Volume 13, Issue 1 — January 14, 2022

rAVe UCC — Volume 13, Issue 1

January 14, 2022 | Volume: 13 | Issue: 1

It’s no secret that I hate buzzwords. These can be marketing jargon. Words like “game-changer” or “cutting-edge.” Or they can just be words that the industry has grasped hold of and used until they have no meaning. (“New Normal,” anybody?)

But today, I’m throwing all that aside so that we can assign proper meanings to two overly used words: collaboration and interoperability. In the UCC world, we use these words so often that it’s easy to forget about their importance and what they truly mean.

Collaboration is about working together to achieve a common goal. It’s about human connection. That connection is the heart of the UCC corner of the AV industry, but with all the emphasis on technology and products, it’s easy to forget that.

When it comes to interoperability, remember that just because two things work together, it doesn’t mean they are interoperable. We talked about that last time in reference to Lee Distad’s blog, but as I give you part 2 this time, remember that as the resimercial market continues to grow in popularity, interoperability will continue to be a staple in every home office (and every work office). True interoperability between products and applications will be a standard. Mark my words.

Happy weekend, everyone!

— Steph Beckett

COLUMNS

+ Collaboration Is About Workflows — Not Screen Sharing [Mark Coxon]

Our emphasis on screen sharing and UCC tools is important, but it is a very small part of the picture. As integrators, we often go after this low-hanging fruit, sell appliances we like and then leave it to our clients to determine how these new tools best fit into their workflows. In some cases, we may even expect our clients to alter their workflows to use the new tools, which is a recipe for low adoption and unrealized ROI. So, if meetings continue outside of their calendared times, tasks are progressive and continuous and data extends beyond digital borders, how can we up our collaboration game to better accommodate the way people work already?

+ Interoperability for Pros — Part 2 [Lee Distad]

All the assembly, testing and shakedown of a system is where the proof lies, both when doing “research” as well as testing a client’s systems prior to finishing. Test early and test often. Because if a device is going to fail, either because it’s defective or because it doesn’t play well with others, it typically happens right away. And it’s always easier and cheaper to fix a problem in your office than at the client’s place.