Three Reasons Why You (Still) Need an AV Professional

With today’s user-friendly technology, you may question if involving an AV professional is worth it.

In our technology-driven era, we hardly think about the tools we use to communicate at work, home, or school. We FaceTime with family and friends, jump on video calls with coworkers, and send files to customers – all at the click of a button. But it wasn’t always so easy to connect video and audio with people across the country, let alone across the hall. The development of unified communication that we know today got its origin from audio-video technology, like speakers, microphones, projectors, and cameras.

Brief History of AV

When we think of a traditional AV technician, we think of someone who sets up large format audio and visual systems for businesses, entertainment venues, or amphitheaters. They were the ones who hardwired all the cords, speakers, microphones, lights, and projection systems together through a centralized mixing console.

AV technology migrated into teleconferencing, giving users a way to call multiple people at once via party lines through an electronic central office. Soon after, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would take over phone lines for a faster, cheaper way to connect audio between users and help pave the way for two-way video. Once this had been accomplished, video conferencing took off and multiple platforms became available on the market with faster, high-quality communications between different devices.

AV vs. IT

Today, technology has evolved into blended tools that are more user-friendly, easier to set up and require fewer technical components. We no longer think about hiring AV professionals to install conference room systems the way we did in the past. You may even turn to your IT (Information Technology) managers for anything “technology” related as a catch-all professional.

With unified communication platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams becoming household names, we find ourselves in a new IT-centric environment. Bluetooth microphone/speakers are crystal clear, and hardware costs continue to decrease to the point that individual users can have their own devices instead of building complex technology solutions into expensive conference rooms.

Do You Need a Professional?

With so many options of user-friendly communication solutions, do you still need an AV technician to install your conference room equipment?

At IDS, we say that you do and here’s why:

#1 Don’t DIY

You might consider trying to DIY your conference room by having your IT manager assemble all the components. This option increases your risk of running into hiccups along the way, like incompatible technologies or connectivity issues. At that point, you’ll need to bring in an expert to redesign the system with possibly more equipment and reinstallations.

#2 Growth

If you’re able to get your DIY systems up and running, your organization may decide to expand to another conference room, add digital signage throughout the building, or connect with remote offices around the country. This can become challenging if the system wasn’t originally designed to scale.

Working with an AV technician from the beginning ensures your project will be designed correctly the first time. They work directly with technology vendors and any on-site contractors to plan out all the requirements and timeframes. They will also understand the value of having a future-proof system that can be modified with your business needs.

#3 Ongoing support afterward

Professional AV services go beyond the design and implementation of your project; it offers managed services so that you can maximize your investment to get the most usage – from hardware and software uptime and updates to optimizing licenses with data analytics.

Ready to Roll

If you’re thinking about an AV project – new or updated – check out our meeting room solutions or contact us for more information to see how our AV professionals help to streamline, manage, and protect your next audiovisual project. IDS brings 20 years of AV experience, and we have a close relationship with industry-leading brands to provide you with all feature and workflow options at the best pricing.