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con·ver·gence

convergence-0914Convergence, in terms of technological convergence (according to Wikipedia), is the tendency for different technological systems to evolve toward performing similar tasks.

The premise of AV and IT convergence is simple, two separate realms of technology come together as a single entity to expand the industry’s capabilities to satisfy full-scale technology needs of the end user. In this day and age the industry overseers’ message is resounding – don’t focus on bringing one without the other anymore. Leave the boxes behind and bring something more relevant to today’s technology needs to the table. This article speaks volumes as a start to this blog and the great focus on change in industry perspective — now rather than later. Adapt to more workable models of modern technology advancement. These opportunities have continuously presented themselves for some time now and many, according to the industry overseers’ still need to adapt to meet the customer’s overall technological demands.

Today, change is not only good, it’s required. Innovation is key, refocusing and possibly rebuilding may be of ultimate necessity to meet such challenges. Scope changes, progresses and inevitably becomes the necessary means to an end. If you stand still, quicksand may await. The message becomes you need to motivate, or chance to evaporate.

Upheaval and disruption is taking place all around us. No matter the industry or the particular market, every entity faces this rapid technology acceleration and must meet the ongoing daily demands of adaptation and change. Why focus on technology and not other aspects of business? Simple — if there’s one aspect of life that becomes the grand focus of immediacy, it’s the full realm of technologies that consumers and businesses must learn and leverage every single day. It begins in elementary school as students become savvier by the day where even the teacher can learn from the pupil. Once they get to high school, tech savvy borders on genius.

So just who are the change-makers and trendsetters of today? In a world fast being driven by cloud computing, mobile technologies and the internet of things, adapting to change is momentary, no longer weekly or monthly as it used to be. Look at the collaboration environment — cloud or VM. Conference on mobile devices. Connect to end points? No problem. Set up? Really… A plethora of solutions now exist, it’s yours to decide which best fits the end user’s environment. Cloud vs. on-prem? Opex vs. Capex model? Consultative vs. box-driven approach?

Convergence. Does it exist in the sense where only two realms of technology coexist and even build to a “merger?” Not always. When forces converge upon each other, think about the probabilities of successful outcomes. Also consider how the two forces may converge — is it in an evenflow or a collision? While I’m sure algorithms do exist to more definitively determine such outcomes, let’s just say that focused efforts to create streamlined processes will help build the proper bridge to accomplishment. But there is a much deeper view beyond the merger of technologies. On premise or in the cloud while there exist numerous possibilities for successfully converged outcomes, the prospects of reward are balanced by risk. Network and mobile security now take on a level of importance to convergence in the enterprise. Is the industry ready to meet that challenge? On premise security — that the industry has already mastered. Or have they? With new location-based and even context aware technologies, convergence is raised to a whole new level. The industry in essence needs to meet head-on the progressive aspects of technology change and no longer just look at commonplace approaches.

Actual defined convergence of course can only happen with a full measured industry-wide joint focus. While industry experts bring targeted approaches to the table, there are also those out there, call them industry soap-boxers, who look to shape process by taking the listen to me and “get it” approach. Then there are those who bury product messages in blogs and whitepapers. And this is what the industry really doesn’t need, especially now. Some build stanchions to allegedly prop up convergence infrastructure, but is this really necessary? Such methodology needs to be built on strict technology principle, not underlying approaches.

Those who deliver the coherent and progressive message of change are the true leaders, the ones who will bring the industry strong and forward to the new renaissance of convergence…

 

 

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