AV Technology - June 2008 - (Page 20)

avantage government by Gary L. Hall STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY PLANNING Process improvement and enterprise systems management tools may help with strategic planning. I nformation overload alert! Like many technologists, government AV technology managers are constantly sorting through and trying to comprehend vast amounts of information. We do this to leverage the latest innovations that will improve the efficiency and productivity of our agencies. We must also apply new processes to the emerging needs of our stakeholders. But how can we find the time to do this when our days are spent putting out fires and making sure that events go smoothly? It may seem a radical idea, but we should consider taking a step back from the day to day and allow ourselves to think strategically. By addressing the underlying issues that cause problems during events we can focus more of our attention on applying technology solutions rather than on tactical operations. To work smarter (instead of harder), technology managers need to understand the technologies that we are working with and the trends that will impact these technologies in the future. In order to understand technologies, government AV technology managers must be on the front of the innovation curve. We can do this by sharpening our IT knowledge base and by developing technology forecasting techniques that help us to scale our systems for flexibility and rapid technology deployment. AV technology managers can keep up on innovation through tradeshows, industry publications, electronic journals, blogs, websites, and social interactions with our industry peers. Broad-based knowledge gathered through these methods can be applied to technology forecasting efforts that predict the future needs of our agencies. Combining IT and process improvement results in agile business practices. Agility means streamlined, flexible operations. This can be elusive in government bureaucracies, but can be developed through thoughtful management practices combined with hard work. Once achieved, agility allows our agencies to be more proactive and responsive to changing requirements. That sounds great, but how do AV technology managers use information technology, process improvements, and innovations to improve our agencies’ operations? One place to start is the implementation of enterprise management systems (EM systems). EM systems are Network Management Systems support staff while increasing the efficiency of AV engineers and operators working in AV network operations centers. Now that AV systems can be managed, monitored, and even operated remotely, AV technology managers can improve organizational efficiency and the end users’ experiences by applying IT management techniques such as centralized help desk support and trouble ticket tracking. Process standardization and automation go NOW THAT AV SYSTEMS CAN BE MANAGED, MONITORED, AND EVEN OPERATED REMOTELY, AV TECHNOLOGY MANAGERS CAN IMPROVE ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND THE END USERS’ EXPERIENCES BY APPLYING IT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES SUCH AS CENTRALIZED HELP DESK SUPPORT AND TROUBLE TICKET TRACKING. (NMSs) capable of managing devices, independent of vendors and protocols, in Internet Protocol (IP)-based enterprise networks. Just like IT systems, AV systems also need to be actively managed for maximum value. To effectively manage AV systems at the enterprise level, we need to increase automation, analyze systems performance metrics, and incorporate remote management tools. EM systems can accomplish these goals. THE POWER OF AUTOMATION Many agencies have found that automating business practices through electronic processes reduces costs and improves efficiency. This has been widely accepted for IT and the capabilities are now emerging for AV. Netcentric AV equipment and operations allow us to manage our AV resources at the enterprise level. Netcentric EM systems can reduce or eliminate the need for regional operational hand in hand. Automation has been proven to be effective in improving processes and workflow. When jointly deployed, automation and process standardization can greatly improve speed and performance. Control, scheduling, monitoring, and metrics are some of the netcentric AV elements that can be standardized and automated. Even areas that cannot be fully automated can greatly benefit from standardization and IT resources. For example, an effective document management system can serve as an organizational knowledge base and can control things such as document version control and prompt the users when updates are needed. Organizational knowledge bases are important to AV technology managers because they can maintain institutional knowledge even when key employees leave the agency. They can also help to clearly organize the policies and procedures required for business operawww.avtechnologyonline.com 20 | AVTECHNOLOGY | june 2008 http://www.avtechnologyonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - June 2008

AV Technology - June 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: Global Standardization Government: Strategic Technology Planning Education: It’s All Just a Click Pre-Empting Projector Breakdown Dealing With Technophobes Keeping Ahead of Technology Obsolescence Understanding Video Codecs Rules of Engagement Network, See & Learn Sound From the Heart Sportsbook Makes an Impact Upgrading an AV Image Product Review: Polycom’s RealPresence Experience HD Tech Horizons: A True AV Networking Standard? Product Spotlight: Digital Media Servers; Flat Panel New Products Ad Index AV MO: Calculating Fiber Optic Transmission Distance

AV Technology - June 2008

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