In anticipation of ISE 2023, we asked our Global Technology Partners the tough questions on everyone’s mind: What’s going on with the supply chain now? How should companies adjust their AV spend in times of economic uncertainty? And why should ISE visitors make time to see them at the show? Their insightful, thoughtful answers will help you with your AV project plans well beyond ISE.
AV Product Lead Times
In Brief: In general, there’s a sense of optimism that the supply chain crisis is starting to be less crisis and more supply. AV manufacturers, integrators, and AV/IT managers have relied on creativity, strong decision-making, and a lot of hard work to keep projects moving. Jump to Navigating Economic Uncertainty or keep reading!
Full Story: Many manufacturers have redesigned products with components that are more readily available. They’ve forged new relationships with suppliers. And they’ve made addressing the supply chain crisis a daily focus.
Rob Smith, Senior Director, Integrated Systems Sales, Western Europe at Shure said, “Specifically, the Shure engineering team has been redesigning products and approving alternate components that are more readily available, all while maintaining our high-quality standards through rigorous testing and analysis.”
The Sennheiser team has benefited from in-house manufacturing for most products, which has allowed them to have more flexibility in addressing component shortages. Charlie Jones, Global Alliance & Partnership Manager, Sennheiser said, “To prepare for any supply chain issues, our supply chain team meets daily to compare forecasted demand with component availability. Our production plan adjusts with demand to ensure limited availability components are allocated to products with the highest demand.”
Still, interoperability may be the word of the year for AV buyers.
Andrew Gildin, VP of Global Partners at Korbyt noted, “From a hardware standpoint, unfortunately, brand loyalty is out when you can’t get equipment. We’ve seen shifts to prioritizing hardware agnostic SaaS solutions to allow flexibility when supply chain issues continue to present themselves. SaaS is rapidly becoming part of the AV ecosystem, becoming the driver and enabler to support hardware flexibility.”
Navigating Economic Uncertainty
In Brief: In a down economy or even at the hint of a slowing economy, companies often cut spending. Less money coming in means less money to spend right? But what’s the risk associated with slashing budgets? Are there times when “making do” can hurt more than it helps? The short answer is yes. Limiting or making the wrong technology investment can have a ripple effect throughout your organization. Jump to What to See at ISE or keep reading!
Full Story: Technology investments impact critical business functions like recruitment. Ashley Smith, Key Account Manager for PSNI at Biamp noted, “Well-functioning AV technology, especially for conferencing, has become essential in today’s workplace. The hybrid workplace is now something that many employees seek as a term of employment. Companies that make decisions against keeping their communications technology may begin to find it difficult to hire and maintain the talent they need to operate their businesses well.”
In the competition for new customers, delivering exceptional customer experiences (CX) can make the difference between winning or losing the sale. Technology plays a significant role in CX. Ann Holland, VP of Marketing Technology at BrightSign said, “Technology is always evolving and delivering better experiences to the viewers. In order to keep audiences engaged, companies need to update and invest in current solutions.”
And there’s the practical matter that businesses really do need technology to function. “Today’s office employees require flexible workspace solutions that keep teams connected, collaborating, and productive,” said Beth Torgerson, Sr. Marketing Account Manager at Legrand | AV. “The ultimate hybrid workspace starts with AV solutions that elevate the experience for both on-site and remote colleagues. Employees must be able to work with each other seamlessly whether they are in the same room or across the country.”
Still, balancing budget constraints with technology needs is a tough job. The NETGEAR AV team advises investing in future-proof technologies. “No question it’s hard, but companies need to look past the immediate problems. If something needs replacing/upgrading, look to the future which is AV over IP. This can be done slowly with one room at a time, for example, and then easily expanded over time. If traditional AV is replaced with traditional AV, then you are just delaying the inevitable.”
If you decide to slow your technology rollouts, making sure old and new systems work together is key. Eric Hénique, Vice President of Sales – International at VuWall points out, “The latest and most innovative AV technology brings efficiency to organizations that can quickly turn into ROI. Investing in new technology that is interoperable allows companies to preserve some of their existing equipment that is still current without having to replace everything.”
What to See at ISE
If you’re heading to ISE (or even if you’re not), there are now more than 1,000 exhibitors competing for your time and attention. Here’s why PSNI Global Technology Partners should make your list. Also, don’t forget to check out PSNI’s Interactive Guide to ISE for more top recommendations for the Workplace, Education, Retail, and Public Spaces.
Biamp – Parlé Conferencing Bars – Stand 3D200
Biamp is the leading manufacturer in the AV industry for a large variety of audio-visual technology. Whether it be for a huddle space, classroom, boardroom, stadium, or anything in between, Biamp has a solution that will give you the high level of performance you need for that space.
BrightSign – The New XC5 BrightSign Model – Stand 6H450
In the new XC5 BrightSign model, XC stands for extreme computing. Purpose-built for digital signage, BrightSign XC5 outperforms traditional signage PCs in its class. Featuring 8k 60p, 10-bit decoding, 4k 60p multi-output for video walls, blazing fast HTML & JavaScript performance, and a simplified SSD and WiFi installation, this player is groundbreaking.
Korbyt – Digital Signage+ – Stand 6K710
IT/AV decision-makers should visit Korbyt to see how they can increase the ROI of their hardware spend. The Korbyt content management system can help you and your stakeholders reach employees via an omnichannel approach (signage, meeting room displays, desktop application, mobile) dynamically with integrations to existing data/content sources.
Legrand | AV – Chief Voyager AV Cart – Stand 3N500
Legrand | AV provides most of the AV products required to complete your AV project – all under one roof. Legrand | AV’s broad portfolio of brands provides infrastructure solutions including rack enclosures, power, technical furniture, carts, cables, connections, and mounts. Legrand | AV also offers PTZ cameras, microphones, speakers, projection screens, and more.
Lightware – LARA (Lightware Advance Room Automation) – Stand 3N200
LARA’s vision is to provide a future-proof room automation platform for system integrators so they can seamlessly and effectively support people’s virtual or in-person collaboration. You’ll also see the award-winning UBEX AV-over-IP system and Taurus UCX platform. Learn how to tackle the everyday challenges of meeting rooms and collaboration environments.
NETGEAR AV – M4250 AV Line of Switches – Stand 5D800
With two new desktop models and a groundbreaking AV user interface, the M4250 lineup covers every type of 1G AV over IP installation. Stop by to learn about NETGEAR AV’s free Pro AV and Pro WiFi design services and check out the new, free Engage AV Controller software. Don’t do it alone – NETGEAR AV is here to help!
Sennheiser – TeamConnect – Stand 3C600
Visit the Sennheiser booth if your conference room is an acoustical nightmare with more concrete and glass than an Apple store; if you don’t have the budget to rip everything out and start over; if you need a microphone that will work with what you have; if you want to sleep at night knowing that the microphones will be available in time for your project.
Shure – Stem Ecosystem – Stand 3N250
Shure offers powerful, future-proof audio solutions to enable effective collaboration in such flexible environments. Shure helps IT managers, integrators, and audio professionals to rapidly scale and deploy AV technology in today’s fast-changing world. Shure also provides advice on how to invest wisely.
VITEC – IPTV and Digital Signage – Stand 5C350
VITEC develops and manufactures IPTV and Digital Signage platforms for many different industries, including corporate, education, hospitality, media/broadcast, and venues. If you’re looking for a cost-effective and scalable solution to distribute video and signage across your IP network, consider VITEC, a proven solution, trusted by organizations around the world.
VuWall – TRx Video Wall Centralized Management Platform – Stand 5E370
Many organizations don’t realize how much productivity they can gain by using a collaborative video wall and how affordable the technology can be. In the VuWall stand, visitors will discover unique video wall processing and management solutions that are cost-effective, easy to deploy, and easy to use.
Williams AV – WAV Pro Wi-Fi Receiver – Stand 3B900
The WAV Pro Wi-Fi Receiver is Williams AV’s second-generation dedicated assistive listening Wi-Fi receiver. It delivers the assistive listening industry’s largest display at 6.8” full HD+ display and up to 40 hours of continuous audio streaming. Williams AV is a leader in assistive communication technology with solutions for assistive listening, interpretation, and more.
ZeeVee – ZyPerUHD60 Encoders and Decoders – Stand 5D250
These devices enable users to address all the signal distribution needs of small huddle, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams rooms. ZeeVee is the only AV vendor that is 100% focused on AVoIP, offering one platform for all solutions from huddle rooms to high-end infrastructure that supports three codecs, including SDVoE, JPEG2000, and H.264.
For more recommended solutions to put on your ISE list, check out PSNI’s Interactive Guide to ISE.
