Commercial Integrator May 2023 - 37

fact that, if you're relying on the network,
you're necessarily losing a bit of control.
As Hatchett puts it, " You have certain rules
and regulations that you have to follow that
the network operations team requires. "
But Hatchett sees it as an opportunity to
leverage a partnership with the network
operations team, as opposed to having to
branch into something altogether new.
Cost Factor
Cost is another factor that can inhibit many
education institutions that, otherwise,
would implement AVoIP. " The capital
cost for analog equipment will always be
less than IP, " Bob Ehlers, vice president
of business planning, Audinate, acknowledges.
" The operating cost and the
total cost of ownership - that's [what's]
changing things. " He elaborates further,
saying, " With IP-based systems, there's
remote supportability, diagnostics, data,
usage, feedback about what's going on
with all the equipment in the room, and
auto recovering when there's a failure. The
operating cost [benefits] far supersede the
capital expenditure. "
With AVoIP systems, staff members can
easily reconfigure rooms to suit a professor's
liking. One professor might have their
back to a projection screen; another might
talk in front of a whiteboard; or stand at a
podium with a mic; or use a lapel mic; while
yet another might prefer to use the audio
from their laptop. Technology teams must
accommodate all those things quickly, especially
when staff only have maybe five or
10 minutes in between classes. " That would
not be possible with analog, " Ehlers states.
" We're seeing more classroom reconfiguration
[and] interconnectivity, " he adds.
" Classes may span different rooms within
the same campus; or different rooms on
different campuses; or hybrid, where the
students are working remote. "
A Good Network Integrator
For integrators installing these systems,
Ehlers offers a word of advice: Be a good
network integrator first. " Then, " he continues,
" you have to be an audio engineer
and video engineer. And then, you can be
a Dante expert. It all boils down to technical
skill and knowledge. " Historically, that
range of core competencies lived in three
different people, each with a specific skill
set. That's no longer the case, though.
" The network engineer has to understand
what the AV engineer is doing and
why, " Ehlers says. " For example, why they
need to install a multicast and the secure
way to do it. " He encourages integrators to
build out skill sets and not underestimate
the complexity of AVoIP deployments.
Ultimately, these next-generation
systems, deployed properly, make things
simpler for the client. " If my AV system is like
my cell phone, with 27 apps for different
things, that's a failure for the industry, " Ehlers
declares. " Somebody needs to be able to
run into a room, with no instructions, and
be able to figure it out. " Integrators must
not forget to deliver that simplicity for both
the end user and those who manage and
maintain those systems.
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MAY 2023 Commercial Integrator 37
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Commercial Integrator May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator May 2023
