“Alexa, Clean Out My Desk”

By Kate Couch How will smart devices be used in the corporate world in years and months to come? Last year, the corporate office took a large turn as many of us had to begin working remotely from home. This created an entirely new world for audiovisual — Zoom. Zoom, as most companies are aware, […]

“Alexa, Clean Out My Desk”

Did You Miss Th!nk AV? Read Our Coverage on Part I, the Influencer Panel

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST  The first major AV, UCC and digital signage event of the year was a virtual one. But a virtual format didn’t prevent us from digging in and getting some answers on the uncertainty that lies ahead. Th!nk AV, a three-part thought-leadership event, came to us from Sony, a company who […]

Did You Miss Th!nk AV? Read Our Coverage on Part I, the Influencer Panel

Business Unusual: It’s Time to Leverage IoT

By Blake Augsburger LEA Professional The integration industry hadn’t embraced IoT-enabled business practices until now: When we need to. Today’s market demands necessitate it. We live in difficult times, but I have confidence in our shared ability to get through these days and come out stronger and better prepared. I think it’s important to draw […]

Business Unusual: It’s Time to Leverage IoT

Software Is Eating AV

“…software is eating the world.” — Marc Andreessen In 10 years or less, what was once the AV industry is going to be a be a footnote in the history of business technology, somewhere among the overhead projector and the fax machine. This hardware-centric industry we call home, this perpetual contest of who sells both […]

Software Is Eating AV

Amazon Wants Smart Homes to Be Affordable and Simple

In years past, building a smart home has been expensive and complex, to say the least. Now however, with the rapid increase of technologies that allow devices to communicate and interact with others well, in the form of the silly/well known by you, acronym, IoT (Internet of Things), this cost has been drastically reduced and […]

Amazon Wants Smart Homes to Be Affordable and Simple

IoT Is a Potential Hacker-Fest

Everyone, everywhere is talking about the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). And, every tech company is trying to find a way to claim their products are part of IoT, too. And, most of it is hype. Pure hype. But, some of the companies that do have IoT things are being stupid. Why? Security. The Internet […]

IoT Is a Potential Hacker-Fest

SYNNEX Continues to Invest in Google Ecosystem to Offer Cloud Services for Recurring Revenue

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST FROM SYNNEX   Everyone in nearly every industry is talking about the cloud. And, you likely already use it — whether you realize it or not. If you have your smartphone backing up your photos online, that’s the cloud. If you collaborate on documents with others, that’s the cloud. If […]

SYNNEX Continues to Invest in Google Ecosystem to Offer Cloud Services for Recurring Revenue

Why Are We Not Talking About Digital Signage Security?

By Viktor Petersson Screenly Over the last few years, we have seen many cases of digital signage players being hacked for fun, profit and even propaganda. Hardcore porn shown on hacked billboard in Malmö Cyberattack claims multiple airports in Vietnam Hacked digital signage displays porn in Union Station Hijacking the Outdoor Digital Billboard – By […]

Why Are We Not Talking About Digital Signage Security?

Reliving the Analog Days

At my institution, we began putting our AV systems on the network over a dozen years ago. The advantages were simply amazing. In fact, we take so many of these for granted today, we forget some of them. For example, when was the last time you thought about how amazing it is that you can […]

Reliving the Analog Days

Crestron Wins 2018 Microsoft Global IoT Partner of the Year Award

Crestron today accepted the 2018 Microsoft Global Partner of the Year Award for Internet of Things (IoT) in a ceremony at the Microsoft Inspire event in Las Vegas. Microsoft recognized Crestron for providing solutions in IoT in the form of Crestron XiO Cloud built on the Microsoft Azure platform. Crestron XiO Cloud is designed for […]

Crestron Wins 2018 Microsoft Global IoT Partner of the Year Award

IOT Isn’t New, It’s Just New To You

“The Internet of things is a network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators and network connectivity which enables these objects to connect and exchange data.” Each “thing” is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to inter-operate within the existing internet infrastructure. If this […]

IOT Isn’t New, It’s Just New To You

The Risks of IoT

A quick survey: How many IoT devices do you currently think you own? Chances are you are way off on the actual number. A main reason is that no one actually knows how many devices are currently connected to the Internet of Things and that number is even harder to predict moving forward as more […]

The Risks of IoT

Amazon vs. Google Part 2

Smart homes and smart buildings aren’t for the ultra-rich… anymore. We’ve come to a time in our existence where our technological advancements have allowed for desire, need and know how of a more connected lifestyle, between home and work. After all, it’s no longer about a work-life balance, it’s really all about the work-life blend […]

Amazon vs. Google Part 2

The Internet of Unintended Consequences

A few weeks ago it came out that in November of 2017, fitness tracking company Strava released a heat map of where its users have logged activity around the world. The map is a pretty nifty picture of where people like to exercise, but it included some data that the U.S. Military would probably rather […]

The Internet of Unintended Consequences

Ice Crystal Ball for 2018: Predictions in ICT and Sustainability

As we enter 2018 in the grips of a bomb-cyclone dumping frigid temperatures, snow, ice and floods up and down the eastern seaboard, it can be difficult to consider global warming particularly since global warming has nothing to do with weather and everything to do with climate change. Here is a good explanation of the […]

Ice Crystal Ball for 2018: Predictions in ICT and Sustainability

Using Video and the Internet of Things to Lead Remote Teams

By Chip Manning VDO360 Videoconferencing is not new, but recent technological advancements—including mobile videoconferencing and telepresence—have led to more widespread use. On the other hand, the Internet of Things (IoT) is a relatively new idea, one with implications across a wide variety of industries and aspects of business. When the two technologies—videoconferencing and the IoT—come […]

Using Video and the Internet of Things to Lead Remote Teams

The Internet of Things Conference at E4

This conference puts IoT in context for AV professionals, focusing on the potential opportunities in this burgeoning technology field. The conference begins with a session on how digitization and IoT have changed how the world works, leading to endless prospects for AV professionals. Other conference sessions showcase real-world IoT applications, as well as in-depth discussions […]

The Internet of Things Conference at E4

AVPhenom Introduces New Automation Product at InfoComm

June 8th, 2017 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA On the heels of Apple’s HomePod release, Phenomenal Industries has announced that they will debut their new wireless home automation hub at InfoComm 2017 in Orlando. AVPhenom is well known for his innovative product releases each year, with his latest successes being the World’s First! 4K Speakers and more […]

AVPhenom Introduces New Automation Product at InfoComm

Holey IoT!

InfoComm is rapidly approaching and I am sure that there will be many gizmos and gadgets that are IoT ready as offerings in both consumer and commercial technology continue to explode in the market. The Internet of Things (IoT) play space has been promising, and delivering, on new and exciting ways to engage with customers, […]

Holey IoT!

Research Points to Growth in Smart Home Device Adoption, Awareness

Consumers see more clearly how home smart devices can directly benefit their lives, and are planning to purchase more smart home devices in the future. Those are the key insights from a consumer survey commissioned by PlumChoice, Inc., a provider of technical services for IoT and cloud brands and the Z-Wave Alliance, an open consortium of leading global companies […]

Research Points to Growth in Smart Home Device Adoption, Awareness

#ICYMI: Thank God No One Is Using the Stupid, Trying-to-Sound-Cool Term “IoT” at ISE – Ugh, But They Will at InfoComm

In 2016 some industry self-appointed pundits in the AV-industry were overusing the trite term known as the “Internet of Things” (aka IoT) way, way too much last year. I keep seeing content marketing and blogs using the term — as if we are really part of it. We aren’t. Thank God we are in 2017 […]

#ICYMI:  Thank God No One Is Using the Stupid, Trying-to-Sound-Cool Term “IoT” at ISE – Ugh, But They Will at InfoComm

Thank God No One Is Using the Stupid, Hackneyed Term IoT at ISE

In 2016 some industry self-appointed pundits in the AV-industry were overusing the trite term known as the “Internet of Things” (aka IoT) way, way too much last year. I keep seeing content marketing and blogs using the term — as if we are really part of it. We aren’t. Thank God we are in 2017 […]

Thank God No One Is Using the Stupid, Hackneyed Term IoT at ISE

Churches, IoT and Fully Integrated AVL

In sales, your best client is likely the one who buys repeatedly and recommends you consistently. For a long time, I had two of my best clients fit this description while I was in sales; one was a large airline, the other was a large church. What these two organizations had in common was a […]

Churches, IoT and Fully Integrated AVL

The Internet of Things is Here – How Do You Feel About It?

Do you remember the 2002 movie by Steven Spielberg, “Minority Report?”  This futuristic film featured Tom Cruise as the main character, PreCrime Captain John Anderton, who is the subject of a murder prediction based upon visions of the “Precogs.”  And since, in the movie, the PreCrime police department has the authority to imprison would-be murderers, […]

The Internet of Things is Here – How Do You Feel About It?

Practicing Safe Automation

A couple of years ago, I was on an AV podcast and someone asked me if I would ever put a smart lock onto my house. I said I’d need to think long and hard about the security aspects of it before I considered it. Flash forward to today, and I just put in an […]

Practicing Safe Automation

Security Wake Up Call

On Fri., Oct. 21, a company in small Manchester, New Hampshire was the focus of a DoS internet attack.  While the city it is located in is small, the company, Dyn, is not. It provides DNS (Domain Name Server) service to a large part of the country. By attacking this company the hackers effectively shut […]

Security Wake Up Call

KNX Details IoT (Internet of Things) Strategy

The “Internet of Things” is a buzzword in the world of information technology. What still has to become part of the general knowledge is already a long known term in expert groups for a new development boost. Everyday objects become intelligent and communicate via the internet. According to visionaries until 2020 50 trillions of such […]

KNX Details IoT (Internet of Things) Strategy

Data and How Best to Use it for Energy Efficiency

Now that many things in an Internet of Things (IoT) world have sensors that can track and control their energy consumption as well as influence the energy use and monitoring of other things, reams of data about these things has been produced, stored, and culled over. Having access to this much data allows the consumer […]

Data and How Best to Use it for Energy Efficiency

User-Centric-Design, Technology and Sustainability

With the Internet of Things (IoT) encroaching further and further into the lives of the masses on a daily basis, one key element is becoming more important than ever — encounterability and controllability. This involves not only the macro scale of energy sources to power skyscrapers and corporate campuses, food and water resource management and […]

User-Centric-Design, Technology and Sustainability

Is the Smart Home Smart Enough?

A recent Deloitte Consumer Review survey in the UK found that there was nearly zero growth between 2014 and 2015 in consumer purchasing of connected home products. The finding cited that, “UK consumers are aware of the potential benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT) but perceived high prices and skepticism about the technology are […]

Is the Smart Home Smart Enough?

Innovative AV Integration Solutions Models: Part 1 – IoT in Control and Automation

Gamechanging – when one refers to the term, mistakenly in most instances, they are referring many times to a product (or “the box”) rather than a solution. I had such an instance in a meeting with representatives of a major industry company who were telling me about all the great capabilities of their new corporate […]

Innovative AV Integration Solutions Models: Part 1 – IoT in Control and Automation

The Ongoing “New” Prospects for Security in AV

How the “New” industry security discussion really began Back in mid-January of this year, the AV world was rocked by a story that truly caught fire within hours after it was first reported. I watched it filter through the industry – the articles and podcasts – however I waited for the right moment to post […]

The Ongoing “New” Prospects for Security in AV