Commercial Integrator November 2022 - 26

Networking
best practices represent a starting point.
What's more, they raise our collective
consciousness about issues integrators
must consider.
AVI-SPL's Richards points out some foundational
steps - for example, disabling
any unused ports or services, as well as
using strong passwords on hardware
- but makes clear that we cannot stop
there. " Physical access to these networks,
along with user-level access, should all be
discussed to build a complete set of network-security
requirements, " he opines.
" With the rise of external cloud services for
management and monitoring, conversations
on security extend to these platforms
to make sure both internal and external
threats are considered. " Diversified's
Mitchell picks up the thread, saying that
integrators must embrace, and have the
requisite capabilities for, conducting vulnerability
testing, meeting client security
standards, and creating device-level and
platform-level hardening documentation.
AVIXA's Wargo observes that the current
risk threat and available protection options
are increasingly part of industry training
modules. This is an auspicious sign,
indicating that integrators have resources
to level-up their capabilities. However,
the impetus to prioritize cybersecurity
must also extend to integrators' vendor
partners. As Wargo notes, it's imperative
for manufacturers to " ...[make] sure those
devices are deploying protocols that
would allow the content and the device to
remain secure. " In particular, he encourages
thoughtful consideration of how to
implement an Ethernet port and how to
avoid backdoor entry via that component.
In that way, we must grapple with not
only network security broadly but also
single-device security.
Too Many 'Standards'?
From SDVoE, to Dante AV, to HDBaseT
and beyond, there are almost as many approaches
and " standards " as there are AV
products equipped with Ethernet ports.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Our
group of experts presented both views.
AVIXA's Wargo mentioned that diverse approaches
can be beneficial insofar as they
allow integrators to recognize that not
26
NETGEAR on Assisting Integrators
with AV-over-IP Deployments
There is little doubt that AV-over-IP is here to stay. If you haven't deployed AVover-IP
in a project yet, you will. In order to succeed and make those installs go
smoothly, you'll need to learn more about IT networking. If you have deployed
AV-over-IP, then you know that configuring the network switch can be complicated
and tedious, with room for lots of errors. Most AV integrators do not have the IT
knowledge, nor does the IT staff have the AV knowledge.
To ensure that the IT team and you are on the same page, take advantage of the
free training offered by many companies to enhance your knowledge. And use a
switch with all the IT configuration needed, but that is also engineered for AV-overIP.
The NETGEAR M4250 and M4300 series switches and the new Engage Controller
software have an AV GUI to simply assign a preconfigured and tested profile
for the type of AV-over-IP system you are installing. They have ensured that all the
settings are correct, while still allowing other changes to be made, as needed. Plus,
NETGEAR offers free network-design assistance for any pro AV project.
You don't have to do this alone.
every alternative suits every application
equally well; thus, integrators can identify
the best option for a given use case and
bring it to the table. " That diversity allows
for more creative applications, " he explains.
" The narrower the set of options,
the fewer iterations and combinations
there are. "
But Diversified's Mitchell identifies a
potential challenge, saying, " With so
many 'standards,' the AVoIP solutions start
veering away from interoperability and
back towards one vendor that provides
a complete, and potentially proprietary,
solution. " In light of current supply-chain
snarls, any kind of vendor dependency
can be a recipe for sclerotic business
operations. As Mechdyne's Peterson
says, " If you pick one of these proprietary
standards that only a single manufacturer
makes, you're at the mercy of their supply
chain. If their supply chain can't create the
components you need to expand [that]
system, you're out of luck. " And, Mitchell
adds, if an integrator aspires to be capable
of deploying many " standards, " it involves
a substantial investment. " Supporting
each of these standards requires that the
deployment team is properly trained and
supported to ensure a successful project
outcome, " he explains. " This can be a
challenge, especially with all the options
available.... "
Commercial Integrator NOVEMBER 2022
Solutionz's Armand acknowledges
the difficulty of " ...[becoming] experts
simultaneously in all those competing
technologies. " He continues, " Early on,
we identified the lack of in-house expertise
in networking and hired a network
engineer - someone who knows Cisco
CLI commands by heart. They have been
a project lifesaver. " Things may soon
become simpler, though, if Mechdyne's
Peterson reads the situation accurately.
" The fact that every manufacturer has their
own flavor..., " he begins, pausing before
finishing his thought. " I think we're going
to start to see a lot of consolidation, and
hopefully that starts to go away in the next
few years. " In particular, he believes open
standards and software-defined approaches
will be ascendant, winning out over
approaches that require a physical chip.
Leveraging the
Network to Sell Services
One of the best and most exciting things
about networked AV systems is the
opportunity they present for integrators
looking to pivot their business and boost
profitability. NSCA's Abernathy puts it
well, saying, " Network-based systems
provide the opportunity for integrators
to monitor a client's system and provide
preventative and proactive services. " He
adds that integrators can utilize newly
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Commercial Integrator November 2022

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