AV and IT Convergence Means Convenience and Bigger Budgets for AV Professionals

The digital realm is transforming as Information Technology (IT) and Audiovisual (AV) domains intertwine more closely than ever. This isn’t merely a looming trend; it’s the current reality, particularly in more giant corporations. Driving this merger is a combination of faster network speeds, enhanced hardware, and heightened security measures. Software companies, with an eye on the future, are fervently pursuing international certifications, eager to appeal to enterprise-level clientele.

But here’s the silver lining: With IT taking the lead, there’s a seismic shift in spending perspectives. While marketing teams once hesitated at the steep prices of professional AV tools, the IT department—accustomed to hefty tech investments with giants like Cisco and Oracle—view these as cost-effective endeavors.

Yet, the integration means more than just budgets. It’s ushering in an age of intelligent business system integrations. Automation now takes precedence. Are items out of stock? They’re automatically removed from display screens. Safety breaches? Immediate broadcasts without manual intervention. The future promises less manual oversight and more real-time adaptability.

To better navigate these transformative tides, it’s essential for both industries to embrace automation. According to Dave Haynes, Editor of SixteenNine, automation is already here to stay. And that’s a good thing!

Dave’s Thoughts

The Present Reality of IT and AV Convergence

“What I hear and see in the marketplace and the ecosystem is that the convergence of IT and AV isn’t something that’s just coming, it’s here. AV is being rolled into IT in larger companies. Some of that owes to the natural evolution and advances of technology. Networks are faster, hardware is more powerful, and security is tighter, with software companies putting the time and money into getting the kinds of international certifications needed these days to get serious attention from enterprise clients.”

Budgetary Changes and Perceptions in IT and Marketing

“The good news about convergence is that IT departments have different and usually bigger and better budgets than AV departments, or, for the people in HR and marketing who used to get digital science projects dropped on them, equipment and software that may have looked super expensive to marketing people will tend to look super cheap for people who are conditioned to taking meetings with people from Cisco, SAP, and Oracle.”

Business Systems Integration: The Future is Automated

“The other thing I see happening and is now mainstreamed is serious business systems integration. If an item promoter on retail screens goes out of stock in the inventory management system, it then disappears from those screens without operator intervention. Or if a building system senses a gas leak on a production floor, that auto-triggers an alert to screens, again, without somebody needing to log into the software to push something out. The days of scheduling out what’s on-screen networks, weeks or months in advance are over, and that’s a good thing.”