Thirty-two years ago,
InfoComm became InfoComm. Before that, it had a handful of names, but the InfoComm moniker has stuck for nearly one-third of the industry’s history. I love the name. But if there’s one thing I think it’s not recognized for is it’s dominance in the UCC space. Enterprise Connect (EC) gets all the accolades for being tech’s solely UCC-focused show but, the truth is that InfoComm has had UCC technology before EC even existed. And, InfoCOmm is just two weeks away in Orlando — are you coming? If not,
we’re covering it all here.
And, the UCC segment of AV Is quickly becoming the bellwether for how to simplify AV technology, in general. In fact, I’ve started hearing AV integrators wonder aloud, “how can we make classrooms more like Zoom Rooms?” and just this morning I had a conversation with a top-three dealer’s president, who asked me who’s control system would be the best for “dumbing down all AV systems to be more like a Zoom Room.” Those were his exact words.
The path is right there. As I told him this morning, it’s all about the network. It’s about interoperability, simplicity and following standards that focus on user-experiences (UX). Zoom founder Eric Yuan’s
mantra for Zoom is “happiness” and he’s told me over and over that he focuses all his energy making sure that every decision they make is all about keeping their users happy. Well, today, with technology at least, happiness is simplicity and quickness. And, this issue is, quite frankly, packed with happy products. I love Extron’s new
HC-400 series collaboration systems, Vivitek’s new
D3600Z Series of projectors with built-in NovoConnect and I’ll be integrating
ENCO’s enTranslate system into my classroom next semester! These all make me happy!
So, I hope you’re happy reading this issue of rAVe UCC — and don’t skip this month’s columns by
Logitech’s Joan Vandermate — who talks about the convergence of AV and IT — and Chris Gillespie’s The Evolution of Technology Spaces (Part 1). This is an eight-part series coming to you over the next few months that you will LOVE. Chris is is a 30-year veteran of the industry and he’s been on all three sides of the market (end-user, dealer and manufacturer). So, his insights are GOLD. He makes me happy, too!
Enjoy, and don’t forget to connect with
me on LinkedIn.