Thes projects should be of great interest to the TechDecisions audience. Each was taken on by an organization like yours, and showcases how technology can improve any commercial space in a number of ways. The variety that these winning projects show in how technology can be implemented is truly something every technology manager should be aware of.

As always, the winners in each Integration Awards category were chosen by a panel of industry experts—namely, our editorial team. Judges evaluated each entry this year on the solution deployed, the AV projects’ buildout/challenges and customer reaction to the installation.

You probably won’t be surprised that some of this year’s winners were easy to pick and others gave the judges some pause and made the decision extremely difficult.

Enjoy the stories of this year’s Integration Awards winners and, if your entry wasn’t among the ones we chose, perhaps you can find inspiration in something this year’s honorees did and create something even more impressive in time for the 2021 edition.

Click on any project to view the full story on sister site CommercialIntegrator.com:

• Museum: Electrosonic — New Spy Museum
• Bars & Restaurants: Automation Arts — The Mecca Sports Bar & Grill
• Large Venue: Solotech — Colosseum
• Corporate Campus: McCann Systems — 145 Broadway, Kendall Square Tech Headquarters
• Small Office: Teatrx — Choice Properties Calgary
• Meeting Room: Teatrx — Riverland East Tower
• Higher Ed: Pinnacle AVL — University of Southern California
• Casino: McCann Systems — Linq hotel + Experience
• Mission Critical: Domotek — Fishtech Group
• Healthcare: Level 3 Audiovisual — University of Texas Health – Cizik School of Nursing Simulation Center
• K-12: Snap Install — Sherlock School
• Esports: Adtech Systems — Central Connecticut State University
• Immersive Experience: Midtown Video — Miami Hurricanes Football Recruiting Experience

The post These Are the Technology Products Which Won Integration Awards This Year appeared first on My TechDecisions.

For IT managers overseeing this partnership, this means that the technology provider should be expected to meet certain benchmarks, fit the organization’s needs, demonstrate a bulletproof security strategy and be able to adapt to fit your needs.

What are you trying to achieve?

According to Mark Geary, an IT veteran and managing director of Rally Point Consulting, this process starts with clearly defining your organization’s strategy, goals and objectives.

Geary suggests asking yourself these questions:

• What do we want to achieve with this new technology?
• What are you looking to accomplish for our environment?
• What are we trying to achieve for our end users?

Those questions should be used to form the basis for a business requirement document that outline what your organization needs from the technology solutions provider.

After those questions are answered, develop a technical requirements document that defines the expected functionality, features and proposed use of technology you want to receive.

Now, you can go to the market armed with the makings of a request for proposals.

“Then you take those two documents, put them together, and now you have a starting place,” Geary says.

Those documents should form the basis of your contract with the systems integrator and facilitates an equal partnership in the creation of that contract.

“You become less of an organization just looking for a vendor and more engaged,” Geary says. “In the contract, you can spell out deliverables and you spell out what you’re going to sign off on.”

Going to the market

Depending on the size of your organization and your history of working with systems integrators, you might already have some in mind. Maybe you’ve worked closely with one firm for years. If that’s the case, let them know about your RFP.

But if you’re looking for your first integration partner or a change of scenery, consider sending those two documents to a handful of integrators. Starting with the fundamentals of what you want to achieve will help integrators propose a plan that includes the technology the plan on installing, a cost estimate and timeline, Geary says.

Once an integrator expresses interest in the project, IT managers need to ask for references and get more information about the firm.

Geary suggests asking these questions:

• Where have you done this before?
• How big are your projects?
• How small are your projects?
• Are you generally on time and under budget?
• How much participation is required of me as the IT manager?
• Is this something I can just outsource to you and you take care of it all?
• What are you good at?
• What aren’t you good at?

If you feel confident that your IT team can participate in the deployment, ask the systems integrator about a hybrid deployment that utilizes the skills and knowledge within your own team.

“If you were to involve your own people as well, you can reduce a lot of that cost,” Geary says.

Before you talk money, talk security

Each year, cybercriminals become more advanced and cybersecurity experts are challenged with keeping pace and staying up-to-date with cyber trends.

According to Forbes, around 60% of cyber attacks target small businesses, and many of those small businesses are service providers like managed service providers and other technology installers. Those companies are obvious targets because they have the keys to all of their customers’ networks and data

So, before you engage with a potential AV integrator on your project, ask them about their security policies and practices. That conversation should be among the first you have with a firm, Geary says.

Questions to ask about security include:

• What are your security policies and practices?
• What are IT and security certifications do you have? (i.e. PCI, HIPAA, SOC 2 Type 2, Department of Defense, to name a few)
• What’s your insurance policy against compromise?
• How often do you update critical security systems?
• What protections do you have in place?
• How often do you conduct staff training on cybersecurity trends?

According to Geary, you should walk away from a systems integrator if they don’t have prompt responses to those questions.

“If they have zero security policy … walk right away,” Geary says. “Walk away if security is not important for them right away.”

Another reason to walk away is if the technology provider doesn’t practice multi-factor authentication within the company.

“If they don’t mention the word ‘two-factor,’ I’m done,” Geary says.

Out-of-the-box deployments can be a convenient way to quickly scale technology solutions across your organization and the security of those kind of offerings is improving.

However, security still important to keep security in mind when introducing those kind of easy-to-use systems.

“Your environment is going to be different than everybody else,” Geary says.

Payments & service-based models

If an integrator asks for an up-front payment, Geary advises IT managers to counter with an incremental payment proposal based on deliverables. “I would never pay up front,” Geary says.

If the integrator doesn’t do service-based contractual payments, then offer to pay when the project is complete.

“It keeps them engaged and keeps their best people in line,” Geary says.

The global economy is moving toward a service-based, subscription model, and now that is increasingly true of technology. For software providers and now even AV integrators, service-based contracts are the norm. This helps keep vendors engaged throughout the life of the contract.

Related: End Users Know More About AV Systems Than Integrators Think They Do

More importantly, it makes the deployment much more affordable at a set dollar amount each month.

“You won’t have a whole bunch of licenses to pay for and you won’t have to pay the maintenance fees,” Geary says.

As-a-service contracts also allow the end user to pay for only what they use each month and provide greater flexibility to the end user.

“Anytime you can get as-a-service, it’s great because you can just turn it off,” Geary says. “More CIOs are looking to X-as-a-service because they can just use it like electricity — flip it on and flip it off.”

Finding an actual ‘partner’

If the AV integrator is truly interested in becoming a partner to your organization, they will eventually learn your environment and understand it as well as – if not better than – your own IT department.

This means the systems integrator should have quick responses to questions you have about your environment and adding deploying new technologies.

Many companies pay lip service to the word “partner,” but a true integration partner should be able to meet your demands and requirements as your organization grows and scales throughout the years.

This goes back to developing a business and technology requirements document, Geary says.

If the business relationship is a true partnership, your organization and the systems integration firm should grow alongside one another.

“When you find someone good, keep them close and let them understand your environment,” Geary says. “They’ll do a lot more things for you than just that what you hired them to do.”

The post How to Choose the Right Integration Partner for Your Organization appeared first on My TechDecisions.

While IT has had to handle the load when it comes to bandwidth and security, videoconferencing, collaboration, and communications inherent in remote work all fall under the scope of AV integration.

Many organizations have turned to quick-fix solutions or even free platforms to handle the increase in remote users, but as businesses reopen and organizations reassess their remote strategy, they’ll seek to find holistic systems that make it as easy to collaborate from home as it is in the office.

Many tech managers might think less users in the office would mean a less sophisticated conferencing or collaboration system. AV integrators know that isn’t the case.When the time comes for crucial sharing or management of content in a videoconference, you’ll kick yourselves for not upgrading to a better system.

AV systems were very much one-size-fits-all once upon a time. It was once possible to have a videoconferencing system that began and ended in the conference room, or a collaboration platform that only saved information in a hard-wired box connected to the display.

People used to take photos of an interactive whiteboard and email it to one another. Now, videoconferencing systems are often collaboration platforms as well. Users need to be able to bring in diverse content pieces from multiple software programs, and those pieces need the ability to be manipulated by people within the room and without.

They need to work with a number of videoconferencing software providers to ensure customers or partners from another house can properly interact. More than that, with a sudden rise in remote work that many believe will have long-lasting effects, AV systems need to bring in remote participants.

All of that to say that AV can’t be jerry-rigged into existing spaces and business plans. For a new construction project, AV integrators need to be involved to help explain the special needs of boardrooms, conference spaces, huddle rooms, etc.

For a new technology project, integrators need to be involved in order to better explain to customers what they actually need from a project. Customers have only a low-level understanding of AV systems compared to integrators.

Integrators need to ask about workflow, processes, pain points that customers are having, then seek to develop systems that streamline workflows, match with processes and eliminate pain points. It’s up to the tech manager to bring in the AV integrator early enough that the information matters to the ultimate system. Too late and the integrator is confined to physical space or what tech managers think they need.

Getting integrators involved early will produce the best systems, uniquely created for your organization.

The post Tech Managers Need to Involve AV Integrators Earlier in the Process appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Here are a few audio visual acronyms that you should be familiar with if you are in charge of the next corporate AV equipment purchase at your organization:

Audio Visual Protocols

AVoIP – short for “AV over IP,” or the transfer of audio visual data over an IP network.

SDVoE – “software-defined video over ethernet;” this refers to an AVoIP protocol that utilizes off-the-shelf ethernet switches.

HDMI – “High-Definition Multimedia Interface;” an uncompressed digital connector providing an interface between 8-channel digital audio and HDTV standards. You should already know this one!

Related: Machine Learning Overview: Everything You Need to Know

HDBaseT – “high-definition video, audio, power, home networking, Ethernet, USB, & control over category cable.”

LED – “light-emitting diode;” a material that emits light when electricity passes through it.

PoE – “Power over Ethernet,” network cables that allow electricity to pass through to power systems (lighting for example).

Audio Visual Acronyms for Business Practices

AVaaS – “AV as a Service;” An emerging solution from AV Integration firms that allows them to keep you up and running without sending a truck. Paying a certain amount for AV equipment purchases per month in exchange for automatic service, updates, monitoring, and business data associated with the tech.

LEED – “Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design;” The building certification standard used for the Green or Sustainable construction movement.

OFE – “owner-furnished equipment.”

SaaS – “software as a service.”

Certifications & Miscellaneous Audio Visual Acronyms

CTS, CTS-D, CTS-I – “Certified Technology Specialist” (D for design; I for installation); the mark of someone who has been certified by AVIXA, the trade association representing the professional audiovisual and information communications industries. These CTS, CTS-D, and CTS-I certified professionals display this distinction because it qualifies them as having completed the necessary amount of credits per year needed to uphold it and keep themselves up to date with audio visual technology best practices.

APEX – “Audiovisual Provider of Excellence;” AVIXA program that honors member companies that achieve certain levels of employee certification and training; another thing to look for if you’re the corporate AV equipment purchase decision maker looking for next-level audio visual installation companies.

BYOD – “bring your own device;” the capability to join a meeting using only the tech end users bring to it, such as a smartphone or laptop.

PSIM – “Physical Security Information Management.”

DSCE, DSDE, DSNE, DCME, DSSP – The certifications for the digital signage installation industry as adopted by the DSE, DSF, and ISA. They stand for:

• Digital Signage Certified Expert ( DSCE) the fundamentals course
• Digital Signage Display Expert (DSDE) on displays
• Digital Signage Network Expert (DSNE) on networks
• Digital Content and Media Expert (DCME) on content and media
• Digital Signage Sales Professional (DSSP)

The post These Are the Audio Visual Acronyms Tech Managers Should Commit to Memory appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The Survey Says …

The company backs up this claim with third-party research, in which 550 senior IT decision makers were surveyed by research firm Vanson Bourne. The survey reveals a shift in how IT delivers its integration services in support of today’s modern enterprise: 86% of respondents say the IT department should not just be integrating for other departments, IT should be enabling others to integrate for themselves. The survey reveals that security – and the complexities, volumes and lack of experience in accomplishing integrations – top a list of many challenges IT faces with traditional integration solutions.

Other results of the Hybrid Integration Survey:

• 14% already have a hybrid integration platform (HIP) in place;
• 31% are currently implementing a hybrid integration platform;
• 32% plan to implement a hybrid integration platform in the next 12 months.

This means that  77% of those surveyed are actively on the road to bringing the advantages of hybrid integration to their businesses.

“We commissioned this research to learn from IT leaders about their struggles in meeting the business demands of digital transformation and IT modernization,” says Axway chief technology and innovation officer, Vince Padua. “The results reveal where global companies are in their implementation journey toward a hybrid integration platform that supports their long-term strategy and today’s tactical needs.”

The study shows companies with a hybrid integration platform can support more mission critical integrations and are three times as likely to have completely effective integration compared to those without. It also reveals that the number one factor driving adoption of hybrid integration platforms is the need to innovate faster to keep up with agile, cloud-native start-ups.

The post Axway Reveals a Shift Toward Hybrid Integration Platforms appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The AOPEN Chromebox Commerical 2 has been engineered to operate 24/7 under tough conditions up to 40 degrees Celsius. The commercial-grade device delivers speedy and secure signage from the cloud using Google Chrome OS. It can run one UHD (4K) screen at 60Hz or two UHD (4K) screen at 30Hz.

The Mvix digital signage software, meanwhile, has garnered awards for its content-rich platform, human-centered tech support and ease of use. Together, the AOPEN and Mvix chrome-based digital signage solution provides more power, stunning graphics and robust security for education and corporate clients.

“Aligning Mvix software with AOPEN Chromebox Commercial 2 creates a robust, secure and turn-key solution for integrators and end users,” says Mike Kilian, senior director of business development at Mvix. “Enterprise brands will be able to deliver the most elegant, personalized and satisfying experiences for the audiences.”

The AOPEN Chromebox Commercial 2 features include:

• Powering two 4K displays at 30 fps and one 4K display at 60 fps via HDMI 2.0
• Slim, ruggedized and fanless design that is water- and dust-resistant
• Three USB 3.1, two USB 2.0, an RJ50 serial connector and HDMI 1.4b and 2.0
• Remote power switch enables the device to be powered remotely
• Available 7th generation Intel Core processor i3 and Celeron processor
• Chrome Enterprise license offering for ease of operation and management.

The Mvix digital signage software includes over 200 content apps and data integrations such as Salesforce, social media, MySQL, CAP alerts, Google Analytics, Rest API, KPI dashboards, HubSpot and more. It also includes features such as:

• Remote management
• Multi-zoned screen layouts
• Calendar-based content scheduling
• Advanced HTML5 scripts w/CSS, JS
• Live video input, including HDCP-protected content
• Role-based user management
• Smart playlist for automated playlist management

Mvix will showcase the AOPEN/Mvix solution on June 12-14 at InfoComm 2019 in Orlando.

The post Chrome-Based Digital Signage Solution Offered by Mvix appeared first on My TechDecisions.

And, if you are going to start pitching AV as a Service to your customers, make sure you know what that means and you’re ready to answer the tough questions that comes along with that offering.

If you think customers will wait until you’ve left the room to tell you what they think, you clearly weren’t at the PSNI Supersummit in Atlanta in February, where a panel of end users freely shared their thoughts on a host of topics, all while integrators took it in from the crowd.

“AV as a service must die,” said Josiah Way, director of multimedia services for higher education at California Baptist University, to the shock of many in the audience. “It’s not that there isn’t a place for it. There just isn’t a place for it in higher ed.

“Are you really going to come to my campus and repair or replace 300 projectors when I need it? I don’t need someone to show me the latest and greatest. I’ve got 25 emails that already did it. You need to be able to quantify what you mean when you say ‘AV as a service’ so it becomes a capital expense rather than an operating expense.”

Nyere Hollingsworth, group leader at MITRE, was equally pessimistic about the future of AV as a service in its current form, although the phrase itself means different things to different people anyway.

“I’m hesitant to believe integrators have the capacity to provide the level of service they’re promising,” said Hollingsworth during the PSNI panel discussion.

There’s a bit of a paradox inherent in AV as a service, said Nick Miller, manager of AV control systems operations at Watermark Estate Management Services.

“Smaller integrators are usually more responsive but don’t have the scale,” he said. “Medium and large integrators have the scale but you may not get the same level of service.

Bradford Benn, a 30-plus-year AV industry veteran who became an end user in the theme park industry in 2018, says the nature of the industry in which he works necessitates keeping AV as a service capabilities in-house, because a broken attraction means lost revenue until it’s fixed.

“Conference rooms and classrooms aren’t profit centers,” he said, noting the contrast with theme park rides.

Building the Partnership

Don’t let all that venom fool you, though, because these same end users who talked about why and how they don’t need AV integrators to meet their needs also looked at the qualities they seek when they do want one to come to their campus, theme park, government facility, etc.

“I hire people, not shirts,” said Hollingsworth. “First and foremost, be honest. Don’t try to sell me a widget you just released at InfoComm and expect me to do the research for you. The folks I want to work with are the folks I’ve cultivated relationships with. If I know they’ll do well by me, I’ll bring them into the circle.”

Dawn Meade, senior AV solutions architect at Northrup Grunman, says her work with classified and sensitive government agencies means an increased level of scrutiny. That’s why she tends to rely on integrators she knows from her prior work, meaning she calls specific people rather than thinking solely about particular companies, no matter how large they might be.

“We’ll follow them because we know they do quality work,” said Meade. “It’s not the company. It’s the people. You can do a lot of damage with one bad seed.”

Benn knows right away to walk away when an integrator tells him about clients that are signed to non-disclosure agreements, since many of the projects he’s hiring for are in the same position.

“That tells me an awful lot about whether we can trust you,” he said. “Also, don’t call us for an order. Call us with a solution. Be proactive. Don’t make me have to go and find the problem. My job is to make my vendors succeed.”

Way knows there are some integrators who are more interested in making a sale than listening to what he needs from them. He recalled a recent example of an integrator who sent him a wine basket, despite the fact he works on a “dry” Christian campus.

“When you get to know me, you can get to know my organization and my needs,” he said. “We don’t need the same services. We need people who come in to support the things we’re doing. We’re always going to pay for things that make my job easier.”

The post End Users Know More About AV Systems Than Integrators Think They Do appeared first on My TechDecisions.

USB4 Requires Robust Certification Program

“USB4 represents a significant specification update that will require a robust certification program to ensure delivery of compliant and interoperable USB devices in the consumer market,” says USB-IF president and chief operating officer Jeff Ravencraft. “Synopsys VIP for USB4 strengthens the USB ecosystem and facilitates early adoption and rapid development of the high-performance next-generation USB architecture.”

Important Features of Synopsys VC VIP for USB

Synopsys VC VIP for USB is based on a native SystemVerilog/UVM architecture and features built-in comprehensive coverage, verification plan, extensive protocol checks, and integration with Synopsys’ Verdi protocol-aware debug for ease-of-use and increased productivity. Synopsys VIP includes an extensive and customizable set of frame generation, error injection capabilities, and comprehensive exception list to generate negative scenarios. In addition, UVM source code test suites are also available to verify features with minimal effort and jumpstart custom testing of USB designs.

Helping Companies Accelerate Verification Closure

“Collaborating with standards organizations and market-makers enables us to deliver another industry-first USB VIP solution,” adds Vikas Gautam, vice president of R&D for the Synopsys Verification Group. “We are engaged with early adopters of USB4, enabling them to accelerate verification closure and remain ahead in their markets.”

Availability and Additional Resources

Synopsys VIP and source code test suite for USB4 are available as standalone products. VIP and source code test suites for USB up to 3.2, Power Delivery up to 3.0, and Subsystem Verification Solution for Type-C are also currently available.

The post Synopsys Delivers USB4 Subsystem Verification Solution, VIP, and Test Suite for High-performance USB Architecture appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Utilizing ZeeVee ZyPer4K technology in conjunction with the 96-port Netgear 10G M4300-96X Modular Managed Ethernet switch, the new ZeeVee module is intended to reduce cost, lower power consumption and greatly simplify installation and deployment of large IP-based video networks.

The new ZeeVee ZyPer4K HDMI Module, developed in collaboration with Netgear and the SDVoE Alliance, plugs into the Netgear switch chassis, providing a video distribution solution for industrial, commercial and residential applications.  Each ZeeVee module accommodates up to four HDMI sources; multiple modules may be used in the same switch.

“We are proud to continue our close relationship with Netgear and the SDVoE Alliance to, for the first time, enable HDMI source connectivity to an Ethernet switch,” says Bob Michaels, CEO, ZeeVee. “This combination of IT and AV at the integrated product level, rather than purely at the infrastructure level, will promote the wider adoption of next generation communications systems.”

“Netgear sees the product pairing of our switch and the ZeeVee ZyPer4K HDMI Module as a significant transformation of the AVoIP experience,” adds Richard Jonker, vice president of SMB product line management for Netgear. “It not only more firmly solidifies the much talked about convergence between AV and IT but makes these systems easier to install and more cost-effective than ever before.”

The ZeeVee ZyPer4K HDMI Module works seamlessly with the Netgear M4300-96X Modular Managed Switch, which is preconfigured for easy, true AV and multicast Zero Touch network configuration. It also allows designers, integrators or users to simply select the combination of HDMI, copper, PoE+ and fiber M4300-96X port expansion cards that suit system requirements, connect cables from sources or decoder-equipped displays, and switch on the power.

As with other SDVoE components, the switch easily accommodates symmetric input/output configurations such as 48×48, as well as asymmetric solutions such as 10×86, 24×72, etc. The modular design of the switch allows reconfiguration of inputs and outputs should system requirements change.

The ZyPer4K HDMI Module will be available from ZeeVee this summer.

The post Ethernet Switch from ZeeVee and Netgear Integrates HDMI to Converge IT and AV appeared first on My TechDecisions.

“A decade ago, Deltapath was one of the first in the industry to bring HD voice and video to everyday business communications,” states David Liu, Deltapath founder and chief executive officer. “We have taken another big step forward to fill the gaps that are crippling communication and collaboration such as the inability to exchange information with customers from a noisy street, hear a person speaking from the back of a room when on speaker, and navigate conversations when voices overlap. Working with Dolby helps us deliver an exceptional experience in all of these scenarios by incorporating Dolby Voice and integrating the Dolby Conference Phone. Our new product line solves the longstanding communication and collaboration problems and answers the new demands of the ever-changing and increasingly mobile workplace.”

With the proliferation of virtual workplaces, satellite offices, telecommuters, and mobile workers sweeping across the world, not all conversations take place in a room with the door closed anymore. In fact, work as the world knows it is no longer about an office but something a person does anywhere. Airports, train terminals, and even a sidewalk can become a temporary workplace. Recognizing this, Deltapath Mobile, Deltapath’s mobile client, comes fully integrated with Dolby Voice so background noise will no longer highjack phone conversations. Dolby Voice also projects every speaker’s voice from a distinct location so if multiple conversations start at the same time, they never become intertwined or muffled. In addition, conference hosts can also take charge of audio conferences by inviting and managing participants right from Deltapath Mobile. The combination of Deltapath and Dolby’s technologies will allow users to experience superior audio calls leading to higher productivity.

The post Deltapath Brings the Benefits of Dolby Voice to Everyday Business Communications appeared first on My TechDecisions.