Today there is more attention on networks, the cloud and UC&C applications than ever before, introducing new questions for the future of AV. Organizations have been rapidly migrating to platforms like Cisco WebEx, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, Teams Voice, replacing existing on-premise resources that needed AV management with newer IT systems.
This transition has risen to a new level with the arrival of Work from Home. Organizations are rapidly providing workers with more complex remote resources, and they are boosting IT support to provide reliable network management that can respond to increases in demand and load-balancing hitches in key moments. All applications are dependent on a fault-tolerant cloud, and network needs and user requirements are taking up more space.
AV departments used to be separate from the rest of the organization’s workplace management, but now AV is becoming more integrated with overall Digital Workplace Transformation strategies. AV teams typically were more customer-focused, and things like application interfaces didn’t have the same priority as telephony and network concerns. Now, because audio and video capabilities like video conferencing are in the hands of workers, AV has become more focused on the end user and on simplifying and unifying different elements.
As you continue to support your workers within a Modern Workplace, your AV teams will need to develop deeper IT knowledge and skillsets to provide a seamless flow between AV and other elements. If you are migrating away from an on-premise PBX to a cloud-based one, for example, your teams will need to understand cloud phone systems and their integration with your other workflows. Your teams will begin spending more time on things like managing a cloud migration strategy, supporting change management and determining how interface updates will affect video conferencing and content sharing abilities.
So, what are the most important things for your AV team to keep in mind? First, they need to be prepared to serve workers on-demand wherever they are located, and they can no longer expect for workers to reach out to them first when a need arises. They will need to be immersed in the digital ecosystem, particularly within your workplace, and up-to-date on the latest technologies, platforms and possibilities for integration across devices and applications. This includes being able to rapidly adjust to platform and hardware updates and integrate them within your workflow at a moment’s notice. Overall, your team needs to approach your workplace as a revolving 360 “globe,” ready to integrate new technologies within your existing resources and creating paths for seamless evolution of AV elements within your digital systems.
AV support remains essential, but its role will change as the workplace changes. The Modern Workplace is digital, and AV becomes integrated in an IT framework. In a way, the role of AV is expanding, though it may become oriented in a new direction.