One thing I truly love about writing a blog for rAVe is when I get a reaction from my peers about what I wrote. These responses always help me further think through what I originally wrote, and I always learn from others in these scenarios. In my December blog, I wrote about the supply chain […]
In late December, a flaw in software that is ubiquitous around the world was reported, and it sent cybersecurity pros into a frenzy and turned the hairs of technology pros gray. There are countless articles about this vulnerability, so I am not going to go deep into the technology of what occurs. Here is what […]
Sometimes it seems like the topic of every conversation has changed from “COVID, COVID, COVID” to “supply chain, supply chain, supply chain.” This is for good reason. Just about everything is in short supply, and prices are rising everywhere. The good news from this — the news that people are still spending money — gets […]
In November, Gary Kayye interviewed Crestron’s new president and CEO, Dan Feldstein. The interview was very interesting, especially since Dan is a new public face to Crestron, even though he has “been working there since he was 5.” Take some time over your next lunch break to listen to the interview and get to know […]
After all the guessing, prognostication and assumptions, it actually happened. InfoComm 2021 took place in Orlando the last week in October. What surprised me most during the event was the social media banter that went back and forth between the “should” and “should not” crowds. That is those who thought that AVIXA “should have” InfoComm […]
Due to continuing travel restrictions at my institution, I was not able to attend InfoComm in person this year. However, thanks to an amazing social network of #AVtweeps and rAVe [PUBS], I was able to attend virtually. Higher ed is certainly a vertical that has felt the change since March 2020. As I watch products […]
In this episode, I speak with John Cheatham of the University of North Georgia. John gives some great insight into how integrators being flexible with their services is key to being a good partner. John also talks about how the university used integrators this summer and how their work required a network reconfiguration. Podcast: Play […]
Over the past couple of months, we have seen some in-person conferences begin to resume. The biggest in our industry, InfoComm, is coming up in just a few weeks. AVIXA has been very clear that unless it is told by authorities to cancel the show, the show will go on in person. Yet, there are […]
For the past 18 months, firms in most industries have struggled with the dual challenge of hiring new employees and retaining current employees. Retaining employees has become a major issue across our country as the number of people quitting their jobs has been dubbed “The Great Resignation.” The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that […]
I recently attended a graduation where the keynote speaker addressed the topic of privilege. Unfortunately, like so much of our dialog these days, the term was taken far out of context, and that out-of-context interpretation was then politicized. As I walked away, I was disheartened at the misinformation all the new graduates had just received. […]
Over the past several months at my institution, we have been implementing a new Information Technology Service Management Tool (ITSM). After looking at several different products, we chose to go forward with TeamDynamix. The cost is reasonable (not cheap, but reasonable), even for small higher ed institutions (like us). Cost was a factor in our […]
Learn all about class capture in this episode as I speak with Kathleen Dooley of Midwestern University. Kathleen discusses her role and how much it has evolved to support the video recording, storage and distribution of classes. She also gives some great insight into how manufacturers have been critical to her success. Podcast: Play in […]
Many of us have wondered what business will be like in the “new normal.” During that time, so many of us assumed the new normal also meant post-coronavirus. As we continue to experience surges in the delta variant and wonder about future variants, I am beginning to wonder if living with COVID-19 is actually the […]
Jerry Garcia and crew certainly had it right when they sang, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” Seventeen months ago, colleges and universities around the country abruptly shut down in-person learning and sent students home. Over the summer of 2020, they worked to make sure their faculty and students were prepared to learn and […]
In March of this year, AVIXA released an Inclusive Language Guide through its Diversity Council, supported by TAD and Audinate. I highly recommend you take the time to read the guide: You can find it here. Better yet, I highly recommend you print it off and hang copies of it around your offices, workshops and […]
I recently heard from a friend in higher ed that they had been laid off. This person worked in the AV group as part of the overall IT department in their college. Two things stuck out to me about this layoff: first, that any school would consider laying off parts of its AV team after […]
In this episode, I speak with Josh Kaufman of Tufts University. Josh gives some great insight into how Tufts used outside integrators as install teams, while the university did design and purchasing in-house. Josh also spends some time talking about accessibility and where integrators and manufacturers can continue to add value in this area. Podcast: […]
In my March 2020 blog, written before COVID-19 changed the world, I wrote about “Digital Transformation.” At the time, very few organizations had truly invested in a digital transformation strategy. It was still a buzzword corporate leaders did not understand or were not able to fully implement. Before we move any further, let’s get a […]
Several months ago I started a podcast here on rAVe called #DearVendor. The idea behind the podcast is the AV industry is an ecosystem — we are only healthy if all parts of the industry are healthy. In the podcast, I give tech managers (aka in-house integrators) an opportunity to tell manufacturers, integrators, programmers, designers […]
In this episode, I speak with Don Merritt of the University of Central Florida. Don talks about what he is expecting in the year ahead — he is thinking not only about the changes we will see based on what faculty have learned over the past year but also how we need to prepare to have faculty and students in […]
In a recent blog, Gary Kayye wrote about the current global supply shortage of semiconductors. Take a moment and read the blog and the linked Wall Street Journal article. They both raise some important concerns about what the next several quarters will bring in regards to this shortfall. Unfortunately, my blog is not going to […]
In this episode, I speak with Erin Maher-Moran of Johns Hopkins University. Erin gives some great insight into how Johns Hopkins has a hybrid approach to design and installation; she also offers advice about how strong relationships with integrators can be extremely valuable. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Over the past 14 months, higher ed technology professionals have been scrambling. Whether we were sticking webcams on tripods, placing cameras/mics in classrooms or working with faculty on how to use all of the above — the past year has been more about preparing for tomorrow than for the next six months or year. While […]
I always anxiously await the arrival of my copy of the Harvard Business Review. While I realize that may sound a bit nerdy, I think it is an amazing resource for anyone who thinks about leadership, management and business operations. In the March/April edition, there is a story called “How to Shift from Selling Products […]
In this episode, I talk with Jimmie Singleton from the University of Southern California. USC has a student enrollment of over 40,000 students, and Jimmie’s department supports about 280-300 spaces. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
First let me say thank you, with a title like this one, I am surprised anyone is reading this blog. Let’s face it, asset and inventory management is not exactly a topic that sparks interest and debate. Part of the reason for that is that no one really enjoys doing this tedious, boring work. Yet, […]
Introducing the newest podcast on the rAVe [RADIO] network: #DearVendor. For over a year I have been following the #DearVendor hashtag on Twitter. People often use the hashtag to make jokes or express frustration at vendors. Typically, the jokes are about cold calls or relentless emails. As I watched the communication on this over several […]
During End User Day of LAVNCH WEEK 3.0 in February (in partnership with HETMA), I enjoyed listening to end users speak about AV security. It was particularly interesting to me since I had just written a blog on how the SolarWinds hack should serve as a lesson to the AV industry. I was tweeting a […]
For educational institutions far and wide, public and private, kindergarten to graduate school, Google services have one thing we all love — the price was right! For many of us, that meant it was free. There have always been some premium services that you can choose to pay for if you are a Google school, […]
In mid-December, news broke about a massive cyber breach that occurred through SolarWinds software. There is a chance (I hope not) that many in the AV community briefly looked at this, decided it was an IT issue and moved on. If you did, I think that was a mistake — and want to tell you […]
Higher ed just lived through what may be the strangest semester we have ever had. At my school, we held in-person classes, and — knock on wood — we were very successful, with limited numbers of COVID cases and no serious cases. Like many other schools, we employed social distancing, lower limits on people in […]
Skype, FaceTime and now Zoom. Each of the past several iterations of videoconferencing have a few things in common. First, they became part of the consumer lexicon, becoming verbs, in fact. Second, they became popular because of their use by, and availability to the general consumer. Only Zoom, however, grew at what can be described […]
