July has come to a close, so it’s time to break down the results of another Temperature Check. This month, we wanted to see how you feel about corporate AV technology, like videoconferencing systems, digital signage, security/access control, networked AV, projection and more. Here’s what you all had to say.

* those who answered “other” said they were interested in
– live event support for all-hands staff meetings
– dvLED

Our first question asked respondents about what types of AV solutions they were most interested in for corporate environments. Unsurprisingly, videoconferencing systems took the top spot.

Executive Vice President of Exertis Almo Dan Smith says some of the interest in videoconferencing systems could likely be attributed to the pace with which the technology is evolving: “Cameras and microphones are now able to isolate speakers, increasing intelligibility and creating the intimacy of an in-person conversation,” he said. Smith even argued that with the integration of artificial intelligence in videoconferencing systems that are able summarize meetings, virtual meetings have become a step above in-person meetings.

Director of Product Management of Biamp Zach Snook also pointed to the prevalence of hybrid work in the modern corporate environment to explain videoconferencing systems’ popularity.

“Now that hybrid work is here to stay, AV and IT leaders across mid-to-enterprise-level businesses are not just thinking about how they accommodate a distributed workforce, but how to ensure a seamless experience when employees engage in virtual and hybrid meetings on the network, regardless of their location or role,” he said.

For our next question, the vast majority of respondents indicated that ease of use of AV systems is extremely important in a corporate setting.

Executive Vice President of Pearl Technology Jeremy Caldera said that ease of use is essential in a corporate environment due to the varying levels of end user experience. When integrating for a corporate setting, Caldera said he uses on reliable brands with minimal gear to improve ease of use.

Snook also commented on what factors go into ease of use, such as a user-friendly and intuitive interface that doesn’t require extensive training, as well as seamless integration with a corporation’s existing IT framework.

In our final question, we asked you all what features are most important in a videoconferencing system, with 46.3% of respondents indicating that an easy-to use interface is most important.

Caldera was unsurprised by the results of this question, given that users expect features like HD quality and advanced audio features out of all videoconferencing systems.

Smith also argued that ease of use is imperative to meetings, as it lets users focus on the content of the meeting without getting distracted by a confusing interface.