Volume 5, Issue 21 — November 13, 2019

BuyersClub — Volume 5, Issue 21 — November 13, 2019

November 13, 2019 | Volume: 5 | Issue: 21

With one of the busiest Octobers in rAVe history — we covered NYDSW, Zoomtopia 2019 and Almo's E4 Experience AND, shameless plug, also launched a brand new company talent, rAVe [STORYTELLING], last month — we can all finally take a breath, right? Nope. It's officially November, which means it's crunch time for projects with an end-of-year deadline. With the holidays around the corner, it's probably a wise idea to grab that extra shot of espresso in your morning coffee. Cozy up with your hot beverage on this cold Wednesday (at least it's very cold where we are here in NC), and squeeze in a read of this issue of AV Buyers.Club when you need a break from it all.

This issue is filled with hot-topic (not that Hot Topic) product news, including an announcement from Futuresource Consulting that, by 2020, Cisco, Microsoft Teams and Zoom will be totally interoperable. This is big news for users of the popular Webex Meetings, MS Teams and Zoom Systems who, to date, couldn't start or join a session from one provider by using the platform of another. Along with Cisco, a partnership between Microsoft and Zoom is a step in the right direction for interoperability in AV. But it begs the question: Who's next to challenge it?

Also of note: an important and needed column by rAVe BlogSquad writer Tony Sprando, "The Effects of 5G on the AV Industry" an upgrade to the CTS Certified Technology Specialist Exam Guide (i.e., the AV Bible); and a Q&A between Gary Kayye and EdTech magazine on how Gen Z will transform campus technology.

Going to get another coffee at the cafe next door, now. See ya there.

–Leah McCann

COLUMNS

+ The Effects of 5G on the AV Industry [Tony Sprando]

The arrival of 5G is transforming technology and our AV industry. You can barely scan your News Feed or watch television without some type of news or advertisement about 5G and its impending impact on your life. And while this whole 5G thing sounds like amazing hype, I’ve found that many of our customers and my colleagues aren’t certain of what it is and how it actually will affect their lives and our industry.

+ Cisco, Microsoft Teams and Zoom Will Be Totally Interoperable by Mid-2020! [Chris Mcintyre-Brown]

As video conferencing solutions proliferate, remote working continues to rise and the number of inter-company video conferences increases, a lack of system interoperability has become a major pain point for many users. Internally focused video conferences are less problematic, as everyone is familiar with their system of choice. However, once companies begin to interact with each other, there’s a good chance they are using different VC providers. That means multiple independent accounts, no central system and a need to hop from one provider to another throughout the day.