and centers the image based on the detection of up to six people. It continuously adapts as people enter or leave the field of view. The Captivate line also includes our first speakerphone, and both products work in unison to provide advanced functionality within flexible meeting spaces and smaller collaboration environments, including huddle spaces. Atlona developed this line specifically to improve videoconferencing experiences over the native capabilities of most laptops, computers, and all-in-one devices. 

SCN: What’s the one piece of advice you’d give a company looking to upgrade its meeting spaces?

JS: There is a benefit for end users to standardize on certain technologies and manufacturers, but sometimes it’s helpful to take a fresh look at other vendors. Meeting spaces and classrooms are undergoing major technology transformations everywhere, and as companies and schools refresh their infrastructures, they should consider the challenges they have faced with their existing systems. My advice is to have an open mind and consider new options, because you will be surprised at what else is out there. 

SCN: What new initiatives can we expect from Atlona at InfoComm and beyond?

JS: We debuted OmniStream 2.0, our next generation AV-over-IP firmware, at ISE. It is a major advancement that brings new capabilities like 4K@60, fast switching, and multiview processing. These will help customers create layouts on video walls that typically require external processors that cost north of $10,000. We can provide thumbnail previews on our Velocity touchpanels for sources, and new, highly-efficient coding means that customers can move more streams between switches. And the best thing for OmniStream customers is that it is a completely free firmware update. That is a lot of new capability for no cost.

Given all of these important benefits, OmniStream 2.0 will be the center point for us at InfoComm. We will soon release a new Velocity touchpanel and that will be on the stand, and there are several other new products under development. I don’t want to give away too many details yet, but Atlona has a very strong product release schedule through 2023, some of which will debut at InfoComm. 

SCN: What’s next for the Pro AV industry?

JS: There will continue to be change. Things have changed very fast in AV over the last three years, but I don’t see that slowing down in the near future. We know that chipset vendors behind HDBaseT and AV-over-IP are on the verge of bringing new functionality to the market. That will shake up things on the manufacturer side.

Customer preferences are also changing and diverging. There is a set that is moving toward BYOM. That is timely because we all became very familiar with soft codec conferencing and remote work during the pandemic. Another segment wants to invest in licensed rooms that run a specific instance of codec and locking themselves into an ecosystem of certified hardware.

These are two very divergent paths, and it will be interesting to see how each develops. As manufacturers, we have to be prepared for the market moving in many directions. That goes for the integrator and distributor as well. In the end, we all have to be agile and willing to adapt to changing customer preferences.

The modern conference room is built on the ability to share content, including shared documents, videos, and slide presentations. As a result, organizations are moving away from stationary proprietary presentation and conferencing systems—and embracing the BYOD (bring your own device) movement.

“In the past, where multiple contributors needed to share from their portable devices, implementation had been clumsy at best, with USB drive file swapping or cable sharing for laptop sources, and no practical way to include content from tablets and smartphones beyond emailing files and links to the host,” said Jonathon Ferry, vice president of product education and experience at Key Digital.

BYOD systems leverage the power and comfort of personal devices and give participants the freedom to present and share information seamlessly. “Think about how many times you may have accessed your workplace apps on your smartphone, then multiply that across your organization," offered Lauren Simmen, director of product marketing at Creston. "The scope of BYOD becomes very apparent."

[Crestron Tackles the Modern Workplace: New Report Reveals Current Hybrid Trends]

Eliminating the need to be tied to a dedicated computer or transfer files, BYOD delivers an intuitive solution that allows presenters to share with confidence and ease, reducing the headaches caused by using a fixed system and avoiding the potential roadblocks of stationary technology. Switching to BYOD systems can also reduce the overall expense of maintaining and updating dedicated computers, which can be challenging with the high usage of these spaces and limited IT staffing resources.

Disadvantages to not embracing BYOD include higher overall costs, relying on software updates, and being stuck using only specific hardware or vendors. “Closed systems are very limiting, and the process of sharing content—the steps of finding a collaborative means of communication [email, Dropbox, etc.], loading it onto the proper device in a closed system, and then either instructing the guest on using the native device or controlling the sharing of content yourself—is pretty laborious,” said Simmen. “And what if your machine doesn’t have the right program to open the content in question? The ability of a BYOD collaborator to call up a file on their tablet and send that content right to a display saves time and frustration.”

Making Connections

Unless you have a wireless system, most BYOD systems will need a myriad of AV connections to support laptops, mobile devices, and other equipment. With the ability to support a wide selection of devices, BYOD systems are configured to accommodate various connection types.

A significant transition within BYOD spaces is USB-C, which is growing in widespread acceptance and can transmit data and power through a single cord. “A modern system with a USB-C connection will allow the presenter to walk in with a laptop, connect, and supply power,” explained Garth Lobban, director of marketing, Atlona. “It will send video and audio out and receive video in. For example, a presenter that walks into a room designed with an Atlona AT-OME-MS42 system can immediately take control of any USB peripherals connected to the device, such as cameras and speakerphones.”

Built-in tabletop enclosures can help keep cables organized while reducing wear and tear from daily use. Extron Cable Cubby enclosures, for example, can provide easy pass-through for cables, but also allows them to retract automatically with the simple push of a button, decreasing the stress caused by messy wires and cords.

Those looking to not worry about cable management can look to wireless BYOD. Many organizations are now investing in well-engineered wireless systems so participants to share content from any location, making proximity to wiring or worries about organizing them a non-issue.

[How BYOD Is Impacting Today's Conference Room Connectivity]

With systems becoming more reliable and robust, wireless BYOD empowers organizations to think outside the box and increase connectivity within smaller or less frequently used spaces. This is useful as businesses makeover traditional office spaces to support hybrid workers.

Meeting rooms may be the first thing to come to mind when discussing BYOD. Still, BYOD can easily transition into another trending topic, BYOM (bring your own meeting), where portable devices are used to participate in videconferences where remote users use Unified Communications (UC) software.

“While these UC meetings often use a dedicated conference computer to run the meeting and use cameras, microphones, and speakers to communicate with the remote users," said Joe da Silva, vice president of marketing for Extron, "there are options in which a laptop or other portable device can host the UC meeting, connecting to the room’s camera and microphone to show all the room participants to the remote attendees."

Extron's MediaPort 300 or MediaPort 200 bridges the connection between room cameras and audio systems, allowing remote users to hear everything from the local meeting room and vice versa. “A logical progression will be to extend presentation and collaboration spaces to incorporate both local and remote users for more comprehensive, efficient, and seamless collaboration,” da Silva added.

Be Our Guest

Classrooms and educational settings are also starting to embrace BYOD, allowing educators to utilize personal devices to share content and enhance their lessons. With many educators working out of shared classrooms, BYOD offers the flexibility to connect wirelessly to the classroom system to deliver content through their preferred devices.

BYOD also allows guest speakers, or even students, to have the ability to present from their devices and preferred platform. This is also a selling point for corporations hosting outside consultants, contractors, and salespeople. "The ability to share and work together on those digital assets that the guest has brought into the building—with as little friction as possible—makes for a terrific experience," said Simmen.

Laptops are still the leading technology used in BYOD. Still, as systems continue to evolve, mobile devices will play a more vital role as smartphones can support major codecs and connect wirelessly. Jason Pavao, field sales engineer with Yamaha Unified Communications, envisions major players like Teams and Zoom incorporating value-added services like real-time document editing and sharing. “It is not enough to just have the platform for connectivity," he said. "By leveraging the cloud, platforms will enable true collaboration.”

Integrators are also starting to incorporate new technology coming to market that capitalizes on wireless USB connectivity, including USB-enabled mics, speakers, and webcams. This increases the spaces’ ability to connect directly to professional-grade conferencing cameras and audio systems through the user’s device, creating a comprehensive, all-in-one conferencing solution.

[Who's Ready for Hybrid?]

For those that don’t want to be confined to the four walls of a meeting room or classroom, BYOD will genuinely allow them to reimagine what it is to meet. “Now that hybrid work is the new normal, different types of meeting spaces are beginning to emerge,” said Simmen. “Areas like lounges or casual sitting areas are now commonly used as meeting points. BYOD can bring the meeting to those spaces where dedicated conferencing solutions aren’t always feasible.”

Secure Entry

Traditional wired BYOD systems that connect solely to a local display system are innately secure unless the presenter connects the local network or LAN to the internet, making wireless systems more of a concern. Risk can be mitigated using technology like Extron's ShareLink Pro wireless presentation system, which can encrypt content or require an access code to connect securely to display and share content.

IT departments must implement plans and policies to control user access within these open systems, helping to keep user data and information safe. “Unless IT departments ensure that personal connections cannot interface with the corporate network, employees logging into their personal e-shopping accounts or emails can be at risk for stolen information,” explained Pavao.

A dedicated presentation computer with enterprise logins may be the more sensible option for organizations where security is paramount, or the average user does not have personal devices. Hybrid options, outfitting spaces with a dedicated computer and BYOD connections, or making some rooms BYOD and others native are options many companies are considering.

To paraphrase Greek philosopher Heraclitus: Change is certain. That’s absolutely true of the AV industry, where new innovations are being developed at breathtaking speed to meet the demands of a shifting horizon. If the past two years has revealed anything, it’s that change can drastically speed up and shake up any expected trajectory. One area where this has been profoundly felt is in the conference room.

The mission of a conference room or huddle space is to enable collaboration and communication that is simple, scalable, equitable, and ready, no matter the device or the participants’ locale. The biggest impact to conference room technology is coming from four letters that spell out trouble for AV system designers—BYOD.

[SCN Hybrid World: Look Up, Listen Up with These 9 Ceiling Mics]

Bring Your Own Device is a continuing shift in how we accommodate mobile devices. It's beyond challenging to create a functional conference system when the very components of the system can change from user to user and from day to day. 

Built for Change

How can integrators assist companies in building out spaces that will stand the test of not only time but change—and without a large investment? The answer lies in the system’s foundation: connectivity.

By creating a hyperflexible connectivity foundation, organizations can more readily and affordably respond to change. The devices that need to connect to the projector, camera, microphones, and interactive displays will vary from person to person and year to year, even within the same organization. 

According to Business Tech Weekly, the estimated lifespan of a laptop is around 3-5 years, with five years being on the long side. With the price of laptops having fallen drastically in recent years, it’s much more economical for companies to upgrade an aging laptop than suffer the consequences of poor productivity due to its limitations.

[Productivity Starts at the Desktop]

Five years in the electronics industry is a long time. In just the last five years, we’ve seen a wholesale reengineering of ports and protocols to the point that connections that were ubiquitous half a decade ago are disappearing quickly. 

For example, USB Type-C  is enjoying the fastest growth, but even within USB-C there is a need to support multiple connectivity standards including USB 2.0 and 3.0, DisplayPort Alt-Mode, Ethernet, DisplayLink, and HDMI. Legacy connections like Mini DisplayPort, Mini and Micro HDMI, VGA and Apple Lightning add yet another layer of complexity.

A critical factor in all of this change is the usability of the room. Conference rooms and huddle spaces need to be intuitive. Users should be able to walk in and know what to do, and the best way to ensure the value of an installation is by having one consistent and simple workflow. When everyone connects in the same manner, the meeting can be a plug-and-play experience.

A Survey of Solutions

With all this in mind, creative and flexible connectivity solutions are the answer. At home we can do many things wirelessly. Wireless presentation systems have their place in the conference room, but security concerns and peripherals that require a wired link can limit the utility of such solutions. 

Most of the inexpensive wireless solutions are designed for playback only and are not full-function codecs. This means they might not offer a connection to webcams and mic arrays.

Other solutions, such as a centralized 4K adapter ring mounted to the center of the conference table, can provide a customizable and affordable option for viewing content. HDMI is the most ubiquitous AV connection on the planet, and virtually any source can be converted to an HDMI output.

However, HDMI doesn't support bidirectional communication. Because of this, an HDMI adapter, like a wireless solution, may not provide a pathway for all of the input devices in the system.

Docking stations are rising stars in this space. Most users can simply connect their Type-C enabled laptop to an installed dock via a single cable and experience instant connection to the camera, microphones, display, network, charging power. and more. This is the power of USB Type-C. Rooms can be reconfigured, and devices upgraded as needed, but the workflow and the productivity stays consistent.

[Rust Never Sleeps ... and Neither Do Display Manufacturers]

Heraclitus was right that change is guaranteed, but what’s more important is where that change occurs. This won’t be the last evolution of the conference room and other collaboration spaces, but firm ground can be found. 

Instead of organizations having to shake up workflows and productivity, integrators can introduce connectivity solutions that are adaptable and affordable. This hyperflexibility will ensure consistently great meetings and presentations for years to come.

Although working from home was gradually making its way into the workplace, the pandemic kicked the doors wide open for adaptation of remote and hybrid work models in virtually every type of business. Now that the genie is out of the bottle, there seems little chance the working world will ever go back to the traditional 9-to-5, everyone-in-the-office routine.

[SCN Hybrid World: Better Heard, Not Seen]

A recent study by Hiring Lab found that job listings with a remote component had nearly tripled since 2020. With a quarter of all professional jobs expected to be remote by the end of 2023—and more than half of all employees indicating they want to be able to work from home—many employers are recognizing that they must make remote work options a part of their company culture to remain competitive. Without it, they fear they will be unable to continue attracting and retaining top talent, which ultimately will impact productivity and the organization’s ongoing success.

Equal Contribution Opportunities

Remote and hybrid work models, however, present another set of potential problems for employers. How do you ensure that remote workers still feel like they are part of the team? How do you keep these employees engaged, while ensuring that their performance remains high? And now that the capacity to work remotely is accepted as a workplace norm, how do you ensure remote workers are properly equipped so that they can participate fully in video calls?

For many companies, the answer to all of these questions is presence equity. Not a new concept—remote workers and their organizations have been trying to find better ways of collaborating for a decade or more—presence equity simply means that remote and in-office team members have the same access to information and can speak and be heard easily by all participants. Presence equity ensures that every team member can equally contribute to the discussion at hand.

When a lack of presence equity exists, remote workers can easily feel like their contributions are not valued as much as those who are physically at the workplace. This can lead to feelings of disengagement—and disengaged employees are more likely to be less productive and begin looking for job opportunities in which they believe their work will be perceived as more valuable.

[New Crestron Report Reveals Current Hybrid Trends]

The experience of a bad videoconference can also lead to remote workers being regarded by their peers (or, worse, their supervisors) as less than the true professionals they are. If it is difficult to see or hear what a speaker is sharing and saying, other participants will be concentrating on trying to decipher what is being said rather than understanding it. Remote workers need to be well lit, facing the camera, and engaged throughout the duration of the conversation.

Bottom line, better hybrid experiences lead to better work. A better experience can be defined as productive meeting time spent discussing ideas and finding solutions, rather than wasting time trying to get AV equipment and settings to work properly. Anyone who has dealt with the experience of a video call participant who can’t be heard or seen because of poor audio quality or lighting knows how detrimental it can be to productivity. While such calls might have been acceptable in the early days of the pandemic, today’s hybrid setting demand a professional approach.

Wide Open Options

With that in mind, employers should focus first on offering in-office workers a wide range of spaces in which to work. As remote work at its best has demonstrated, employees work best when they have control of where they work. Employers need to allow their workers to choose the best place for the task at hand. That means offering the option of huddle rooms equipped with videoconferencing technology to pods offering sufficient privacy to participate in a call or join a videoconference.

For both in-office and remote workers, employers should provide access to AV solutions that are easy to use and ensure that everyone sounds clear and is well lit on camera. Monitors and video solutions should be positioned so that both in-person and remote workers can view all content being shared. Microphones and speakers must be able to capture and transmit a clear audio stream.

Beyond that, it is important for AV and other collaborative solutions to support both BYOD (bring your own device) and BYOM (bring your own meeting) features. Doing so allows employees to easily connect to meetings on their organization’s standardized platform (as well as others, as needed), while simultaneously minimizing contact with shared devices.

Remote Considerations

Finally, it is essential for employers to make certain remote workers are as comfortable and enjoy the same productivity features as their in-office peers. This means providing professional home office solutions, such as an ergonomic chair, work tools, and videoconference kits equipped with headsets, mics, and ring lights.

With remote working opportunities likely to continue to grow in 2023 and beyond, employers will need to prioritize technology upgrades on a continual basis to ensure their workers are equipped with the tools that enable them to do their best work. This likely will necessitate increased budgeting for both the technology and the furniture solutions that support them. It also means offering more training opportunities so that technology use can be maximized, as well as making a higher investment in security solutions, since remote work will vastly increase the potential for cyberattacks.

[High Expectations for Hybrid Education]

The future is also likely to see employers generating stricter policies with respect to remote or hybrid workers. This will need to be done in part to make sure all workers are being treated fairly and equally when it comes to how remote work is being handled. Stricter policies will also protect both the organization and its employees from unnecessary risk related to tax and residency issues, while tying both to the employer’s overall business goals.

As with most things in life, change is the one constant in the workplace. With remote and hybrid work seemingly a permanent part of the workspaces, employers will need to ensure that worker performance, engagement, and well-being are all a part of their considerations when creating better work experiences.

The BYOD and BYOM of 2019 will seem tame by comparison to The Big Return of 2022 as workers enjoy the benefits of working between the office and home office. They will bring their favorite devices, software, and platforms, exponentially increasing vulnerabilities to the enterprise network. And while working from home and sharing files, who is defending the castle?

The #WFH VPN Vulnerability 

For more than two decades, companies have relied on the encrypted connection a virtual private network (VPN) provides to enable employees to access corporate email and safely transmit data over the internet while traveling or working from remote locations. 

Matthew Rakes, managing director, Information Technology and Cybersecurity at Unity Aluminum, suggested that depending on how well the IT department has defined route policies, a VPN might not mitigate all risks. “One of the problems you can run into is if someone has a compromised local network or device and they attach via VPN to the enterprise, then that device now has traffic flowing into your network.”

There's a degree of Big Brother that has been assumed acceptable when employees are on corporate property. “This is where I think we need to train users' expectations to understand better that when you're using a particular application, that we are going to be Big Brother, even if we are going to be hands-off of the rest of your network,” Rakes said. 

The term “Big Brother” often conjures the idea that evidence is being gathered against the user. “I often think that the best view of this is quite the contrary,” Rakes added. “We should actually be seen more as defenders of the castle.” A strong, secure IT department should first and foremost aim to protect employees and the company data equally. “We should seek to not only protect data, but we should seek to help protect and defend the people that represent your company, and the best way to do that is providing them with secure tools that help them to know that they don't find themselves in a compromising situation,” he said. 

Security-first

Rakes is taking a long-term approach to adding technologies as employees return. “We are looking at what solutions and technologies we can acquire now that alleviate our immediate pain, but will allow us to better transition into higher efficiency once people come back to the office.” Post-COVID, Unity Aluminum will continue to have a flexible remote work policy. “But we recognize that one of many benefits of being in the office is collaboration,” Rakes said. “We are leveraging tools from Mersive, Cisco, and Microsoft, which helped us to bridge the gap.”

Whenever possible, Rakes deploys a cloud-first model for IT and AV solutions. “That takes a lot of onus off IT departments when you don't have to worry about security patches because Microsoft Azure is already handling that for you,” he said. 

Unity leverages a suite of Cisco technologies for its wired and wireless on-premise networks. “We use Cisco identity services and Cisco capabilities that work as an umbrella that can identify known pieces of hardware and dynamically insert them on the correct VLAN, regardless of what network they initially connect to,” Rakes said. Moving toward a “zero trust” security model, “with Cisco Duo Security, you're able to achieve a dynamic resilience, so when someone connects to a network, enters their credentials to authenticate to that network, then it says, ‘Oh hey, I know who this person is. I can dynamically put them on the correct VLAN,’” he said. 

When choosing AV solutions, Rakes looks to companies with a security-first approach. “One of the things we like about Mersive is the way they handle the communication from the Solstice client back to a pod is different than many other AV solutions,” Rakes said. “Mersive went from the approach first of, ‘How do we secure the transmission of that traffic?’ and then, ‘Now let’s make sure that the audio-video protocols work.’” 

[ How to Think About Network Security After COVID ]

Verify and Enforce

When it comes to security and BYOD/BYOM devices, the primary challenge is the verification and enforcement of an organization’s security policy. “Organizationally owned assets can be standardized and remotely managed. This allows the organization to enforce security best practices on network devices,” AV/IT industry consulting solutions architect of AVCoIP, Paul Zielie, said. “BYOx devices could bring in malware, which once inside the organizations, can do serious damage.”

The best way to mitigate risk is to require a security package run on the BYOD hardware. “If employees want to use these devices on the organization’s network, require that the security package needs to be running while connected,” Zielie said. “You then use a port level security protocol like 802.1x, which checks that it is running before data is passed.” 

[ Shure on the Importance of Networked Audio Security ]

Next-Gen Firewall

"It is not realistic to add protection services to every device that may be added to a collaboration space, but there are still several steps AV/IT managers can take to enable safe, secure, and seamless collaboration and productivity," said Nathan Holmes, senior manager of Training at Snap One. Segregating remote connectable collaboration areas from the rest of the corporate network, employing a Next-Gen firewall solution with unified threat protection services, and ensuring that your IT team is up to date on cybersecurity threats and employs best IT practices are some easy first steps to securing your corporate networks while supporting a remote workforce.

AV/IT managers are accustomed to creating an Information Security (InfoSEC) plan for their respective businesses, but these plans are typically based upon most, if not all, employees residing within the controlled corporate network hardware area. With the move toward BYOD and BYOM, the InfoSEC plan should include strategies that allow employees to join the collaboration space through devices that may not employ protection services. To mitigate security threats for all devices, we recommend the following course of action: The development and execution of a comprehensive security policy that includes unified threat protection, provides each employee with the networking equipment they need to work remotely, ensures devices include active information security services, actively manages and updates these services, provides secure VPN access for each employee, and ensures there is a specific policy and procedure for connecting non-company-owned equipment to the corporate network."

Robust Encryption

"A modern collaboration platform should include a suite of security features to guard against a variety of risk scenarios," said Brian Cockrell, Intel Unite Solution Product Owner and Co-founder at Intel. Robust encryption should be in place. The Intel Unite solution uses end-to-end TLS (transport layer security) encryption between a participant’s device and a room hub, whose connection to the server—on-prem or cloud—is also end-to-end TLS encrypted. In addition to encryption, there should be protections against unauthorized access to sessions, such as a rotating PIN, and the ability for participants to lock a meeting, as well as expel unwanted participants. Other security features include keystroke lockout, protected guest access, and the ability to authorize use by individual. Finally, content shouldn’t leave the organization’s network and use data should be anonymous. These protections should be embedded in software that is easy to learn and use. Otherwise, disuse becomes the primary protection. Good for security, but bad for collaboration. The Intel Unite solution is a good example of a collaboration platform that includes all these features. 

When a new collaboration platform is combined with peripherals and plugins—especially in BYOD, BYOM, and remote environments—the result is a staggering number and variety of potential risks—some foreseeable, others novel. Do the research and choose tech wisely. Has the software been vetted by other users? Where is data going and is it sufficiently protected? What data is collected and where is it stored? Once the risks and benefits are fully understood, weigh those against a risk profile and choose the tools that provide the best balance."

For the past few years, many AV/IT industry manufacturers and solution providers had already been developing and delivering products to enable the Bring Your Own Device, and Meeting trend. And the timing could not have been more fortuitous. As companies retrofit and design additional meeting room spaces to accommodate the needs of a hybrid workforce, more than ever before AV/IT managers are seeking solutions that are easy to deploy, manage, monitor, and perhaps most important—easy to use. 

From presentation and videoconferencing systems, to compact room control, to displays with advanced features built-in, today’s “all-in-one” solutions are replacing multiple black boxes. Meeting room systems that used to require several cables on the table now have one, or none. Workers are able to walk into a meeting space with their device of choice and easily connect and begin work.

Ease-of-use, scalability and flexibility are the mantras for this growing segment of AV/IT solutions.

Family Business with a Taste for Collaboration

Rich Products is a family-owned food company dedicated to bringing creative solutions to industry professionals around the globe—from food service and retail, to in-store bakeries and prepared foods. Thomas Geblein, solution architect for digital enablement at Rich Products, and his team set out to standardize on a scalable technology platform that would support and enhance collaboration and productivity across all their global locations.

Thomas and his team worked with Veraview LLC to outfit their facility with leading-edge Crestron UC, room scheduling, and room control technology solutions that would foster a more productive and collaborative working environment. As a company standardized on Microsoft Teams software, Crestron Flex UC solutions provided Rich’s with a full suite of products designed to facilitate collaboration in every meeting room, along with a consistent, simple user experience. Geblein said, “Crestron Flex for Microsoft Teams provides us with a core ecosystem of products that delivers a single, unified experience for all of our associates and which accommodates their evolving needs.”

[ Crestron Adds Wireless Conferencing to AirMedia ]

Rich’s also uses Crestron technology to host culinary events from their production studio. Their Innovation Space, which includes a production studio, town hall conference spaces, an atrium, and specialized kitchen, is equipped with numerous Crestron Flex C-Series UC Video Conference Systems for hosting virtual demonstrations to better serve their customers. Geblein explained, “The way we work has radically changed due COVID-19. Our associates are dispersed globally, and we have to equip them with the ability to work from anywhere. The world has become our workplace and Crestron provides us with technology solutions that are essential to keep moving forward.”

Luxury Automotive Brand Gets a Communications Upgrade

Consumers love BMW for its world-class driving experience, reliable safety, and cutting-edge technology. To provide more valuable services for customers, there is a need for collaboration and communication efficiency, but problems in equipment connection, configuration, and maintenance in traditional conference rooms were causing a bottleneck.

To solve this issue, BMW Group partnered with Intel to build a new unified wireless conference system based on the Intel Unite solution. The system frees meeting participants from worrying about cable connections, complicated applications, and driver installations—reducing the need for IT support, and lowering the system’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). With Intel Unite, conferences start faster—taking just a few seconds instead of 10-20 minutes—and during a conference, participants can join, share, and switch presenters with just a single click. It also provides greater security, with shared content fully encrypted through a TLS protocol, as well as a rotating PIN code.

IT Infrastructure at BMW Group weighed in on the collaboration with Intel, saying, “The efficient and smooth conference experience has helped us improve communication and sharing efficiency both internally and externally and has ensured that our company remains competitive. The Intel Unite solution offers a consistent, smooth, and secure conference experience, and provides extensive support for more intelligent services. It helps us to enhance conference efficiency and enrich the user experience. Our employees have welcomed it happily.”

[ Intel Unite Addresses Hybrid Work Realities ]

In the future, BMW Group will work with Intel to introduce more capabilities to meeting rooms equipped with the Unite solution—future projects including integrating Unite and the meeting room booking function, as well as integrating to other information systems such as internal messaging to broadcast audio files, videos, images, and other promotional content to displays.

Display Shines in the Yellowhammer State

PeopleTec is a leading defense contractor based in Huntsville, Alabama—specializing in emerging technologies, engineering solutions, modeling and simulation, cybersecurity, and mission operations support. The company’s continued success relies equally on effective communication, utilization of the latest technologies, and responsiveness to customers’ needs. As part of its commitment to innovative technology, PeopleTec recently became the first business in the state to purchase and install the new 130-inch all-in-one DVLED display from LG Business Solutions USA. 

PeopleTec’s new LG display provides everything needed in a single package that’s easy to install and operate. Compatible with control system integration, the TAA-compliant display also includes the versatile webOS for Signage smart platform. The stunning picture quality is enabled by the display’s 1.5mm pixel pitch, 500 nits of brightness, HDR 10 Pro capability and up to a 160-degree viewing angle.

[ LG & Userful Offer Software-Defined AVoIP Solution for Enterprise ]

According to M3 Technology Group, which recommended and installed the new LG LAAF series DVLED display and other conference room technologies, the upgrade has transformed PeopleTec’s conference experience for their employees and guests by increasing the ease and impact of delivering content on a giant, wall-sized screen. “We want visitors to walk away knowing that our technological capabilities are leading edge in the defense contractor space, and a big, bright, crisp video display is an effective way to make that statement,” Terry Jennings, CEO of PeopleTec said. In fact, the results from the install were so immediately compelling and effective that PeopleTec is already considering more LG display solutions to replace other conference room projection systems.

TEKVOX is launching its ShareView Wireless Pro system for wireless BYOD videoconferencing. The new device follows the introduction last year of the ShareView Wireless Presentation System for sharing content wirelessly in conference rooms and collaborative spaces.

Designed to provide BYOD videoconferencing, the new plug-and-play system requires no software downloads or complex applications so that users can quickly and easily transform conference rooms into highly functional, interactive video conferencing hubs. No more long cable runs through rooms and under tables or complicated equipment configurations.

[TEKVOX Adds 4K Videoconferencing, PTZ Cameras to Line]

Up to four people can present simultaneously with the ShareView Wireless Pro's fluid, automatic quad-multiview capabilities. It features USB pass-through so that connected laptops can utilize USB cameras, microphones or speaker bars connected to the base unit. The ShareView Wireless Pro comes with two small HMDI or USB-C hardware transmitters which sit on the tabletop and connect the system to a laptop.

[TEKVOX 1201-MV Debuts Universal Switcher for BYOD Video Conferencing]

The new system supports 4K resolutions as well as connection via AirPlay for Apple devices and the free WirelessMedia2 app for Android devices. The ShareView Wireless Pro is shipping now and has an MSRP of $2,155.

When organizations look to bolster their teams to keep up with client demands, or expand to capitalize on increased opportunities, their typical reaction is to focus on hiring and recruitment. While this seems like the obvious, sensible solution for a time-sensitive need—what’s too often overlooked is the importance of retention and the development of current staff. 

Recruitment should be a regular activity for any organization that is growth minded or forward thinking. What also needs to be considered, especially by smaller companies, is that the most effective recruiting is done when the need to hire is not urgent. By patiently allowing the hiring process to take ample time, both the employer and the candidate have the opportunity to verify a common commitment, confirm shared core values, communicate and agree upon expectations of the role, and validate a buy-in to a future vision. Finding this right fit can be a critical step toward long-term job satisfaction, career success, and retention for an organization. When recruiting under pressure or out of desperation, priorities become skewed, sound decisions become compromised, and a potential long-term fit is sacrificed for a short-term win. In the end, while rapid recruiting can address the demand for additional production or capacity, the tradeoff for expediency is a financial, energetic, and time investment in a team member that will likely not pan out. More important to consider, however, is the impact that an improper hire can have on an existing team.

An employer-employee relationship can simply not work out for a multitude of reasons—anything from misunderstood expectations, subpar performance, inadequate compensation, cultural misalignment, or absence of future growth or potential. As with any relationship, responsibility for these contributing factors lies with either or both parties. Whatever the cause, it is important to understand how to minimize the likelihood of it happening again, as well as to prevent damage to the existing team. Whether in a large company or small, for smaller teams, any hire is considered major growth and should be treated as such. It is not only important that the new addition contributes positively to the organization as an individual, but also that they mesh with others on the team and raise up the group as a whole. While the prospect of an ambitious and productive new hire is certainly appealing, the net impact can be nonexistent—or worse, detrimental—if others around them are negatively impacted.

[ The AV Gig Economy ]

Balancing the Effort

Considering the many challenges of recruitment, as well as the investment involved in hiring the right person—doesn’t it make sense that a comparable effort should also be put into retention?

Successful employee retention starts during the hiring process, with defining the responsibilities of the role; establishing expectations for success; and documenting company standards of excellence, core values, and operational guidelines. By establishing these criteria upfront and having an agreed-upon understanding of what to expect with regard to employment, the relationship will be off to a promising start. As time passes and rapport is built, it is important for managers to develop awareness of each team member’s personality, priorities, strengths, weaknesses, and values—so that management styles can be adjusted, reward systems customized, and motivational strategies catered to each individual for maximum effectiveness. This is particularly important for team members of different generations.

[ The Hidden Challenges of AV Control Programming ]

[ Tips for Training Your AV Team ]

[ Improving Project Hand-Off ]

Addressing Generation Gaps

Although everyone values the importance of monetary compensation, members of each generation have different perspectives when it comes to what they value in an employment relationship. Older generations (Gen X and Boomers) want to be presented with opportunities for promotion, leadership, respected job titles, and time off; younger generations (Millennials and Gen Z) identify with roles providing long-term stability, career growth, opportunities to learn and have their voices heard, scheduling flexibility, and the knowledge that their role in the organization makes a difference.

An undeniable, yet often overlooked fact is that everyone likes to have a good time. Companies that facilitate social interaction, camaraderie, and fun typically benefit from this healthy culture and see higher levels of employee retention. Teams that bond through non-work-related discussions, or share common interests, hobbies, or tastes find more ways to connect—resulting in more effective communication on and off the job. By providing opportunities for team building through company-supported learning, social, and leisure activities, relationships can be built and strengthened amongst members of a team or organization on many levels.

Can We Talk?

Too often, employees seek other work options as a result of lingering issues that go unaddressed. By encouraging open communication and holding regular one-on-one meetings between managers and individual team members, roadblocks can be overcome, challenges worked out, and solutions identified for the benefit of everyone involved. The alternative can often result in nagging issues that fester and worsen. Something that was at one time easily addressed can snowball and even become a reason for severing a relationship. With frequent dialog—both casually and on a formal schedule—sticking points, misunderstandings, and hard feelings can be alleviated.

With remote work becoming more widely accepted in many industries, including AV, there is a greater focus on scheduling freedom, autonomy, and acceptance of work-life balance for employees. By exhibiting trust, providing flexibility, and demonstrating consideration for personal needs, employers can not only stimulate greater productivity, but they can also cultivate happier and more committed team members. Remote work requires a a greater dedication to effective communication, a conscious effort to stay connected, and a focused discipline to maintain productivity. While the offer of a remote work arrangement may be critical to the acquisition and retention of employees, its effectiveness requires effort from both parties.

A Promising Future

Finally, employee retention results from the confidence of a promising future. Whether it is an enticing career path, an opportunity for personal development, access to training and education, or the ability to become a leader, most employees remain at an organization to grow. Without opportunities to advance their skills or progress in their roles, employees will feel stagnant and look elsewhere to satisfy their professional goals.

While organizations are working hard to keep pace with increased business demands and opportunities, they must consider the importance of caring for their existing team before pursuing new additions. Without an effective retention strategy, even the best recruitment will not result in a net gain. In fact, the cost of poor retention will not only be monetary, but it will impact morale, reduce confidence, and translate into poor client satisfaction. While it may initially seem easier to focus on hiring to address labor needs, the key to successful growth may be actually be found in retention. Maintaining a passionate team that is committed to the future of the organization will prove more beneficial than simply adding staff to increase bandwidth and availability.

The movement of "no-coding" software development is a growing trend, especially in the web, mobile app, and workflow automation spaces. The value of these tools is their ability to enable so-called non-programmers to develop solutions without needing to know the syntax and nuances of a specific programming language. Instead, no-code-required platforms offer the ability to create applications through an easy-to-understand visual interface where elements can be assembled to produce a purpose-driven solution. While these offerings present great value due to their ability to lower the barrier for developing applications in a cost-effective and expeditious manner, their effectiveness is a function of the power of the platform combined with the skills and mastery of those who use them.

Don’t Be Mislead

No-coding can be a misleading term—providing a false sense of security that anyone can create an application regardless of their understanding or skill level. No-coding does not equate to "no-knowledge," "no-understanding," or "no-effort." The need to conceptualize and define a blueprint for what is being developed is a still a requirement and understanding the logic and thought process of programming is still a pre-requisite to maximize the effectiveness of no-coding solutions. Furthermore, understanding the no-coding environment, including its strengths and limitations, is critical to leveraging its effectiveness.

No-coding solutions are not new to the AV industry. For years, manufacturers have been touting "no-programming-required" solutions that address the industry pain points of expense, effort, complexity, and skill requirements associated with programmed systems. While the messaging of no programming required has a lot of merit for manufacturers from a marketing standpoint, the value is only real as long as there is an alignment between the requirements, capabilities, and realistic expectations.

[ The Hidden Challenges of AV Control Programming ]

[ Tips for Training Your AV Team ]

[ Improving Project Hand-Off ]

Understanding Tradeoffs

No-coding solutions can be viable for many systems that do not demand complicated functionality or operation. With the majority of AV systems using fewer installed components and shifting to reliance on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), web conferencing, and streaming technologies—system functionality and thus programming requirements have been simplified significantly. When the requirements call for more advanced features that warrant intricate conditional logic, customized operation, complex device communication, et cetera—it becomes more critical to compare the details of those requirements with what is supported by the no-coding solution to confirm the right fit. The tradeoff for simplicity in no-coding platforms is limited flexibility and the inability to readily reverse course should the requirements exceed the capabilities of the no-coding realm.

The power of no-coding solutions comes from the backend development of the user-friendly environment, along with the easy-to-implement building blocks or objects available to construct the no-code solution. What is not apparent to everyone is all the complex programming that exists behind the scenes to make a no-code solution effective. Any time a no-code solution is used, it leverages hidden blocks of code created by developers who contribute to the platform. The easy-to-use frontend is a product of the heavy lifting done by the platform creators and other software developers who facilitate the platform’s effectiveness.

No-code Platforms

In the AV world, the building blocks that fuel the no-code platforms are commonly referred to as drivers, modules, or plugins (depending on the manufacturer). These components can typically be grouped into two primary categories: The first encompasses system features, functionality, or operation; the second addresses integration of third-party products through their application programming interface (API).

While the system features are important to provide customization and offer solutions to satisfy client needs, a critical element in the adoption of any control platform is its ability to easily integrate with third-party products. There are two main variables associated with device control. The easier and more straightforward criteria is whether or not the control method can be supported. The more involved variable is what it will take to communicate with the particular device and whether or not a pre-developed driver, module, or plugin is available. 

These days, most devices communicate over the network, with some instances of RS-232, infrared, relay, or digital I/O. When it comes to fully coded platforms, the ability to support third-party devices becomes a function of the control method being supported and the programmer's ability to interpret and incorporate commands from the API within their code. On the contrary, no-coding environments are less forgiving. Many offer very limited options for ad hoc device control and rely heavily on the availability of pre-developed building blocks in the form of drivers, modules, and plugins to support third-party device integration. What this means for the control manufacturer is that the power of the platform is predicated on the comprehensiveness of their library of drivers, modules, or plugins to control third-party products. Similarly, for AV manufacturers of products that rely on control system integration, their compatibility with no-coding platforms can be severely limited without the availability of drivers, modules, or plugins.

Understand the Criteria

It is important to clarify and understand that there are criteria that need to be considered for those looking to rely on no-coding tools. The success of no-code platforms stems from how they simplify the demands of development and lower the knowledge and skill requirements needed to produce a deliverable solution. As is the case with most things that seem too good to be true, with simplicity and ease of development come the trade-offs of functionality limitations and customization restrictions.

When determining a direction for development, be sure to start by taking the time to spell out the system operation, functionality requirements, and products that need to be controlled. This will act as the qualifier to determine if a no-code platform is an option. If it is, the process can proceed as long as future needs will not exceed the capabilities of the platform. If the ingredients and platform do not align, decisions can be made to adjust the system operation, functionality, or components; or search for a different no-code platform that will support what is needed.

The potential of no-code solutions is undeniable, and their effectiveness will continue to increase over time and with greater adoption. They will always be limited, however, by three main factors: First will be the ability to support the operational requirements of the system; second will be the flexibility and ease with which modifications to the no-code deliverable can be made to accommodate changes in design; third will be how easily and reliably it integrates third-party devices. This last factor boils down to the comprehensiveness of the library of building blocks (i.e., modules, drivers, plugins) available to support the platform.

Always remember that with power comes responsibility. Before investing in a no-code platform, be sure to confirm that it will meet the needs of your project and your client—now and into the future.

At last month’s InfoComm Sneak Peek virtual event, which is available on demand, Ken Eagle, vice president of technology for Hall Technologies, participated in the panel discussion “Classroom of the Future,” which identified certain technologies hybrid classrooms should have in order to be successful. We followed up with Eagle to get additional insights about what pro AV tools will most benefit today’s students.

AVN: What are the current trends you are seeing in higher-education classroom technology?

KEN EAGLE: There are several, including:

UCC (Unified Communication and Collaboration): UCC brings together many types of communication technologies and allows them to interact with each other so that learning can happen freely and organically. It allows hardware and software to merge seamlessly, without the learner or the teacher even knowing that it is happening. For example, bringing together Zoom, Teams, and others in coordination with AV and USB devices in a room or across rooms.

HyFlex Learning: This includes both synchronous and asynchronous learning, meaning both in-room and remote students participating in a shared learning system. It requires advanced technology to pull it off effectively, and it is import because it creates a better solution for our customers, the learners, and the teachers.

Addition of USB-Based Equipment and Peripherals: USB allows teachers and students to connect interactive electric learning devices so we can share information more easily and enjoyably.

[ Video Tools for Hybrid Learning ]

With so many institutions returning to in-person learning after a year away, what can technology do to enhance the safety classroom?

Technology can help by reducing the need to touch shared surfaces. This can be done in several ways:

By installing equipment that can auto-sense a live signal and then send commands to power on all the room devices and ready systems for use.

Equipment can be installed with an auto-switch between presenters so that no one has to touch a remote or buttons on a switch.

QR are codes a great way to reduce contact with shared surfaces. A room user can a scan a QR code using their own handheld mobile device. This will load the room AV control panel on their device so that they can control the room from the safety of their own personal device surface. 

[ Distance and Hybrid Learning Trends in Higher Ed ]

In the era of BYOD, what can campuses do to make operation easier for professors, and also protect their systems?

• Use wireless casting devices to share content.
• Install equipment that will allow recording the USB devices.
• Provide password-protected streaming with auto-changing passcodes.
• Install equipment that will allow direct streaming to social sites like Facebook and YouTube.

Why is it important for schools to standardize the technology they use?

The most important reason is to provide a consistent user experience for every room and every system on campus, but also a standard system will make it easier to install and support equipment. Additionally, standard equipment will make it easy for support staff to swap out equipment when needed.

Related Stories

The Evolution of the Hall Brand and Team • In January 2021, Hall Research announced it was rebranding to Hall Technologies. During the following months, the company has made several key hires. Hall Technologies CEO Jason Schwartz discusses the evolution that is taking place.

AV Network Tech Talk with Hall Technologies • AVNation’s Tim Albright welcomes Ken Eagle, vice president of technology for Hall Technologies, who discusses why he recently joined the company, how Hall’s new EMCEE200 presentation switcher and HIVE control system are changing the way people work in education and other verticals, and what the company has planned for InfoComm 2021.

THE WHAT: Crestron announced an update to its AirMedia Presentation Systems, a portfolio of wireless presentation devices that support one-touch presentation and meeting control from any collaboration device. The three products joining the AirMedia portfolio are the AM-3100 Receiver, AM-3200 Receiver, and the AM-TX3-100 Connect adapter. AirMedia devices seamlessly connect presentation, collaboration, and display capabilities together for the enterprise workspace on the Crestron Flex digital workplace platform.

The AM-3100 Receiver is an entry-level option that supports wireless presentation on the secure AirMedia network. It’s intended for smaller applications such as huddle spaces, education, and stand-up spaces where simple wireless presentation is needed. 

The AM-3200 Receiver, an updated version of the legacy AirMedia device, brings additional features, including an audio output for interfacing with room audio, DUAL LAN network, HDMI input to support wired and wireless presentation on a single room system, and RS232 and IR ports for built-in display control. 

[ The Integration Guide to AV over IP ]

The AM-TX3-100 Connect adapter enables wireless sharing without cables or connection to an enterprise network. It eases the sharing process for guest presenters, who can easily connect and present without the need to download software or connect to the network.

THE WHAT ELSE: As some employees return to offices and others continue to work from home, providing flexible and efficient collaboration systems to support hybrid work is more important than ever. AirMedia lets employees to maximize their time together by simply walking into any meeting space, turning on a display or connecting to a laptop, and instantly accessing and sharing content through any device so they can concentrate on the task at hand. AirMedia supports wireless content sharing and conferencing from any device, whether BYOD or on in-room displays, and between either internal teams or guests.

Features in the AirMedia update that enhance the collaboration experience include the ability to share up to nine screens, allowing for multiple documents to be seen and worked on simultaneously and eliminating the need to constantly change between presenters; 4K video support; and a newly customizable user interface.

Native support for Microsoft Teams or Zoom videoconferencing simplifies meeting setup, whether it occurs through a wireless connection on the AirMedia network or by plugging a USB-C device into AirMedia Connect.

AirMedia works on the Crestron Flex digital workplace platform, which provides accessibility for every enterprise endpoint device, from room scheduling to conferencing, and from lighting and shading to thermostat control. Enterprises can simply mix-and-match to design meeting spaces that best suit how their teams connect and collaborate.

Management and software updates for AirMedia are effortless through the Crestron XiO Cloud Service, which ensures a centralized experience for configuration, deployment, updates, and analytics for end-devices in the enterprise. AirMedia also supports a Dual LAN network so users can have both a private and guest network, ensuring unknown devices cannot pose a security risk.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The AirMedia portfolio is now available for pre-order. The AM-3200 and AM-3100 will begin shipping in September, and a shipping date for AM-TX3-100 will be announced in the future.

Other Crestron News

Trends in Real-Time Video over IP • The adoption of video over IP has increased in the past year. As products and applications have become more flexible, interoperable, and standards-based, users now find they can apply them in many different verticals and use cases.

With Retirement Ahead, Crestron’s Randy Klein Reflects on 30 Years • Crestron's Randy Klein's tireless work ethic will be among the outgoing president’s enduring legacies. Klein reflects on 30 years.

Crestron Taps Maverick AV Solutions to Distribute UC Portfolio • Maverick AV Solutions has announced an agreement with Crestron Electronics to distribute its range of platform-focused unified communication solutions globally.

Crestron Creates Lighting Control System for Lambeau Field • The home of the Green Bay Packers recently upgraded its lighting to a Crestron automation system that that allows stadium management to easily update lighting preferences and closely monitor and control energy expenditures.

After a complete renovation of its headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Governors Association (NGA) now offers staff and visitors comfortable, modern workspaces that include a dozen new LG digital signage displays and nearly 100 LG UltraWide computer monitors that enable new messaging and remote collaboration capabilities.

From the lobby to the cafe to conference rooms, the new digital signage network from LG Business Solutions enhances the NGA’s flexibility and provides simple bring-your-own-device (BYOD) meeting spaces that deliver a variety of benefits for workers.

According to CTSI, the integration firm responsible for upgrading the NGA’s networking, data, and audiovisual systems, the new digital displays and systems at the organization’s headquarters provide the communications and collaboration tools needed to succeed in the variable work environment of the post-COVID world.

“After 12 years without upgrades, the existing conference room technologies had fallen so far behind that they were only used rarely, if at all,” said CTSI AV design expert Andy Bukowski. “Now the NGA headquarters is a beacon of modernity that allows visiting governors and their staffs to continue the hard work of governing their states while visiting the nation’s capital. As the organization returns to the office following the pandemic, the new desktop and digital signage displays will be crucial to meet the expectations of NGA staff and external colleagues alike.”

[ Georgetown University Reimagines Learning with AV Tech ]

The redesigned conference rooms enable simple plug-and-play setup for conference calls or presentations on LG 4K Ultra HD displays ranging from 55 to 98 inches diagonal, with most offering bring-your-own-device simplicity that includes HDMI connections and Airmedia wireless casting.

With the ability to display custom interactive content as well as PC feeds or cable TV, an 86-inch LG touchscreen display in the lobby welcomes governors with style and sophistication, while offering a preview of the upgrades that await them inside. When they need to get work done, visitors can use the Visiting Governors’ Office, which features a 49-inch LG 4K display with simple laptop and tablet connections.

With 90 employees, the NGA also has plenty of its own daily work to complete, which is now aided by two conference rooms with 75-inch LG 4K displays and two more with LG 55-inch 4K displays. In the largest, most popular space, the Capitol View Conference Room overlooking the U.S. Capitol, the city’s grandeur is complemented by a huge 98-inch LG 4K display. All of the displays feature LG’s advanced IPS panels, which are also used in the office’s new LG 34-inch UltraWide desktop monitors.

“The NGA has scores of employees, and most of them expressed a desire for dual-monitor workstations to accommodate complex workflows and multitasking,” Bukowski explained. “By using LG’s UltraWide 32:9 aspect ratio monitors instead of dual-monitor setups, we were able to deliver the larger digital canvas they needed while simplifying system design and connections, resulting in a cleaner appearance and smoother operation.”

[ LaGuardia Airport Outfits New Terminal with Specialized LG Signage ]

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the NGA’s new technology infrastructure is that the audiovisual systems can be easily upgraded, thanks to CTSI’s Subscription Service that allows the NGA to request replacement technologies as new displays or features are introduced in the coming years. By replacing a large upfront cost with a monthly subscription fee, the NGA gains enormous flexibility and helps assure that its offices won’t become obsolete as technology progresses.

“Like any organization, the NGA wants to maximize the value of its investment and ensure long-term capabilities, so LG display technology coupled with CTSI’s subscription hardware and software service represented the ideal solution,” said Shantia Puckett, the NGA’s associate director of information technology. “Our clientele includes some of the most powerful people in the country, so it’s paramount that the technologies and spaces we offer them work flawlessly and deliver fast, simple means to get their work done.”

In addition to the lobby, conference room and desktop displays, CTSI installed 49-inch 4K displays in the cafe to welcome guests, provide updates and show news broadcasts. Another 55-inch LG 4K model mounted on a rolling cart enables any space to host presentations or videoconferences.

“During the presidential inauguration in January there were a number of governors using our offices and conference rooms, and when they needed to launch a Zoom meeting, we were ready,” Puckett said. “Before the renovation, our capabilities were limited, and now we have governors remarking how easy our technology is to use and how great everything looks. It’s a completely different experience, thanks to LG and CTSI.”

The NGA is the premier resource not only for governors, but also for their cabinet members, state policy experts and businesses, as well as members of Congress and staff. The NGA offers an array of services to help states collaboratively tell their stories. Thanks to decades of broad expertise, NGA teams are able to work side-by-side with state leaders to identify challenges, help governors stay ahead of the curve and offer solutions before challenges become problems.

CTSI’s Recent News

CTSI Acquires Collaborative Technology Solutions (June 25, 2021) • Collaborative Technology Solutions is a provider of audiovisual, security, and other highly engineered low-voltage solutions. CTSI's acquisition strategy will continue to focus on acquiring leading communication, collaboration, life safety, and security solution providers with complementary employee-focused cultures and a trusted commitment to customers.

CTSI Acquires DavEd Fire Systems (May 26, 2021) • DavEd Fire Systems is a provider of fire alarm and security system design, integration, maintenance, and managed services. DavEd represents the second acquisition for CTSI since partnering with Wind Point in June 2020.

Wind Point Partners Acquires CTSI (June 24, 2020) • Private equity firm Wind Point Partners has acquired Corbett Technology Solutions Inc. (CTSI), , which celebrated its 50th year in business in 2019.

The What: Xilica is partnering with Barco to bring complete collaboration solutions to corporate AV environments. The partnership provides customers with tightly integrated video and audio components to support BYOD presentations, ensuring a fully compatible wireless ecosystem within meeting spaces and conference rooms that will also support hybrid meetings.

The What Else: The technical architecture integrates Xilica Solaro Series DSPs with Barco's ClickShare Conference wireless conferencing system, establishing a one-click operation to quickly bring BYOD presentations to life. The workflow both streamlines the process of launching a presentation and connecting to meeting room AV peripherals. It also establishes a nearly touch-free operation for the presenter--a critical strategy for employee safety as workers return to offices.

Introduced last year, ClickShare Conference builds on its predecessor ClickShare by automatically and wirelessly connecting laptops and mobile devices to cameras, microphones, speakers and other AV components in the room. Xilica's Solaro Series DSPs boost voice intelligibility, eliminate noise and echo, and deliver seamless room control in alignment with ClickShare Conference via USB connectivity. The two products immediately lock in once a presentation is launched, with Xilica processing and managing all audio moving in and out of the DSP. Options include the flagship Solaro FR1 and its compact, quarter-rack-width sibling, Solaro QR1. ClickShare Conference's compatibility with Xilica's full range of Solaro products ensure flexible options for integrators, including local processing with a small footprint, or AoIP-based centralized processing to handle the wider building.

The Bottom Line: According to Barco's David Fitzgerald, the initial go-to-market strategy will address corporate AV environments, but the two companies will expand their horizons to support K-12 and higher education, with flexible options for traditional classrooms, lecture halls and large auditoriums.

The What: The KD-BYOD4K Wireless Presentation Gateway from Key Digital is an affordable, simple-to-operate, all-in-one collaborative learning solution for education facilities ramping up to the return of in-person learning. A complete, single-chassis Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) collaboration device, the KD-BYOD4K allows dedicated and adjunct faculty, guest teachers and students to cast content contact-free to any designated display or projector via Wi-Fi from laptops, tablets and smartphones for big-screen presentation and for group learning and review.

The What Else: The KD-BYOD4K readily accommodates a high-definition wireless connection from all major operating platforms—Windows and Mac OS via the dedicated KDPlay system application, from Chromebooks via Google Chromecast, from Android via Chromecast or the KDPlay app and from iOS devices via Apple AirPlay.

Ideally suited for classroom, auditorium, learning lab, and other educational environments, the KD-BYOD4K's simplified initial setup can be completed in under 10 minutes. The KDPlay app can be quickly loaded onto students' or faculty members' laptops from the KD-BYOD4K unit's web page or by simply plugging in the included KDPlay Flash USB dongle for auto launch. The KDPlay Android app is a fast download away from content casting for Android devices not supporting Chromecast, and the KD-BYOD4K offers direct native support for AirPlay and Chromecast. For hybrid classrooms, remote students or guest contributors can be accommodated by bridging in a Zoom or similar connection via a connected laptop.

Multiple teachers and students may present and cast content simultaneously without the hassle of wires, effectively breaking down the barriers previously encountered when switching between and incorporating multiple formats and operating systems. Up to four presenters may share content simultaneously using the automatically-adjusting screen layout. KD-BYOD4K features annotation, moderator management, and touchscreen and mouse control for a true interactive experience.

The Bottom Line: Education facilities have unique challenges and the KD-BYOD4K uniquely offers the combination of capabilities needed for flexible, reliable, high-quality performance. It's simple and intuitive for faculty and students alike, requiring little or no technical support by facility IT managers. The KD-BYOD4K complete wireless presentation solution is priced at $699 (U.S.) and is available in-stock from Key Digital and authorized resellers.

Just Add Power’s video over IP distribution solutions are now supported by Enado’s V5 controller software. Ideal for commercial, enterprise, and BYOD applications, this integration provides any number of users with contactless control over a Just Add Power system on their personal devices by scanning a QR code. The functionality offers online programming capabilities to integrators.

Unlike traditional control systems, Enado control interfaces can be viewed on any smartphone, tablet, or PC running a compatible web browser. There is no need to download an app or invest in specialized hardware. With the V5 software’s QR code functionality, users can access the control interface for a Just Add Power system with their own devices, and use them to switch sources, power displays on and off, set a video wall configuration or tiler layout, manage a Warp Engine transmitter, and more. In addition, with Enado’s online programming capabilities, integrators can dramatically reduce service calls by remotely maintaining the system.

“We’re really excited about the possibilities Enado’s QR code functionality brings to Just Add Power systems,” said Taft Stricklin, sales team manager at Just Add Power. “It’s ideal for meeting the demands of BYOD culture in corporate boardrooms and conference rooms. This unique capability makes it easier than ever for users to take complete control over a Just Add Power system. In addition, it addresses health and safety concerns with COVID-19 by eliminating the need for users to share laptops, touchscreens, and podiums. And for integrators, Enado’s remote programming capabilities help lower costs while delivering a better experience to their clients.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased to add Just Add Power to our growing list of integration partners,” said Adam Kent, managing director of Enado. “The company is a pioneer in the video-over-IP industry and is well-known for delivering forward-thinking solutions that deliver exceptional reliability and unmatched functionality. For integrators, the combination of Just Add Power with our browser-based control system opens the door to a number of possibilities in a wide range of projects, particularly in the commercial space. We can’t wait to see what they do with it.”

More on Touchless Control

Touchless Systems: Manufacturers Discuss AV's Latest Trend • In a flurry of innovation, industry leaders have been developing new products and solutions to help facilitate a healthy return to corporate and college campuses, hospitality, and more. We reached out to manufacturers to learn about the solutions they’re working on for this new, touch-free world.

Adapting to the Hybrid Workplace • Before the pandemic, companies were eager to integrate flexible conferencing and collaboration-based technology to increase engagement among employees and conduct global meetings more effectively. Now, however, companies are looking for guidance from technology providers to help them create not only a seamless hybrid working environment, but an intuitive one, too.

In the eight years since the Boy Scouts of America Northern Lights Council moved in to its 15,000-square-foot headquarters in Fargo, ND, the AV infrastructure had gone from state-of-the-art to out-of-date.

The massive training center in the Jon L. Wanzek Center for Scouting was plagued by a dated AV system that was beginning to fail, and when it did work, it wasn’t able to support the resolution and high data throughputs of today’s technology standards. Similarly, the Wanzek Center’s Shelly Ellig Training Center, which acts as a hub for leadership training for the Scouts’ youth and adults, lacked the ability to accommodate a variety of AV connection types from laptops and other digital devices.

Integrator Site on Sound of Fargo, ND, leveraged its long-running relationship with video and control system manufacturer Key Digital to deliver an AV ecosystem based on Key Digital hardware and software.

“I was approached by the director of support services to design a solution to solve the myriad issues in the Ellig Training Center,” recalled Paul Hagen of Site on Sound. “During my initial visit to the Scout office, we discussed three main points of concern: reliability, ease of use and cost. They needed the audio split into two separate zones for dual room use, and they needed to update the video delivery system for newer devices that customers may bring. The Ellig rooms A and B are rented to the public, who come in with Apple products but no access to HDMI and VGA. Of the Ellig center’s two projectors, only one had HDMI access, but that HDMI balun was failing.”

The Northern Lights Council was incorporated in 1974 following a merger of four Boy Scouts Councils in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Hagen noted that, as a nonprofit organization, the Northern Lights Council had a limited budget to accommodate this technology refresh project.

He added, “I designed a system that contained two HDMI wall plate inputs, two projector outputs, audio de-embedding to a two-zone amplifier, and the ability to matrix the system. And because Key Digital offers such a cost-effective solution set for these products, I was also able to suggest the addition of the new wireless KD-BYOD4K [BYOD presentation gateway with PoE] to complete the integration. Once the Scouts understood the benefits of adding the KD-BYOD4K to the matrix as a third input option, they were sold on its necessity and we were off and running. As the install got near completion it became clear to me that adding the BYOD device was the right decision. They really liked that technology option because the school district, various community nonprofits, and many of their other rental customers are iOS users who use iPads and such to run their meetings and may present using AirPlay.”

To solve the existing issues in the training center, Site on Sound installed the following Key Digital equipment:

• Two KD-X2x1WDTx HDBaseT wall-plate transmitter and presentation switchers
• Two KD-X40MRx black box HDBaseT receivers for point-to-point extension with the wall plates
• Two KD-X222PO HDBaseT extender sets featuring Power over HDBaseT and professional diagnostics tools for the projector outputs
• One KD-BYOD4K multiplatform wireless presentation gateway
• KD-Pro3 and KD-Pro6 4K/18G HDMI cables
• One KD-MS4x4G 4K/18G HDMI matrix switcher with independent audio switching and de-embedding to a JBL CSMA 2120 AMP commercial series mixer/amplifier with eight mixer-channel inputs and two output channels
• The room also received new Libert Plenum Shielded Cat 6 cabling.

Installing the KD-BYOD4K BYOD presentation gateway was perhaps the biggest factor in improving the user experience in the Ellig Training Center. With Key Digital’s BYOD presentation gateway, any end user on the network can instantly and easily share content from their laptops, tablets, and smartphones without the hassle of wires.

KD-BYOD4K offers full and multi-presenter modes, 4K/UHD output resolution, annotation and whiteboard, extended monitor support, content preview, mouse forwarding, moderator management and more. Its small size suits it for installation behind displays, at the projector, or in an AV equipment rack.

After running into issues caused by the building’s guest wireless system preventing standard plug-and-play operation on the KD-BYOD4K, the device’s versatility helped Hagen get the installation back on track. All he had to do was change the connectivity to Wi-Fi direct.

“As mentioned, one of our biggest challenges was budget. I had to make this work within set cost parameters, so we were unable to update the projectors at this time. When we did the initial boot-up, no video displayed on the projectors. That ended up being a simple fix, as I logged into the 4K matrix switch and adjusted the handshaking to 1080p resolution,” Hagen explained.

Now when the Northern Lights Council needs to set up the room for a rental, they set the matrix in the locked AV room to the proper output in advance, and all the room’s moderator needs to do start presenting is connect to the wall plate or cast wirelessly.

The Boy Scouts of America Northern Lights say they are very happy with their operational training center and excited about the versatility of the BYOD options.

More from Key Digital

Key Digital Ships 4K Wireless Presentation System for Educators • Key Digital is shipping the KD-BYOD4K for KDPlay, a 4K wireless presentation gateway designed to meet the growing demand for solutions in distance learning and hybrid classrooms.

KD-BYOD4K Wireless Presentation Gateway Gains Chromecast Support • Key Digital has added Chromecast support to the KD-BYOD4K Wireless Presentation Gateway, rounding out the unit’s versatility as a platform for multi-contributor presentations. 

Key Digital Ships New Wall Plate Presentation Switcher • The KD-X3x1WUTx 4K 18G HDBaseT transmitter wall plate offers presentation switching with one HDMI, one VGA+L/R, one Display Port by push-button or IP control.

Key Digital Releases Plenum-Rated HDMI Cables • The line of plenum active optical HDMI fiber cables is available in lengths from 10m (33 feet) to 100m (328 feet).

Key Digital Announces USB 2.0 Transmitter • The KD-XUSB2 2.0 transmitter and receiver extender kit is the latest offering in Key Digital's Presentation Solutions product family.

Interactive screens are popping up everywhere you look, from smartphones to Starbucks drive-thrus. Recent data from research firm MarketsandMarkets suggests the interactive display market will grow from $9 billion in 2020 to $13.2 billion by 2025, a compound annual growth rate of 8.1 percent.

With prices steadily dropping as user expectations increase, vendors are taking a close look at the safety and usability of commercial-grade interactive screens. AV professionals hope to leverage the power of next-gen displays to deliver unique engagements that people simply cannot get at home. Artificial intelligence, multitouch, touchless capabilities, and features to enhance remote work are just some of the advancements to consider.

Trending Up?

Business sectors like hospitality were devastated by pandemic travel restrictions, but growth in other segments stayed level—or accelerated. Jeremy Sternhagen, Planar’s technical marketing manager, has observed a shrinking interest in “small-scale meeting rooms, at least for a little while,” but there’s been no dip in sales of Planar’s interactive displays, he said. Indeed, that market is growing. “We have not seen a downward trend for our interactive products,” he explained.

Big-Picture Approach

Now the pressure is on vendors to think beyond the bezel and create agile, easy-to-manage interactive display ecosystems. Cost-effective products are in demand, but hardware alone might not win a bid. A big-picture strategy—encompassing hardware, software, content management, and third-party compatibility—makes sense, according to Osvaldo Velarde, technical director, North America, PPDS (formerly Philips Professional Display Solutions). Velarde sees the importance of a solutions-based approach. “This is why we rebranded as PPDS this year, because we’re looking to provide complete solutions to customers. We want to support any software that will drive business forward.”

PPDS is walking the talk with its C-Line and T-Line interactive display families, designed to support native videoconferencing and seamless collaboration in corporate and learning spaces, respectively. In whiteboard mode, for instance, multiple people can use the T-Line to write or annotate while everything on the screen is streamed to laptops or personal devices. Up to 64 devices can be connected simultaneously. No extra drivers are needed, no additional software is necessary.

[ Related: The Latest in High-End LED Displays ] 

A takeaway: Solutions that can bridge on-site teamwork and virtual collaboration modalities will be in greater demand, even as schools and offices reopen.

LCD, LED

One size fits none—and context is critical when procuring video technology. There are advantages and limitations to both LCD and LED technologies. While LCD occupies the largest market share of interactive displays, the appetite is growing for LEDs. Direct view LEDs let clients expand display real estate far beyond the size of LCD, for larger viewing applications. Planar’s Sternhagen explained that the company’s Planar ERO (Extended Ruggedness and Optics) technology is a “rugged innovation and optical improvement process that makes LCD and LED display products—which are normally fragile, not designed to be touched every day—able to withstand environmental risks such as people touching it or objects or backpacks banging against it.”

[ Related: Touchless Systems: Manufacturers Discuss AV's Latest Trend ] 

Ever-Changing Use Cases

The use cases for interactive displays are as varied as the products themselves. Educational clients want to digitize their environments. Some corporations are deploying high-tech amenities to entice people back into the office while continuing to support hybrid/flex workers.

Customers may be uncertain about the future, but they still want to be prepared. To that end, Barco is emphasizing BYOD (bring your own device) and BYOM (bring your own meeting) solutions. To see these systems in action, tour Barco’s new office in Singapore, which houses the new Barco Experience Center. The space is a showcase of interactive displays and AV technologies—LED, LCD, and collaboration tools—that accommodate the hybrid/remote collaboration culture.

IoT, Wayfinding, & Touchless Interaction

Universities, worship facilities, retail, transport hubs, and corporate campuses have new reasons to invest in digital wayfinding and data capture. Highly responsive, sensor-aware flat-panel displays can help move people through spaces more efficiently while sharing institutional messaging (e.g., hours of operation) or health/safety information (e.g., mask protocols).

Sam Malik of Maxhub pointed to all-in-one displays as valuable tools in the post-COVID landscape. “An area where I’ve seen a surge is direct view LED displays,” he said. “They are easy to service and easy to install. Prices are now much lower, and the technology has advanced. Our all-in-one LED displays, from 110 inches through 220 inches, have gained a lot of popularity for applications where there was typically an interactive flat panel, but now the touch element is not desired. [Our solutions] are extremely bright.”

[ Related: Choosing the Right Interactive Display for Classrooms ] 

Maxhub offers a range of LED and LCD displays, some with built-in cameras and voice pick-up capabilities. Content can be updated and changed instantly.

IoT connectivity and videoconferencing are becoming essential features in the new business environment. ViewSonic’s ViewBoard IFP70 interactive display series, for example, have been certified by Microsoft as Windows Collaboration Displays (WCD) that incorporate the Azure IoT sensor hub.

It’s important to note that “interactivity” isn’t defined solely by the physical touch of a screen. Customizable screens can be tied to cameras and sensors to track motion. A screen can be activated and personalized to share information relevant to the person walking or driving by it. Enhanced with robust software, QR codes, RFID, mobile interactions, or other modes of touchless BYOD feedback, new displays can help to eliminate the need to physically touch public devices.

A “touchless” display strategy can also help minimize the impact of person-to-person contact, such as cashiers or ticket agents. Occupancy counting can be managed with signage software, rather than a paid staff member.

Capacity Awareness, Queue Management

Facilities stakeholders concerned about occupancy and capacity management are exploring solutions like PeopleCount from PPDS. PeopleCount can equip managers with the information they need to manage capacity, while also keeping customers engaged with promotional and safety messaging. To see the technology in situ, stroll into the H&M store in Hoog Catherijne, Netherlands, where it’s installed. The PeopleCount single-entrance solution uses a Bosch Flexidome IP Micro 3000i intelligent camera, which is connected to a PPDS bespoke app. No internet connection is required to make the Android-powered Philips PDS digital signage work. The solution has since extended to support not only retail, but corporate offices, supermarkets, bars, and restaurants.

Sanitization

“We’re working hard to come up with treatments that allow displays to be sanitized on a daily basis,” said Planar’s Sternhagen. “We are one of the few companies that actually has LED products that can be cleaned. Particularly when you add Planar ERO-LED proprietary protective coating to video walls, it can be something as simple as spraying a cloth and then wiping the display down like it’s a window.”

[ Related: How Video Walls Can Bridge the Virtual Chasm ]

Hygiene is also a priority for MultiTaction. Decca (MT 557D) is MultiTaction’s new interactive display with advanced hardware and internal processing power (increased by 30 percent). MultiTaction’s Decca offers an easily sanitized antimicrobial display surface to meet “today’s business challenges head-on,” according to a statement by Ari Rahkonen, CEO, MultiTaction.

Get Smarter

Dovetailing with IoT, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are being used to enhance the interactive display experience. Facial and iris recognition, biometrics, temperature sensing, and sophisticated handwriting analysis and annotation are a few of the features that may prove particularly useful in the post-pandemic landscape. The 2021 Interactive Display Market report by MarketsandMarkets pointed to AI as an emerging technology that will provide “huge opportunities for the interactive whiteboard market” specifically.

[ Related: How AI Is Transforming Pro AV, Facial Recognition and Pro AV: What You Need to Know ]

Click here to read more stories from the April 2021 issue of SCN.

The What: TEKVOX says it is raising the bar for distance engagement in both the educational and corporate markets with its new 1201-MV Universal Switcher. The latest in TEKVOX’s line of switchers delivers Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) video conferencing by eliminating the need for a conventional in-room PC to drive the conference’s technical components.

The What Else: The 1201-MV switcher features a two-way USB hub at the far end, which allows any connected laptop to host meetings from the conference room using the installed technology. This capability is designed to do away with the need for a dedicated conferencing PC, and removes the security risks and overall annoyance associated with the old use model, according to the company.

“Laptops today are powerful, and a lot of video conference participants would really prefer to present from them,” said TEKVOX CEO Jim Reinhart. “But they’d have to connect the laptop to the eyes and ears—cameras, mics, speakers—of the conference room and play out the content. Before, that meant running a lot of cables to the conference table or using a separate PC. Now, they can use the 1201-MV and its built-in USB 3.0 hub to gain immediate access to far-end USB mics and cameras. The full infrastructure of a modern conference room has become plug-and-play.”

The 1201-MV utilizes 6-Play HDBase-T to transport 4K video, digital audio, PoC, RS232, LAN, and USB over a single cable. It also includes a native USB-C input with up to 60W of power charging for a tablet or laptop. It features 12 flexible multiview modes for viewing up to four sources at once without additional hardware.

The Bottom Line: The 1201-MV features auto-switching—a useful function for collaboration and conferencing—and a breakaway HDMI output.

The 1201-MV is available now with an MSRP of $2,998. TEKVOX says the switcher is shipped fully functional, pre-programmed, and rigorously tested.

Professors strive to engage and inspire students, but sound intelligibility isn’t usually their top priority. Ensuring audio quality is the domain of campus AV specialists, and that task is evolving.

Technology is, by nature, a moving target, but the rapid shift to remote learning in 2020 required many AV stakeholders to rethink classroom audio. The focus has moved to meeting the critical audio needs of teachers and learners on site, in HyFlex (hybrid-flexible) setups, and helping Zoomers hear clearly. New sensibilities and new solutions are needed as virtual learning modalities become commonplace.

Amplify Every Voice

Physical classrooms and online channels present various acoustic challenges, from reflective surfaces to spotty Wi-Fi. To guarantee intelligibility for all students, even those in the virtual back row, tech teams hope to provide consistent audio reinforcement. Audio signals from—and to—remote learners must be pristine to foster a sense of class cohesion.

“You want every student at home to feel like they’re connected, and a lot of that has to do with audio clarity and intelligibility,” said David Missall, technical application engineer manager at Sennheiser.

To track a teacher as they move through a space, or where there is a mix of on-site and mobile participants, a stable system is needed with proper microphone pickup and adaptive echo cancellation that can handle multiple speakers and changing dynamics in a room.

[ Why 2021 Will Be the Year of Touchless Audio ]

Touchless Audio and Beamforming

Ceiling array technologies have been growing in popularity for years, but the pandemic inspired many to take a closer look at smarter arrays and automatic beamforming systems. When installed in ceiling tiles, these audio applications, some equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), provide design flexibility. A touchless system—such as Sennheiser’s TeamConnect Ceiling 2, which features Sennheiser’s patented beamforming technology—also frees the teacher because they “don’t have to always hold a microphone to be heard clearly,” said Missall. “Participants in the classroom can hear interactions from students, wherever they are, in the room and off site.”

Array technology has been a boon for delivering better audio in classrooms by, paradoxically, becoming invisible. Students and teachers can simply “forget about the microphone, because you don’t have to touch it,” Missall said. “You don’t have to worry about turning it on or finding the right levels. You don’t have to think about it. You just talk normally, and wherever you are in the room, you will get picked up.”

Microformat DSPs

Some audio specialists cite new demands for audio digital signal processing (DSP) in classrooms. “As universities continue to rapidly deploy technology into small- and medium-sized classrooms to support UC applications such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, AV technology managers are looking for audio solutions that are cost-effective, simple to install, and do not take up a lot of space,” said Shaun Robinson, vice president of product management with Xilica.

To integrate everything together, including analog or networked microphones and speakers, along with echo cancellation and other features that improve audio clarity for the remote student, DSPs are seeing significant growth in the education market vertical.

[ Installing AVoIP Systems Today Affords Future Expansion Possibilities ] 

Xilica manufactures networked digital signal processors for live and installed sound. The education sector, generally perceived to be a budget-conscious market, is even more financially prudent during COVID. Robinson is excited about solutions that innovate while also adding value. “We have seen strong growth this past year for our Solaro QR1, a microformat DSP that is very cost-effective and yet quite powerful,” he said. “Unlike a DSP that takes up a full rack space, it has a compact form factor, and yet it’s also modular, so you only pay for [the features] you need.” With a compact chassis that fits in a quarter rack unit, the QR1 features a dual core, 40-bit floating point DSP engine, networked audio, and acoustic echo cancellation capabilities that can support an entire classroom.

Indeed, an uplift for Xilica in 2020 was in university spaces, where the “Solaro QR1 was even installed in ceiling tiles to reach out to analog ceiling microphones, and enable UC platform integration as a simple retrofit in traditional classrooms,” Robinson stated.

DSP with Camera Control

To enhance interactivity for remote students, there is a push to add PTZ and smarter camera control within the DSP to show each person speaking. Missall noted, “We’re seeing multiple cameras in the same room, with wide shots of the classroom as well as close-up coverage of the teacher. If a student raises their hand and starts talking, the camera focuses on them and you can see—and hear—who’s speaking.”

Vendor Investments

An unexpected benefit of the pandemic has been the increased collaboration among audio and control manufacturers. The strategic alliance between Sennheiser and QSC is one example.

Hardware and software vendors are upping their game, too. Zoom Room software audio processing builds in native echo cancellation, noise reduction, and automatic gain control. “If the microphone in use includes built-in audio processing, this setting can be disabled to avoid the Zoom Room audio processing interfering with the built-in audio processing,” according to the company. For a microphone that includes its own audio processing, Zoom users can disable the software audio processing option.

Personal Audio on Campus

BYOD (bring your own device) is another method for providing audio coverage for every teacher and student. Holger Stoltze, director of product management at Yamaha UC, appreciates how a BYOD design and personal microphones let teachers capture their own audio. “It doesn’t matter if it is for remote learning or a mixed environment, teachers need their audio to be captured,” Stoltze said.

He pointed to a Yamaha project in a Japanese school where wireless mics integrate with audio playback and capture in the whole room. Students—at home or on site—can be sure their voices will be clearly heard in larger rooms and via video playback, Stoltze said.

[ How Room Monitoring Can Help Solve Workplace Uncertainty ] 

With ever-changing user needs and school reopenings influenced by fluctuating COVID infection rates, educational audio systems should be scalable and flexible.

Future-Proofing Classrooms

How can institutions stay on budget while also staying relevant for years to come?

Invest in the network and the cloud. With a strong IT infrastructure in place, and cloud-based AV offerings, a BYOD scenario becomes possible. Students can bring their own laptops or iPads, connect into the existing infrastructure, and start collaborating.

The solid IT infrastructure will also prove useful when considering on-ramps and off-ramps for networked audio. Many components can be wired directly in, but for long-distance transmission, more integrators are implementing network-equipped audio for easier ingest and distribution throughout a university.

Vendors are getting more inventive in their approaches. The Beamforming Microphone Array Ceiling Tile (BMA) 360 by ClearOne, for instance, touts deployment ease. Competing products require integrators to program multiple components with different tool sets: “Ethernet switches, ceiling tiles, DSP mixers, and the Dante controller,” according to the company. ClearOne’s single-workflow configuration is provided via ClearOne’s CONSOLE AI software.

Accessibility and ADA

Captioning lectures and observing universal design principles will help make classrooms more accessible and compliant with ADA regulations. Tech teams are also being asked to specify assistive listening and audio solutions for the hearing impaired. According to the World Health Organization, by the year 2050, more than “900 million people will have disabling hearing loss.”

With voice assist via the Wi-Fi network, tech managers won’t need to dispense additional devices. This is one of the ways AV teams can help hearing-impaired students and teachers feel more confident while leveraging the existing infrastructure.

Prioritize Flexibility

Another pandemic takeaway: audio systems must be adaptable.

Classrooms can vary dramatically, even on the same campus; there is no cookie-cutter audio solution. The flexibility of a system like Yamaha’s ADECIA, Stoltze explained, will let users toggle effortlessly from in-room to HyFlex/hybrid and remote applications as needed.

The Yamaha ADECIA suite introduces the RM-CG ceiling microphone and RM-CR room control processor and includes Yamaha’s PoE switches and VXL Series line array speakers. Together, the system supports multi-beam tracking, human voice activity detection, noise reduction algorithms, speaker tracking, adaptive acoustic echo cancellation, and more.

“We believe schools are looking for systems like this because, in the long-term, they will provide cost savings,” Holger said, “and inevitably perform better than tabletop microphones.”

Silver Lining: Audio Matters

Video all too often dominates the AV conversation, but the COVID crisis has foregrounded the need for good classroom audio.

“A silver lining this year is the renewed focus on audio and how important audio is for any type of production, application, or classroom solution,” said Missall.

With the crop of new technologies and modes of implementation, there’s no longer an excuse for “I couldn’t hear,” Holger concluded.

As the workforce returns to the office, it's estimated that up to 50 percent of employees will be remote for part of the workweek, while others will remain remote full time. In 2021 and beyond, we will see a true hybrid workforce.

AV/IT managers are planning to create more collaboration rooms to facilitate a new work dynamic and an ecosystem to ensure seamless collaboration and productivity—near and far. As more AV equipment and solutions are added to the network and workers move between the office and home, bringing their favorite devices, software, and platforms, company data becomes exponentially more vulnerable.

Mitigating #WFH Risk

For more than two decades, companies have relied on the encrypted connection a virtual private network (VPN) provides to enable employees to access corporate email and safely transmit data over the internet while traveling or working from remote locations. 

In March 2020, when the workforce at large was sent home to work, home Wi-Fi networks, personal laptops, and devices became the mode of connection and workflow. Matthew Rakes, managing director, Information Technology and Cybersecurity at Unity Aluminum, suggested that depending on how well the IT department has defined route policies, a VPN might not mitigate all risks. “One of the problems you can run into is if someone has a compromised local network or device and they attach via VPN to the enterprise, then that device now has traffic flowing into your network.”

There's a degree of Big Brother that has been assumed acceptable when employees are on corporate property. “This is where I think we need to train users' expectations to understand better that when you're using a particular application, that we are going to be Big Brother, even if we are going to be hands-off of the rest of your network,” Rakes said. 

The term “Big Brother” often conjures the idea that evidence is being gathered against the user. “I often think that the best view of this is quite the contrary,” Rakes added. “We should actually be seen more as defenders of the castle.” A strong, secure IT department should first and foremost aim to protect employees and the company data equally. “We should seek to not only protect data, but we should seek to help protect and defend the people that represent your company, and the best way to do that is providing them with secure tools that help them to know that they don't find themselves in a compromising situation,” he said. 

Mitigating a Hybrid Office Security Risk

As AV/IT managers prepare to increase the number of meeting rooms to enable seamless collaboration and videoconferencing for hybrid environments, they will be adding networked AV equipment, and dealing with an influx of personal devices. 

Rakes is taking a long-term approach to adding technologies as employees return. “We are looking at what solutions and technologies we can acquire now that alleviate our immediate pain, but will allow us to better transition into higher efficiency once people come back to the office.” Post-COVID, Unity Aluminum will continue to have a flexible remote work policy. “But we recognize that one of many benefits of being in the office is collaboration,” Rakes said. “We are leveraging tools from Mersive, Cisco, and Microsoft, which helped us to bridge the gap.”

Whenever possible, Rakes deploys a cloud-first model for IT and AV solutions. “That takes a lot of onus off IT departments when you don't have to worry about security patches because Microsoft Azure is already handling that for you,” he said. 

Unity leverages a suite of Cisco technologies for its wired and wireless on-premise networks. “We use Cisco identity services and Cisco capabilities that work as an umbrella that can identify known pieces of hardware and dynamically insert them on the correct VLAN, regardless of what network they initially connect to,” Rakes said. Moving toward a “zero trust” security model, “with Cisco Duo Security, you're able to achieve a dynamic resilience, so when someone connects to a network, enters their credentials to authenticate to that network, then it says, ‘Oh hey, I know who this person is. I can dynamically put them on the correct VLAN,’” he said. 

When choosing AV solutions, Rakes looks to companies with a security-first approach. “One of the things we like about Mersive is the way they handle the communication from the Solstice client back to a pod is different than many other AV solutions,” Rakes said. “Mersive went from the approach first of, ‘How do we secure the transmission of that traffic?’ and then, ‘Now let’s make sure that the audio-video protocols work.’” 

When it comes to security and BYOD/BYOM devices, the primary challenge is the verification and enforcement of an organization’s security policy. “Organizationally owned assets can be standardized and remotely managed. This allows the organization to enforce security best practices on network devices,” AV/IT industry consulting solutions architect of AVCoIP, Paul Zielie, said. “BYOx devices could bring in malware, which once inside the organizations, can do serious damage.”

The best way to mitigate risk is to require a security package run on the BYOD hardware. “If employees want to use these devices on the organization’s network, require that the security package needs to be running while connected,” Zielie said. “You then use a port level security protocol like 802.1x, which checks that it is running before data is passed.” 

In Their Own Words

We asked experts from leading AV/IT manufacturers and providers with a security-first approach to share their insight on the new era of AV/IT security.

Access Networks

Nathan Holmes, Director of Training and Development

It is not realistic to add protection services to every device that may be added to a collaboration space, but there are still several steps AV/IT managers can take to enable safe, secure, and seamless collaboration and productivity. Segregating remote connectable collaboration areas from the rest of the corporate network, employing a Next-Gen firewall solution with unified threat protection services, and ensuring that your IT team is up to date on cybersecurity threats and employs best IT practices are some easy first steps to securing your corporate networks while supporting a remote workforce.

AV/IT managers are accustomed to creating an Information Security (InfoSEC) plan for their respective businesses, but these plans are typically based upon most, if not all, employees residing within the controlled corporate network hardware area. With the move toward BYOD and BYOM, the InfoSEC plan should include strategies that allow employees to join the collaboration space through devices that may not employ protection services. To mitigate security threats for all devices, we recommend the following course of action: The development and execution of a comprehensive security policy that includes unified threat protection, provides each employee with the networking equipment they need to work remotely, ensures devices include active information security services, actively manages and updates these services, provides secure VPN access for each employee, and ensures there is a specific policy and procedure for connecting non-company-owned equipment to the corporate network.

Aurora

Paul Harris, CEO/CTO

When choosing new products and solutions to integrate into collaboration rooms, taking into consideration the “new norm” will be especially important. COVID-19 is our first modern day pandemic and will not be the last. Being ready at a minute’s notice to shift from in-office to remote in a collaborative fashion will be key to a successful business. As we have learned, it is not just about remote, but the safety of the rooms where people do have to gather. 

Touchless-based systems are now crucial to keeping employees safe and successful. Aurora Multimedia has developed several technologies to address these needs. Aurora started with thermal temperature readings with gestures, and then migrated that technology into conference rooms. Aurora’s RXM-1, ReAX Media Server will allow voice commands, hand gestures, and QR codes for remote control pages on a user’s cell phone or laptop, as an example. Selecting sources is as easy as raising your hand. But it goes into deeper details, such as telling how many people are in the room, so as to not violate occupancy maximums. 

Additionally, the use of real-time facial recognition allows access into the system and even can restrict individuals that do not have authorization/access—providing enhanced security. During the process, it reads the temperature of the occupants, as temps can change during the day and most systems currently are focused on initial entry for detection. Overall, this enhanced technology makes it possible for a safer, more sophisticated, and more secure workplace that is now easier than ever to use.

Avocor

Dana Corey, SVP and GM

This year, companies were faced with many unforeseen challenges when the pandemic first prompted stay-at-home orders. From technical and security issues, to ensuring teams had the appropriate software and hardware technologies, to simply trying to manage team communication and efficiencies within a distributed workforce—they were forced to figure out a new way to work, with little time to plan for it.

With this increase in remote work and a hybrid workforce, organizations big and small are looking to invest in the most practical tools that enable team-wide communication and collaboration from anywhere, and this transition is requiring AV/IT managers to rely on data to support their plans for business continuity and return to work.

Workspace intelligence analytic solutions are a critical component to this movement, as they will allow decision-makers to take immediate action to re-evaluate the meeting room, UC hardware and software ROI, as well as guide future planning, which is especially helpful for the return to work and hybrid work strategy planning happening all around the world right now.

Available in Q1 2021, Avocor Aquarius provides real-time business intelligence of meeting space usage and environmental data, such as presence detection, attendee impact on room temperature, humidity, and light conditions—data that can be leveraged by AV/IT facility managers to make critical decisions about space management, find real-time cost savings in heating and cooling, and future hardware and software purchases.

Barco

David Martens, Enterprise Product Security Architect

AV/IT managers should look for vendors who have product security embedded in their DNA. Good product security means integrating security in all phases of the lifecycle of a product. Security requirements have to be taken along from the very start—together with the functional requirements—and even after the product has been released, the implementation of a patch management strategy and a responsible disclosure policy will allow customers to keep their product secure. Product vendors have to be transparent about how they manage product security.

When it comes to the BYOD device used to participate in the meeting—it has to be well managed, and the latest security patches have to be applied—otherwise a malicious hacker could gain access to confidential data. A second challenge is the diversity of UC&C platforms; the host should set up the meeting with the correct access permissions to prevent any unwanted participants by configuring enforcement of access credentials, the use of a lobby room, etc.

Of course, remote working poses its own unique set of security challenges. Quite a lot of organizations had to go remote almost overnight, and this has been a huge task for a lot of IT teams. Though setting up a VPN infrastructure is one thing—configuring it correctly, maintaining, and patching it are crucial to prevent malicious actors entering your network. Migration to the cloud for office applications is being adopted rapidly to enable the hybrid working model, but it nevertheless opens up serious security risks. Phishing attempts get more and more sophisticated, which requires the enforcement of multi-factor authentication to mitigate. A more recent attack vector is the roll-out of malicious Azure apps, that, once granted permission, can access your emails or personal files. A strict corporate policy on which kinds of applications employees are authorized to install is crucial to keep your endpoints healthy.

BenQ America Corp.

Bob Wudeck, Senior Director of Business Development 

When selecting new products and solutions to integrate into collaboration rooms, ensure they follow the latest IT network best practices. Every solution in the room should minimize the organization’s attack profile, limit access to content and data, and reduce data interaction.

For example, wireless presentation systems (WPS) are a hot item, as they complement the BYOD and BYOM trends—allowing multiple presenters to collaborate simultaneously, and they are an affordable and more flexible alternative to HDMI. However, many WPS are shown to have several network vulnerabilities. To avoid this, AV/IT managers should utilize a WPS that operates independently of the network, doesn’t require proprietary software or apps, and has 100-percent 128-bit AES encryption. InstaShow includes these features and more for use in even the most high-security applications. It prevents unexpected access and helps organizations comply with emerging personal information laws. 

When you go remote, you face significant cybersecurity challenges. According to Threatpost, the majority of cyberattacks target apps and devices with known vulnerabilities. As a result, IT managers closely monitor and limit the apps and hardware that run on their company’s network. However, IT managers have much less control over the apps and devices remote workers use. A recent survey by Malwarebytes found 28 percent of respondents use personal devices for remote work instead of company-approved equipment—a problem known as “ghost IT.” Exacerbating this are home Wi-Fi networks running on consumer-grade modems without a dedicated firewall. IT managers must ensure employees are using secured devices, and prevent the download of unscreened apps.

Biamp

Rashid Skaf, President, CEO, and Co-chairman

I recommend that when looking at new solutions, you ensure that the products or the vendors that you’re looking at are adaptable, flexible, and manageable. When it comes to security, that has to be part of the DNA of the company you’re talking to. Security is not something that you can “add” to the mix. It’s not an ingredient; it is an underlying, foundational piece that you need to put into place, and if you don’t feel like that’s part of what you’re looking at, then you should keep looking.

Part of what we do at Biamp is have customer panels and advisory boards from banks, government facilities, and education facilities globally that help ensure our security protocols will allow us to be on their network. That is always helpful, because security standards are not something that are static, but get modified over time, so you have to be able to adapt to new standards.

Harman

Jamie Trader, VP, Global Product Line Management–Video and Control

One thing is certain in today’s blended work environment: Collaboration happens on the network. Organizations go to great lengths to secure their network. Best practices and regulatory compliance combine into a shape of highly curated security goals, aimed at preventing impact to CIA (confidentiality, integrity, and availability) of data.

No longer nice-to-have, there is organizational expectation that any networked device—AV or IT—is able to, and will, maintain a security posture in alignment with those security goals. So, what does that mean for the AV/IT manager who today has a vast spectrum of networked AV devices to choose from? It’s simple. 

AV/IT managers today need to evaluate how legitimately a product supports the IP and network protocols that have been long-established for delivering defense in layers—whether talking about the AAA of access control (authentication, authorization, and accounting), adherence to standard IP protocols like VLAN tagging for segmenting traffic, or perhaps evaluating what types of encryption is available and what traffic is being encrypted. Not all products are created equal, and some that claim enterprise-level security don’t always provide mitigation capabilities to conform to your particular security posture. 

Reputable solutions will possess these attributes—being available and supportable by the manufacturer. The AV/IT manager selecting new products doesn’t need to define the security posture—they will just need to be able to implement the risk mitigation actions outlined for them. Make sure the products you choose support those actions.

Intel

Brian Cockrell, Intel Unite Solution Product Owner and Co-founder

A modern collaboration platform should include a suite of security features to guard against a variety of risk scenarios. Robust encryption should be in place. The Intel Unite solution uses end-to-end TLS (transport layer security) encryption between a participant’s device and a room hub, whose connection to the server—on-prem or cloud—is also end-to-end TLS encrypted. In addition to encryption, there should be protections against unauthorized access to sessions, such as a rotating PIN, and the ability for participants to lock a meeting, as well as expel unwanted participants. Other security features include keystroke lockout, protected guest access, and the ability to authorize use by individual. Finally, content shouldn’t leave the organization’s network and use data should be anonymous. These protections should be embedded in software that is easy to learn and use. Otherwise, disuse becomes the primary protection. Good for security, but bad for collaboration. The Intel Unite solution is a good example of a collaboration platform that includes all these features. 

When a new collaboration platform is combined with peripherals and plugins—especially in BYOD, BYOM, and remote environments—the result is a staggering number and variety of potential risks—some foreseeable, others novel. Do the research and choose tech wisely. Has the software been vetted by other users? Where is data going and is it sufficiently protected? What data is collected and where is it stored? Once the risks and benefits are fully understood, weigh those against a risk profile and choose the tools that provide the best balance.

Mersive

Christopher Jaynes, PhD, Founder and CTO

The new hybrid workplace will need Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) solutions in more spaces than ever before, so it’s critical that enterprises select vendors and solutions that are secure and scalable to large numbers of rooms. Security models that focus on the personal device and how it works in concert with a secure platform, then, are more important than they were in the past. IT must view the personal device ecosystem as a new part of the enterprise infrastructure. AV/IT managers must look closely at collaboration technologies that are secure and scalable under these new conditions.

There are several key attributes that can be found in solutions that are hybrid workplace-ready. These include capabilities like exponential response times on communication ports to dent brute force attacks, code obfuscation, enterprise-grade encryption ciphers, and even methods to log suspicious events to inform managers of attempted attacks. I recommend looking not only at security features, but at the company’s security legacy. Unfortunately, multiple meeting collaboration platforms were in the news for security breaches in the last couple of years.

Security is never a one-time consideration, and can’t be only defined by a set of fixed features; instead, it’s an exercise in diligence. New vulnerabilities are being explored every day and countermeasures must be looked at almost continuously. Look for vendors that perform regular penetration tests and continually harden their solutions with new layers of security capabilities. Software-based solutions have become increasingly important, as they allow vendors to roll out continuous updates as new security features become available.

Shure

Ronald Rousseau, Manager, Platform Product Management

To provide the best network security, AV/IT managers should look for conferencing systems that feature audio encryption. For example, Shure features products that include Shure Network Audio Encryption to help protect networked audio connections from security breaches. The technology safeguards confidential content without compromising audio quality. It is based on the AES-256 algorithm that has been widely adopted by leading financial institutions, government agencies, and healthcare providers that are concerned with data security.

Until now, however, such robust security was not available to protect networked audio signals. With the right software, like Designer, it is easy to configure features and activate, while being compatible with current technology. For IT managers who want more control and uniformity, the use of encrypted audio helps level the playing field, and it can be used for wired and wireless encryption.

While no network is completely secure, an IT manager can take steps to improve security. Network audio encryption can be combined with other network security measures like device access control and network partitioning to create a multi-layered security solution.

Utelogy

Nicole Corbin, Director of Product and User Experience

There are a number of important considerations when choosing new solutions to integrate into collaboration rooms; chief among them is security. Utelogy has introduced a program called Utelligence, which is intended to drive a higher level of security standards, create more robust APIs, as well as offer complete and meaningful metrics. Devices with a rich API provide ease of management and monitoring and even remote fixing, which ultimately means more uptime, a better user experience, and significantly reduced support costs. I would recommend any devices which adhere to these standards above all others.

BYOD/BYOM, security challenges such as data leaks, malware, unsecure networks, et cetera are nothing new, however they have become more prominent in the work-from-home era. Your IT department should be well versed in the importance of implementing MFA, SSO, VPNs, MDM, keeping device software up to date, and setting stringent password protocols. It would also be beneficial to choose devices (Utelligent devices) that use secure protocols such as SSH, HTTPS, and WSS. These security strategies need to be well thought through, audited periodically, and distributed to all employees. 

Remote work opens up different kinds of security threats and concerns. Since your company should now have established BYOD/BYOM protocols, you can begin creating your remote office policy. A few recommendations would be to make sure all employees lock their screens before leaving their work area, use headphones on calls if they are not alone, keep a tidy workspace, dress appropriately if on video, and ensure they have access to adequate Wi-Fi. These recommendations not only help with security threats, but will also mitigate threats on a company’s image and brand reputation.

WolfVision

Andrea Mayer, Inside Sales Manager

When the workforce does return to the office, hybrid meetings will be the norm. It is paramount for meeting participants to be able to have a secure, positive experience in the physical meeting space, while also having the ability to interact easily with remote workers at the same time.

Bring Your Own Device/Bring Your Own Meeting was already popular, but since the pandemic, it is now essential and here to stay. People want in-room, “touchless meetings” with simple, secure, fully encrypted wireless connectivity, and they expect a consistent, secure meeting experience—whether they are participating in-person or remotely.

Reducing in-room infrastructure and focusing on single-box, multi-functional, all-in-one appliances such as WolfVision Cynap—that include built-in, encrypted, room-to-room streaming capability, Zoom, Teams, and WebRTC functionality, and that can be easily controlled and administered remotely using proprietary software—help to simplify the task of AV managers in delivering a secure, flexible collaboration solution.

Like Cynap presentation and collaboration solutions, selected products should have a range of security features—preferably customizable—that can meet a diverse range of enterprise security policies. For example, it should be possible to disable network interfaces not in use, restrict browser access, and disable any features, such as streaming, recording, snapshots, USB ports, et cetera, if they are not required. When a meeting ends, it is critical that no data is ever stored on the system. A closed operating system is also desirable, such as the Cynap Linux system, that does not permit installation of any third-party applications.

Nureva has announced that its HDL300 and Dual HDL300 audio conferencing systems are now certified for Barco ClickShare Conference, a wireless presentation and conferencing solution. Together, they bring platform-agnostic collaboration into any hybrid meeting or classroom environment. 

Users can wirelessly connect to the AV equipment in the room by plugging a Barco ClickShare Conferencing Button into their laptop and clicking the button. This automatically recognizes Nureva audio systems to create a professional BYOM (bring your own meeting) experience for in-room and remote participants.

Related: The Technology Manager's Guide to Audio in the New Era of UC

The requirement for more hybrid working and learning environments, along with a growing trend toward the use of personal versus shared devices, has amplified the demand for integrated solutions like this with Nureva and Barco. According to a global study conducted by Barco, 85 percent of employees want to get back to the office, and they’re looking to their employers to establish a technology-driven hybrid working environment that enables them to do so quickly, safely, and flexibly. With the combination of Nureva and Barco systems, it’s easier for teams to connect to all meeting room devices with a low-touch experience that is not tied to a particular UC platform. Nureva’s audio conferencing systems are powered by its Microphone Mist technology, which fills a space with thousands of virtual microphones for full-room coverage.

“At Barco ClickShare, we highly value the certified partnership and guaranteed compatibility with Nureva, and together, we promise to bring customers better hybrid meetings and easy-to-install integrations that truly click,” said David Fitzgerald, vice president, Global Alliances at Barco. “Our simple, one-click wireless conferencing solution perfectly connects with the advanced audio solutions of Nureva, offering a complete experience for flexible meeting for both in-room and remote attendees.”

“This certification with Barco ClickShare Conference reflects a growing ecosystem that leverages our standard plug-and-play connectivity for interoperability with all third-party UC clients, CODEC solutions, and device-sharing plugins,” said Nancy Knowlton, Nureva’s CEO. “We are excited to team up with Barco to deliver a user-friendly and reliable BYOM conferencing experience in virtually any hybrid meeting or learning space.”

The What: Key Digital has announced the availability of its new KD-BYOD4K for KDPlay, a 4K wireless presentation gateway designed to meet the growing demand for solutions in distance learning and hybrid classrooms. 

The What Else: Whether utilizing the full presenter mode or simultaneously sharing content from up to four participants in multi-presenter mode, the auto-adjusting screen layout casts from presenters’ laptops, tablets, and smartphones to the display. Using the mouse forwarding feature allows up to four users to connect a mouse or interactive display to the unit to point and click on the casted devices.

Related: The Technology Manager's Guide to Transformative Classroom Solutions

The KD-BYOD4K features robust annotation and white board functions. Screen overlay tools provide real-time collaboration with the writing and mark-up implements designed as features and gestures already familiar to educators. Screen captures can be downloaded via QR codes or in the web browser.

For distance learning and videoconferencing with dual-display setups, the unit offers an extended monitor feature. Optimal clarity of shared content is achieved with 4K/UHD output for clear viewing of spreadsheets and documents as well as high-quality video presentation.

Windows and Mac computers and Android devices cast KD-BYOD4K using the KDPlay software while iOS devices cast natively with AirPlay. The KDPlay application is easily loaded onto laptops from the KD-BYOD4K web page or by simply plugging in the included KDPlay Flash for auto launch.

“BYO devices might have been around a while, but it wasn’t until we needed to integrate such tools with our system designs that we truly learned how frustrating the competitive products are for end users,” said Scott Craig, Key Digital’s national sales manager for the Northern United States. “As always, our engineers took to heart every nuance necessary to make a more successful content sharing system at a better price point. One of the main points of praise has been its smooth and superior handling of video and streaming, a stark contrast to other BYO devices on the market. We believe that every educator in the world deserves our easy-to-use KD-BYOD4K and its powerful annotation tools.”

The Bottom Line: The KD-BYOD4K is designed to streamline the workflows of educators who are grappling with new technologies and requirements. Its ease of use and powerful annotation tools makes it well suited for a range of educational applications.

The What: Crestron has launched the Crestron ONE app with mobile room control, enabling a control experience from any personal device. Crestron ONE empowers employee wayfinding, room automation, and content sharing from iOS and Android personal devices, facilitating touchless room management. 

The What Else: Crestron ONE works with Crestron TSW 60-Series touchscreen via direct Bluetooth connection, without requiring devices to reside on the same network. This ensures compliance with customer’s global IT security standards. Using existing equipment and code, and without any additional programming required, managers can easily configure the in-room experience to select the right controls for each space. Regardless of how systems are set up, or which Crestron control system is being utilized, Crestron ONE delivers a consistent experience from any mobile device for conference rooms, huddle spaces, and other shared spaces.

Related: Crestron’s Klein Shares Roadmap at NEXT 2020

“At Crestron, it was time to bring intuitive functionality and simple room control into the workplace,” said Daniel Jackson, senior director, digital workplace products at Crestron. “It is critical now more than ever to make the workplace as safe as possible to ensure that returning employees can utilize collaboration technology effectively and securely. This solution helps further our goal of offering Crestron customers a safe return to work during the global pandemic and beyond.”

The Bottom Line: With Crestron ONE, employees and guests at any workplace can control room technology safely, securely, and reliably through their personal devices, which automatically detect Crestron systems, authenticate via the touchscreen, and securely connect.

Crestron ONE is available now from the iOS App Store and Google Play.

The What: Extron has introduced a new way to control your room AV from your mobile phone or personal device. 

The What Else: For instance, there may be times when using your mobile phone or personal device is preferred over a hands-on touchpanel experience. This can be done by incorporating a QR code on the meeting room touchpanel display. 

Related: The Technology Manager's Guide to Conference Rooms

"Our configuration approach has always made it easy to adapt your AV system to meet new demands without additional investment," said Casey Hall, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. "As customers make their way back into the workplace and workspaces, we want to help them make use of all the flexibility and options our systems provide."

The Bottom Line: The solution was developed to help quell concerns about returning to workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once connected, you will have full control of your room AV and environmental controls all from your personal device. No matter how many users are working together, all button presses between the touchpanel in the room and your personal device are kept in sync.

To watch the video on using QR codes to help you control your AV from your personal device, click here. 

“Dialed in” and “always on” doesn’t just apply to workplace technology — it describes the modern worker. BYOD and wireless connectivity are transforming the optics of offices as well as business culture itself. Teams are collaborating on the road and from home. Remote working is the new normal. Whether on- or off-site, all employees expect hyper-connectivity and seamless workflows. There are more software and hardware options than ever before. As we inch closer to 2020, corporate leaders are asking: how will choices today shape the workplace of tomorrow? 

Keeping Pace

To stay current with the shifting landscape, corporations are making technology a priority. Companies perceived to be more tech-centric are better positioned to recruit top talent. The 2019 Gartner and Senior Business Executive Survey revealed that “about 68% of midsize CIOs expect to increase investment in information technology in 2019 over 2018.” 

Bandwidth and a robust network are essential, but workplace designers and technologists are also keeping track of broader trends. 5G, edge computing, and the cloud are merging to create a new economic infrastructure. C-level leaders are looking to leverage tech to enhance the employee experience digitally, with personalized apps and software solutions, advanced audio and video tools, and high-tech engagements. The demand for agile, “digital-first” communications strategies has never been higher.   

Face to Face

Consumer trends often drive employee expectations. The ubiquity and ease of FaceTime and Skype influence how and when teams connect. People are more comfortable and confident communicating via real-time video. The challenge for corporations is how to procure products and systems that will best support collaboration at a distance while giving on-site workers the most reliable tools.  

UX Marks the Spot

While Millennial employees are digital natives, Gen Z, the cohort born after the Millennial generation, between 1995-2015 (approximately), takes it a step further. “Gen Z also understands that there’s a need for constant skill development in order to stay relevant,” according to Forbes.

It’s therefore essential to invest in products and systems that can adapt as an organization’s needs evolve. New technology must also meet the needs of a diverse user base. If a system is not easy to operate by all team members, it won’t be used. RoI will fall short.

Flexible Yet Fully Featured

Finding intuitive solutions that are also feature-rich is a tall order. That’s why tech managers, facilities directors, and AV integrators alike are turning to LG's engaging 130-inch, all-in-one Direct View LED Screen. The new cloud-friendly, ultra-bright LED solution is flexible enough for varied spaces, compatible with AV control systems, and so fully featured it can transform virtually any environment into a smart meeting room. With no bezel on this model, all barriers are removed—the result is a more immersive, immediate, and rich viewing experience. Quick to set up, simple to use, and equipped with HDR10 support and Immersive Surface Sound, LG’s 130-inch, all-in-one Direct View LED Screen gives teams the tools they need to succeed in a competitive business landscape.  

Additional Resources

Optimize Your Meetings with Engaging Visual Displays

Lead Smarter Meetings with Increased Engagement

This article is sponsored by LG

The What: ClearOne has released new features for COLLABORATE Space, the company’s cloud collaboration platform, including classroom functionality, multiple screen support, and more.

The What Else: The new classroom functionality found within COLLABORATE Space provides Q&A participation, giving each user electronic “hand raise” capability. It also features new moderator control over audio and video for all participants, which can number up to 100. If needed, additional participants can be added to any classroom in increments of 100. The moderator also has the ability to transfer the “presenter” role to any participant during the session.

Additionally, COLLABORATE Space now includes multi-display support for the moderator host of any conference. Up to three displays can be used: one for local participants, one for remote participants, and one for content sharing. 

[ClearOne Solutions Help Drive Progress at the Institute of Physics in London]

Other new features added in the new version of COLLABORATE Space include capabilities for online meetings such as scheduling, messaging, integrated file sharing, whiteboarding, annotation, meeting minutes, and more. The platform unifies multiple users, via audio and video, with the ability to make calls to landlines and mobile phones.

COLLABORATE Space allows users to create searchable, persistent, private and public channels organized by topic, which can include agendas, notes, messages, documents, whiteboards, audio and video recordings, and more.

“The COLLABORATE Space system architecture is designed from the ground up to safeguard users from the full range of security vulnerabilities sometimes found on other cloud-based solutions,” said Zee Hakimoglu, ClearOne chair and CEO. “Our robust security, as well as the special features we’ve added to COLLABORATE Space, are designed to address the needs of educational institutions and other organizations that seek reliable, effective engagement with remote participants from all over the world.”

The Bottom Line: The platform’s interface is designed for intuitive operation and runs on any device: mobile, desktop, and all ClearOne COLLABORATE Live room systems. Engineered for flexibility, it includes gateway software for interoperability with traditional H.323 and SIP systems. With white-label options, COLLABORATE Space can be customized to match any partner or customer brand.

This new version of COLLABORATE Space is available now.

According to research firm Frost & Sullivan, there are more than 32 million huddle rooms deployed globally. By 2022, the firm projects that 70 percent of all videoconferencing meetings will take place in a huddle room. With business professionals embracing the concept of the ad hoc meeting, tech managers must continue to explore how to roll out—and refresh—these facilities to obtain optimum adoption and return on investment.

One of the best ways toward achieving this is gaining insight into when and how spaces are being used, and by whom. Matt Boyer, director of technology at Vistacom, an AV design and integration firm headquartered in Allentown, PA, noted that room analytics and scheduling functionality not only helps users locate available meeting space, they also provide tech managers with valuable information that can influence future buying decisions. 

“[Users] can get access to those rooms on an ad hoc basis by having some kind of scheduling panel outside the room, where they can find an available room, see how long it’s going to be available, and then book it right on the spot,” he said. This functionality lets "technology managers know how often the rooms are booked, and which rooms are booked in a particular area.” He added that scheduling capabilities have extended to hot-desking: “[They help] people coming in from the field to find and book a desk when they come into the office.”

From Vistacom’s vantage point, some organizations are beginning to equip their huddle spaces—or at least a portion thereof—with advanced collaboration systems. “It’s not just a simple display in the room, but actual collaboration platforms [that allow] people to interact with people in the room and outside of the room,” he said. 

He relayed that his firm deploys a significant number of Prysm systems to provide more sophisticated collaboration capabilities to professionals in need of them. “These are certainly not in all of the huddle rooms, but specific [spaces] have those appliances in them. The large conference rooms are going away in lieu of these smaller conference rooms, so that technology is starting to filter into them.”

When outfitting these spaces, Boyer urges tech managers to prioritize audio systems that take remote meeting participants into account. “The number one thing that makes or breaks a meeting as far as it being successful is audio. You can have an elaborate conferencing and collaboration tool but if there is poor audio, the people on the far end can’t hear clearly,” he said. “[It’s important] to have a permanent, higher-quality audio device in there—whether it’s a USB speakerphone or something like a Polycom Trio, which is very effective in huddle rooms—to provide that enhanced audio capability.” He added that video is great for meetings, but without good audio, it’s difficult for team members to share ideas with one another.

Standardization should also be a top priority, in view of the fact that many organizations deploy hundreds, or even thousands, of these facilities. While certain huddle spaces may be slightly more sophisticated—such as those following Boyer’s Prysm collaboration system example—the more they remain reasonably identical, the easier they are to utilize and manage. “It’s one thing to have a custom boardroom that may take some training, but if you’re going to try and deploy them throughout your organization, a repeatable operation is important.” Otherwise, he said, companies risk low adoption levels.

One of the challenging aspects of refreshing these spaces is dealing with the fixed elements that are already in place, noted Tom Spearman, executive vice president at Diversified, a global technologies solutions provider headquartered in Kenilworth, NJ. 

“It’s very difficult to know if [certain components] are going to fit inside of the built environment because there are so many variables,” he said. The type of display, its compatibility with ancillary devices, furniture, power outlets, data drops—each has an impact on what new technology can be installed. “When you embark on a huddle room refresh project, the number-one consideration is: how can I create a solution that doesn’t require a lot of room remediation or furniture changes? Because if the conduit in the floor is already jam-packed with data cables, none of those can be used as your cable path between the flat screen and the table. The equipment piece is only part of the equation; it’s really about how to implement that equipment in an existing facility that makes these upgrade and refresh projects challenging.”

Obtaining the ability to alter the makeup of these spaces as an organization’s needs change can also present issues: what happens when a company wants to transform “static” spaces that feature little, if any, tech into more dynamic meeting spaces? Or, if it wishes to overhaul a former huddle room into a more formal meeting room? 

“If you look at the corporate world, a lot of the spaces I work in right now, they will have hundreds of rooms that are relatively undefined—they’re defined in some way at the beginning of a project, but a huddle room may convert to an office and then to a meeting room in a few years,” said Rodrigo Ordonez, principal at K2 Audio, an AV design and integration firm headquartered in Boulder, CO. “It’s very difficult to do that with traditional AV technologies unless every time that happens, you basically do a construction project or a full installation redesign project.” And yet, room flexibility adds increased value to a company’s real estate.

While many large enterprises follow refresh cycles, tech managers may also want to future-proof their huddle rooms as much as possible. This isn’t always feasible, but Spearman believes that with a solid collaboration platform, futureproofing becomes somewhat of a moot point. “[Most organizations have] already made the strategic decision about what collaboration platform they want to invest in, and then everything they’re doing in the huddle rooms is focused on integrating with that standard,” he said. What’s important, he said, is choosing supporting technology that works well with your platform of choice. “I think the manufacturers have done a good job of making their technology capable of supporting multiple platforms. There are exceptions, but for the most part, the AV manufacturers are trying to stake out a position that is somewhat platform agnostic.”

Use, Don't Lose

Standardized, user-friendly huddle spaces are key to promoting adoption. AV systems integrator Vistacom offers training services that help users learn the technology that is deployed in these spaces, and how they can incorporate it into their workflow. “If they’re a big whiteboard user, for example, how do they make use of whiteboards?” said Mark Boyer, director of technology at the firm. “Or maybe they love sticky notes. Some collaboration technologies have a sticky note function [where] you don’t have to take all your [paper] sticky notes off the wall when you’re done with the room—you can just close your application and take them with you.”

Carolyn Heinze is a freelance writer/editor.

DIVERSIFIED
www.diversifiedus.com

K2 AUDIO LLC
www.thisisk2.com

VISTACOM INC.
www.vistacominc.com

Soft codecs—or enterprise-grade videoconferencing software options—are replacing hard codecs at a rapid clip. Solutions like Zoom, Skype for Business, and Cisco WebEx are rolling out across colleges and corporate campuses to help people engage, learn, and collaborate. Zoom, for example, has more than 700,000 business customers, including half of the companies in the Fortune 50 list. But where there are opportunities there are also challenges. The 2017 Forbes Insights report “The Connected Culture: Unleashing the Power of Video in Everyday Collaboration” discovered that “The existence of too many videoconferencing solutions in the workplace creates issues. The survey shows that 62 percent of companies are running three or more videoconferencing platforms, with nearly one in five (19 percent) running five or more.”

As teams become more remote and the BYOD needs grow, how can AV managers streamline a solution like Zoom while still offering high-quality audiovisual performance? How can “traditional” AV systems and acumen enhance the new generation of soft codecs?

REMOTE ON THE RISE

According to Dana Corey, GM of Avocor Global, “Remote working continues to be on the rise and always will be when you have a diversified workforce across multiple locations.” He underscored the many benefits of remote working, including a wide schedule for access, well beyond a typical workday. It also enables employers to hire the best people for a job, regardless of location.

“We also see an inverse, where large companies, such as Yahoo, are ending their work-from-home policy,” he said. “But Yahoo still has a massive need to provide the tools, resources, and security for remote working.”

THE GOOD—AND GOOD ENOUGH—NEWS

Rob Abbott, VP of products at Nureva, believes that the wider adoption of software-based UCC (unified communications and collaboration) systems is a positive step for collaboration. “Zoom, Skype, and WebEx—all of those solutions are definitely helping more people collaborate, and it’s something that we’re fully embracing.”

He sees specific benefits vis-à-vis the delivery of “good enough” videoconferencing where it is needed.

“Video delivered via Zoom and Skype with an inexpensive camera is ‘good enough’ for most scenarios with distributed people,” Abbott said.

CAN’T FIX BAD ROOMS

Cory Schaeffer, director of systems solutions, QSC, attended Zoomtopia 2018, the annual conference for Zoom users, where she observed a push toward “everything in a box.” For an executive conference room, there might be a box of equipment with everything you need for web conferencing. An all-hands training room would have a different equipment list.

While the “all-in-one” concept simplifies the process—and for a certain class of room, a DIY approach is appropriate—there are missed opportunities for a more robust and consequential discussion: how to improve rooms themselves. Many organizations have diverse layouts and architectural details. Even 12-by-12 rooms are not static environments. All spaces should be outfitted and/or treated to support dynamic work and real creativity. Poor audio brings ruinous effects. If a worker is sitting at home, trying to collaborate with her team at the company’s HQ, and poor acoustics disrupt her experience, her talents are not being utilized. She will waste time and energy trying to listen or decipher the conversation instead of actively contributing.

Good technology alone “cannot fix tough rooms,” Schaeffer added, or details such as glass walls, high ceilings, or highly reverberant finishes. We need to work with the facilities team prior to deployment to get input on the room and decide what technology will provide the best connected meeting room environment.

For Schaeffer, a notable takeaway from Zoomtopia was how to achieve maximum ease of use without sacrificing functionality. “Just as we join meetings at our desk, we should be as comfortable when we enter a huge training room or an all-hands room, and have the same comfort and functionality,” she said. “That’s why I love what the people at Zoom are doing—the concept of simplicity.”

Schaeffer added that QSC strives to make the audio, video, and control environment as natural as possible, with easy integration with the very popular ceiling microphones that provide excellent pickup. The more intelligible and seamless a conversation can be, the deeper the engagement and overall productivity. This is where the integrated AV expertise can make a difference.

DROP THE ‘REMOTE’

Rob Abbott believes that to usher in the next phase of UCC, we should reflect on how we talk about work culture. Using terms such as an “onsite” and “remote” employee is “the wrong way of thinking about it, because that already classifies a ‘remote worker’ as a second-class citizen,” he said.

He explained that, in 2019, we need to assume that when a group meets, not all team members will not all be in the same space. Therefore, the notion of distribution needs to be baked into the core design of spaces and rooms, as well as the technology and the software that supports the space.

While there will always be a need for teams to gather in physical space, such as the boardroom, quick decision-making and the nature to today’s work requires impromptu meetings. Companies are under increasing pressure to get projects done quicker, and to have better ideas. Is the next breakthrough idea from the person in the satellite office, a huddle space, or in the open area?

“The fundamental design of spaces should expect a certain level of messiness,” Abbott said. “Too often, the way a space is set up assumes the lowest common denominator [of collaboration], such as a group of people sitting and staring at the center of the table.” As soon as any real, meaningful work starts to happen, however, the technology breaks down, or someone is lost from the field of view. And the nature of meetings is “continually getting messier,” he said. “It’s a core premise at Nureva that every meeting will be dynamic in some way, and it will include people who are not in the same facility.”

SELECTING A SOLUTION

With a surfeit of soft codecs available, it is wise to consider technology that can be as future-proofed and scalable as mobile phone platforms. Explore which vendors have roadmaps that show forethought and scalability. Many AV professionals believe the model of functionality triggered by a hardware ad-on is indeed outdated. Explore which models can provide seamless updates of firmware or software, or cloud updates. Also, service options need to meet the unique needs of your end users and venue.

“Combined with the omnipresent desire for increased collaboration and effective communication, both across the table and across the globe, we apply these needs into making a very simple-to-use, effective solution,” said Dana Corey. “Something that is as seamless as a laptop or phone—that you don’t even notice it or have apprehension to use it because it’s so intuitive and helpful toward connecting teammates.”

He explained that Avocor works with both Zoom and Skype, and is “Zoom Room certified,” meaning that the company provides native integration into Zoom, so it’s easy to walk in a room and join, start, or schedule a Zoom meeting. Avocor also works closely with Microsoft, most notably with the launch of the world’s first Windows collaboration display, according to the company.

QSC announced in 2018 that it had been awarded a utility patent for its Q-SYS Web Conference Integration Solution. This patent recognizes the solution’s ability to bring an IP camera stream from Q-SYS PTZ-IP conference cameras into soft-codec applications (like Zoom, Skype for Business, GoToMeeting, etc.) via a driverless USB connection.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES: FIND THE RIGHT RECIPE

Let’s face it: most ad hoc videoconferences still leave much to be desired. “I think the AV specialist’s job is to connect the dots between the available technologies to extend UCC clients and deliver a consistent, expected experience,” Abbott said.

For many, the real opportunity within the new age of codecs is adding value and delivering excellence. The AV expert can put the right ingredients together and find the best recipe for each type of room to meet specific user needs. Whether the recipe involves off-the-shelf equipment, acoustic treatments, or external components for improved intelligibility, the opportunities are as diverse as the spaces themselves.

Margot Douaihy is the Editor-at-Large of AV Technology.

Info

Avocor.com
Nureva.com
QSC.com
Zoom.us

Always on, hyper connected, highly individual—these are a few attributes of Generation Z, the influential cohort born between 1995-2005, after Millennials. By 2020, Gen Z will account for one-third of the U.S. population, and in 10 years, these digital addicts will be flooding the business landscape. As Michael Dimock observed in a 2018 Pew Research Center report, “Technology, in particular the rapid evolution of how people communicate and interact, is another generation-shaping consideration.” It is undeniable that generational change influences how we work and how we design workplaces. Here are six trends that technology managers should consider as business cultures evolve.

1. MORE FLEXIBLE WORKPLACES

As workplaces become more multigenerational and more digitally driven, technology managers are keeping eyes and ears attuned to trends in the corporate campus, and business culture in general. Hot desking, remote working, and collaboration via BYOx are shaping up to be key influencers.

Greg Clark, CTS, principal consultant with the Sextant Group, sees flexibility in the workplace as an important trend. “Companies, more and more, want to move away from spaces that have finite and specific roles,” he explained. “They want spaces that can do more than one thing; it can be several things. Flexibility is key. That’s a big element of what we are seeing from our side.”

Not all employees want open floor plans with hot desking, however, citing openness as too noisy or distracting. And not all team members use the same tools. CAD operators, for example, have different requirements than sales and marketing. An art director cannot just sit anywhere. How should technology managers strike the balance between AV that supports flexibility but also offers reliability?

“It all about properly planning spaces, really,” Clark said. “It comes down to more of a facilities role as to say, ‘What are my needs? How many spaces of different types do I need? What do those spaces need to do, not only functionally but technologically?’ And parsing it out that way.”

For Jeff Joseph, global AV lead of Indeed, aligning a cohesive AV strategy with the workplace strategy team and HR team helps to unify the experience of multiple generations working in a single office.

“We have open-desk floor plans at Indeed, no matter where you are in the world,” Joseph said. “What that calls for on our side is open communication, meaning if I roll out displays, speakers, and audio into an open space, it has to be expansible and controllable for the whole environment and not just one person.” Workplace strategy and AV working in harmony will help to ensure that stakeholders are following the same vision.

2. MORE COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENTS

Besides more flexible business environments, collaboration solutions continue to dominate corporate AV needs. One example of this is the Zoom videoconferencing solution, which is skyrocketing in its usage and deployment, leading traditional AV vendors to join in the Zoom Room craze. The Works with Zoom program recognizes partnerships with hardware and software manufacturers, such as Logitech, Vaddio, Crestron, Avocor, and InFocus, just to name a few. Zoom is growing at a breakneck pace, with more than 700,000 business customers. Zoom’s customer base also claims more than 88 percent of the top educational institutions, according to U.S. News & World Report. Among its most attractive features are its ease of use, recording, screen sharing, capacity, and more efficient infrastructure requirements.

Collaboration extends beyond videoconferencing. As Greg Clark underscored, there are a variety of collaboration needs and designs, but the key is planning for spaces that support users of all skill levels that is also platform agnostic. Any BYOD user should be able to instantly connect and begin a remote meeting, or share rich content from myriad sources. Don’t discount the popularity of the huddle rooms, he added.

“As a result of the continued trend towards more open-plan workspace and increased workstation density, the huddle room has exploded—everyone needs more and more. A huddle room’s capability seems somewhat simplistic, but the ability to go in and share content, collaborate and co-create in a semi-private environment away from the communal workstation area is important. The ability to save, annotate, and distribute shared content is a relatively simple task, technology wise, but everyone wants it; everyone needs it.”

3. MORE MOBILE, WIRELESS, AND NETWORKED CONNECTIVITY

Considering that Gen Z practically grew up with iPhones in their hands, tech managers should expect to support more mobile devices, not fewer. We’re seeing more and more companies rely less on wired connectivity and much more on wireless. It is an ease-of-use issue, but it is also about aesthetics. Who wants to see untidy nests of cords or unsightly cables dangling across furniture?

As AV over IP and wireless becomes more pervasive, so does the need for bulletproof software and data security. To that end, AVIXA’s new Recommended Practices for Security in Networked AV Systems provides guidance and current best practices for securing networked AV systems of all sizes. Visit avixa.org to access the best practices.

4. MORE DISPLAYS, LESS PROJECTION

Some AV professionals are observing a general trend in the workplace toward more fixed displays, migrating away from projection.

Projection can offer extraordinary large-scale images, and it certainly has its ideal applications. Laser projection in particular has become more popular due to its long shelf life, quiet operation, and brightness. Laser sources are, by nature, lamp-free, a benefit for busy technology managers. However, some companies feel the need to showcase the newest technologies as they try to attract talent. Indeed, many growing companies want AV technology to be a feature of their workplace environment, or at least appear that way. That is one of the key reasons sleek flat-panel display technologies—LCD, LED, and the ilk—are becoming popular on the corporate campus.

5. MORE EMPHASIS ON UX

Clark and The Sextant Group community are passionate about user experience (UX) and ease of use, and Clark sees more of a focus being place on the UX of AV.

“End users want intuitive systems that are easy to use,” he said. While some systems can get extremely complex as to what they are doing behind the scenes, the interface—especially considering the spectrum of generations using AV technologies—has to be dead simple.

6. MORE IOT AND EXPERIENCE-DRIVEN TECHNOLOGIES

Business Insider projects that there will be “more than 55 billion IoT devices by 2025, up from about 9 billion in 2017.” Tech managers should expect requests to integrate more sensors and IoT devices into installed AV systems. Corporations are also looking to build more apps for personalized experiences, making the workplace a “destination.” Look to the proliferation of more automated scheduling and AI-driven systems, such as the Harman/IBM Watson Cognitive Rooms.

Greg Clark suggests keeping the bigger picture in mind, in terms of the corporate landscape.

“Focus on the whole experience,” he said. “What’s the workplace environment? What’s the experience for everyone involved? How can [technology] change my daily activity, improve the workflow? IoT will lead in that direction in a big way.”

While lifecycle planning usually encompasses a five-to-seven-year timeframe, and there are other trends influencing workplace designs, technologists responsible for the commissioning and management of AV would benefit from looking at the corporate campus with a wide-angle lens. From apps to remote working, to IoT, the very notion of an “office” is changing before our eyes.

Margot Douaihy is the editor-at-large of AV Technology. She teaches at Franklin Piece University.

INSIDE THE HABITS OF THE NEXT WAVE OF WORKERS

While it’s still a few years until Generation Z—loosely defined as those born between 1995 and 2005—begins invading the workforce en masse, it’s important to understand their habits and preferences now if we want a clearer picture of the future workplace.

An August study published by Ad Age references a UNiDAYS survey of 22,723 college-age respondents from the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand about their technology usage and purchasing habits—and the findings underscore just how strong their ties to tech are.

Of this group, 97.6 percent own a smartphone and 94 percent own a laptop; in addition, 44.2 percent also own a tablet, 36.9 percent own a gaming console, and 14.2 percent own a smart watch. Interestingly, when surveyed about their viewing habits, more respondents said they preferred watching shows, programs, sports, and movies on their laptops than on a TV—a trend that could inform the way next-generation collaboration takes place.

However, the Gen Y and Gen Z Global Workplace Expectations Study from 2014 by the company Millennial Branding found that 53 percent of this age group prefer in-person communication over tools like instant messaging and videoconferencing— so the trend of more and more employees opting for remote working arrangements could begin to slow as this digital-first generation longs for more gregarious occupational lives.

The good news from a tech standpoint, however, is that Gen Z’s intimidate familiarity with all things electronic should translate into greater utilization of facilities’ smart infrastructures—after all, they expect screens to respond when they touch them, and they are also accustomed to learning new user interfaces with little or no guidance.
—Matt Pruznick

Today’s classrooms have numerous AV aids, but still require teachers and students to share the same physical space (with the exception of distance learning) at the same time. Will this be true in the future? Or will the integration of IT-enabled AV into education allow professors to record their lectures once and then deliver them repeatedly using holograms—with students attending from anywhere using virtual reality (VR) avatars?

The Classroom is Not Doomed, But it Will Change

First things first: None of the three AV experts interviewed for this piece expects classrooms and lecture halls to vanish in the future. “Even in today’s technological world, students want face-to-face contact with their instructors,” said Rob Lipps, EVP of Sonic Foundry. “So the notion of the facility-less campus, with all students logging in remotely for lectures, is not going to happen. After all, 15 years ago people predicted that videoconferencing would be the death of in-person meetings and business travel, but it wasn’t. The same is true for advanced AV technology in the future; including AR (augmented reality) and VR.”

Still, everyone we spoke to expects tomorrow’s classrooms to be quite different from today’s—and the change is being spurred on partly by the realities of the world. “We’re seeing a real push from businesses for more collaborative spaces that support teamwork and active learning,” said William O’Donnell, AV network design engineer at William Paterson University. “Employers want students to learn how to work together and to show initiative, with instructors acting as interactive guides rather than talking heads.

“This doesn’t mean that lecture halls will vanish. They’ll still be needed for large enrollment courses like Poli Sci 101. But we will see more emphasis on collaborative spaces—and the AV technology we use will have to support that.”

Where AV Will Fit In

With schools moving their content into the cloud, and students toting more devices, educational AV is poised to be more important than ever before.

“We are going to see ever-more wireless connections and gateways on campus, as students use their own devices to connect directly to their school’s content and resources,” said Michael Lucas, senior director of instructional technology services at University of Massachusetts Lowell. “This means that the network, its access points and scalability, and its security will be more important than ever before.”

As the personal devices used by students become more affordable and capable—be they smartphones, tablets, laptops, or a mix of all three—tomorrow’s schools will have to support their growing access and charging demands. In the same vein, educational institutions will have to ensure that their cloud-based content can be easily accessed on these devices, and that their campuses’ AV equipment and networks can carry this load.

“It’s not just classrooms: I foresee study rooms and other informal spaces being equipped with wireless nodes and 50-inch monitors, where students can throw up their work and look at it on the big screen,” said O’Donnell. “Students will expect to be able to access and use the same level of AV equipment currently reserved today for their teachers.”

The Role of AR and VR

Cutting-edge AV technologies such as AR and VR are already expanding throughout all areas of education. At University of Massachusetts Lowell, “we’re seeing wearable VR suits being used both to teach modelling in art, and to explain concepts in health,” said Lucas. At William Paterson University, “art students are creating 3D sculptures using VR, which are then brought into reality using 3D printers,” said O’Donnell.

Looking ahead, AR and VR offer educators countless opportunities to provide their students with new and engaging learning experiences. But as with today’s educational AV technology, how AR and VR are actually employed will depend on what instructors choose to do with them. “It all pivots on whether teachers are willing to make the effort to move into AR, VR, and other advanced AV technologies to make their courses more compelling,” Lipps said.

Distance Learning in the Future

One area where AR and VR could have a real impact is distance learning—providing remote students with far more immersive and inclusive learning experiences. But again, this will depend on how much educators commit to making this happen; both in terms of their course content and the technology available to distance learners.

“Having a Ferrari-quality distance learning origination site doesn’t matter if the students on the other end are huddled around a 19-inch Dell monitor,” O’Donnell said. “AV-enabled content delivery is only as good as the weakest link in the chain.”

Rob Lipps would like all forms of connected learning to be of consistent end-to-end quality, so that the notion of “distance” becomes irrelevant. “When you think of someone as a ‘distance learning student,’ what you’re really saying is that they are separate from a more local group of students, and that may imply the quality of their educational experience is different. Using IT-enabled AV technology, the classroom of tomorrow could eliminate this distinction entirely, ensuring that everyone receives the same quality of learning, no matter where they are located.”

Technologies on the Chopping Block

Is the computer lab of today doomed? It’s a good question. With students bringing their own devices to campus, it is hard to see how computer labs will remain relevant in the years to come.

“About 75 percent of our students have their own devices, which is why we’ve become so BYOD-focussed at University of Massachusetts Lowell,” Lucas said. “With Chromebooks being so inexpensive, and the space and technology required by computer labs costing so much, it might make sense to offer students access to carts of Chromebooks while closing the labs down!”

Maybe so, but William Paterson’s O’Donnell isn’t ready to make this leap yet. “Colleges such as ours serve students with lower incomes, who rely on access to the technology provided by computer labs,” he said. “This spares them from having to buy laptops and tablets, which may be money they don’t have.”

This said, “I am still surprised to come across VHS/DVD decks in some of our classrooms: Does anyone still use physical media anymore?” he quipped. “In the future, such devices will be gone from classrooms. So will standalone document cameras, because the USB-connected models are so much cheaper, smaller, and useful.”

The Bottom Line

The classroom of the future will be more connected and more IT-enabled/AV-enriched, with innovative technologies such as AR and VR making learning more interesting and fun than ever before.

Yet, there will still be a demand for face-to-face interactions between teachers and students. Savvy AV manufacturers and vendors will shape their offerings to satisfy this need while delivering the “wow” factor that AV excels at.

Future Classroom Trends

• Classrooms will focus more on collaborative active learning rather than talking heads lecturing passive students.
• AV technology will enable emphasis on active learning through multimedia demonstration/learning devices, AR, and VR.
• AR and VR will spread across all areas of education, and make distance learning more engaging and inclusive.
• Students will increasingly use their own devices to connect directly to the school’s cloud-based resources.
• Once a staple of educational institutions, the computer lab will have its core value diminished by this trend and will need other reasons to justify its continued existence.

The What: InFocus Corporation has launched three new projector lines designed to make meeting spaces and classrooms BYOD capable. Nine new projector models in the IN130, IN130ST, and IN2130 Series feature vibrant colors, ultra-long lamp life, secure and easy integration with popular devices, and a new whisper-quiet fan design.

The What Else: The new InFocus projectors are a customizable presentation solution, with the new TechStation internal HDMI 1.4 bay that lets users add a Google Chromecast, Intel Computer Stick, InFocus SimpleShare, Asus Chromebit, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Android TV Stick, or any other HDMI-compatible device into the bay, keeping cables and dongles neatly tucked away. Educators and presenters can then use the features of the connected HDMI device to start presenting, stream audio or video, cast content, etc. using compatible devices such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones. 

Each new projector series features lamp life of up to 15,000 hours, 28,500:1 contrast ratio for blacker blacks, and BrilliantColor DLP imaging technology for more than one billion colors that will show up on whiteboards, blackboards, or beige walls in any light.

“When designing these projector lines, we focused on what matters most to schools and businesses: value, image brightness, and BYOD capability, and flexibility,” said Dave Duncan, product manager, InFocus. “The IN130, IN130ST, and IN2130 Series projectors make quick-start lessons and meetings easy, regardless of room size, light levels, or the presentation device.”

The IN130 Series replaces the IN120x Series with three models, IN134, IN136, IN138HD. The IN130ST Series brings new short-throw projectors to replace the IN120STx line with IN134ST, IN136ST, and IN138HDST models for a 100-inch image from less than four feet away.

The three projector models, IN2134, IN2136, and IN2138HD, become an all-in-one business solution with 4,500 lumens of brightness that displays user content from any HDMI-compatible device inserted into the TechStation feature.

All nine new projector models from InFocus include a powered HDMI port for mobile charging and device power, along with support for 3D content from video games, PC programs, and Blu-ray (with 144Hx DLP Link 3D glasses, sold separately).

The Bottom Line: The IN130 and IN130ST Series were designed to suit classrooms, with a bright picture, flexible and fast integration with devices for casting, and long lamp life at a value price. The IN2130 Series is designed to replace the IN2120x Series for meeting rooms and huddle spaces where connection flexibility and BYOD are essential.

The IN130, IN130ST, and IN2130 Series are available worldwide starting in mid-November with prices ranging from $700 to $1,400 U.S. MSRP. For pricing information and availability by model, please contact an InFocus authorized reseller.

Lumens is known for its fully featured, versatile, and user-friendly video systems. The company is leveraging those best practices to offer its community additional value. In this video, Lumens’s Chris Skaggs demonstrates their new product, TapShare, a wireless solution for instant and reliable BYOD collaboration.

While doing research and collecting data to develop a collaboration product, the Sony team traveled to more than a dozen universities and corporate clients around the globe, some commons themes emerged. First and foremost, the product needed to have an easy-to-use UX, and it needed to be flexible and scalable.

“I went back to Japan and told everybody that there is a demand out there, and that we think this is going to be a very good solution for three use cases—interactive lecture, active learning, and conferencing,” says Mike Tada, Education Segment, Sony Professional Solutions Americas. “So that’s how we came up with Vision Exchange today.”

Rather than a hardwired video network and multiple AV devices, Sony Vision Exchange facilitates collaboration through one box over an IP network. The way the Vision Exchange works, says Tada, “is we have the main Vision Exchange unit, which is the hub of the whole system. It can be used as a stand-alone small switcher so that you can have various types of sources such as a document camera, laptop, or Blu-ray player coming in—hardwired sources plus wireless sources—and you have a very easy to use on-screen graphical user interface to switch it.”

• This approach was a perfect fit for the University of Manitoba, and the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), clients of Calgary-based integration firm, Matrix Video Communications. “Sony Vision Exchange can expand and mold to however you see fit,” says Kyle Berezowski, CTS, consultant, Equipment Services, ICT Client Services at U of S.

“We looked into Vision Exchange as well as a few other manufacturers that were claiming that they had active learning solutions.” Vision Exchange met U of S client needs and the criteria of the team. “The Sony solution is just very intuitive, very simple and straightforward.” The user interface was a key differentiator that sealed the deal in choosing Sony Vision Exchange, Berezowski says. “You get out there and start swiping, and very quickly a user of any skill level can get out there and start teaching in an active manner.”

Pure Engineering
“What I like about this story is that it’s not the product planner or the managers that brought in some product,” says Tada. “It was pure engineering doing development and figuring out how we can use a really big canvas and create a very simple user interface.” Whether the solution is used for interactive lecture, active learning, a conference room, or a huddle space, “we have one simple user interface that people can easily use,” says Tada.

The simplicity of the Vision Exchange product and execution helped solidify the active learning concept. “Learning the system was very simple, given that there’s one box, and it has the ability to move images from one display to another,” says Jerry Allaire, account manager at Matrix Video Communications’ Winnipeg branch. “The main feature is to be able to bring an image from any of the pods—any of the small working groups—up to the main screen so that the whole class can see it and discuss it.”

Through two case studies, learn more about how Matrix Video Communications’ two university clients chose and implemented Sony’s Vision Exchange.

This is the sixth in a six-part blog series in which I will focus in on the bleeding edge of active learning in higher ed today. Read my first post here: Just Make it Easy to Use!

• “Edwards 45 and 46 have a full slate of classes,” says Melissa Hildebrandt, PMP, project manager, Enterprise Project Management Office, Strategic Program Office of the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). “They are full, from 8:30 in the morning to 10 at night.”
• Hildebrandt and Kyle Berezowski, CTS, consultant, Equipment Services, ICT Client Services of U of S were approached by the Edwards School of Business to revamp Edwards 45 and 46 and replace the two-year-old active learning technology system which comprised several components.
• Although the AV team at U of S had a strong relationship with Sony and several products already installed, that wasn’t enough to take a leap of faith, so they set out to do research. “You’ve got to keep an open mind and see what else may be out there,” so Berezowski and another team member looked at solutions being shown at InfoComm 2017. “We looked into Sony Vision Exchange as well as a few other manufacturers with active learning solutions.” Vision Exchange met U of S client needs and the team’s criteria. “The Sony solution is very intuitive, very simple and straightforward.”

Room 45 has a Sony Vision Exchange connected via IP—over the network. “It was nice and easy to plan for,” says Berezowski. “We just had to make sure that we had adequate power and data at each of the monitor locations.” Two 80-inch interactive monitors are located at the front of the room. One is used as the master station and where the main Vision Exchange appliance is installed. It has four HDMI inputs. Seven 60-inch interactive monitors line the perimeter of the room, each as a student pod. In addition, two Sony IP cameras with USB connectivity connect to a dedicated PC at the master monitor for Web conferencing or lecture capture.

Using the Vision Exchange app, the instructor and students connect using various types of BYODs via Wi-Fi to mirror content to the monitors, annotate, download, and collaborate. The main unit and each pod are able to mirror up to six BYODs. A classroom can have up to 10 pods.

The Hub
“Sony’s Vision Exchange is the hub—it is the key component in the classroom,” says Andrew Buttress, Product Manager at Sony. “Then you integrate the rest of the classroom with projectors, flat-panels and other equipment such as cameras, DVD players and document cameras.”

Vision Exchange is compatible with any manufacturer displays, cameras, or other connected devices. But naturally Sony’s products are an easy match. An IR Touch overlay turns Sony Pro BRAVIA into an interactive multi-touch display. “They work well with many input devices such as finger/stylus and support up to 10 points of contact,” says Buttress. With plug and play simplicity with superb image quality Sony's 3LCD laser light source projectors incorporate a true laser light engine and achieve up to 7,000 lumens of color light output. The recently announced USB 3.0 UVC video compatible PTZ camera joins Sony's SRG PTZ high-definition remotely operated camera line-up. The full HD camera is designed to interface easily with a dedicated computer system using the same USB technology found on most computers.

Through two case studies, learn how the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Manitoba implemented active learning classroom technology solutions.

Just Make it Easy to Use

This is the fifth in a six-part blog series in which I will focus in on the bleeding edge of active learning in higher ed today. Read my first post here: Just Make it Easy to Use!