Zones, a global provider of IT solutions and managed services, has announced its official entry into the professional audiovisual (ProAV) industry. The expansion, revealed during the Zones Customer Connect tech experience held at the Porsche Center in Atlanta, signals a major step in aligning AV technologies with Zones’ established IT infrastructure and lifecycle services.

“There’s never been a better time for Zones to expand into ProAV,” said Doug Eckrote, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Zones. “AV technology is networked, software-driven, and cloud-enabled, making it a strategic extension of our IT solutions portfolio. Our customers no longer want to manage AV and IT separately; they want a trusted partner who can integrate both seamlessly.”

Zones plans to begin its ProAV operations with a focus on the retail and quick service restaurant (QSR) sectors—markets where it already has deep expertise and long-standing client relationships. The company has identified four initial launch regions: Southern California, Dallas, Cincinnati and Atlanta. A dedicated ProAV category manager has been appointed to lead the initiative.

“Retail and QSR chains are facing real challenges, such as dated signage, inconsistent branding and the lack of connected customer experiences,” Eckrote said. “Zones can alleviate these pain points with turnkey digital signage, 24×7 monitoring, content management and support services. We bring together certified specialists and top technology, logistics and lifecycle management, all under one unified platform.”

Eckrote added that Zones’ vertical specialization allows it to scale quickly while maintaining quality and consistency. “Our ability to understand the needs of these sectors enables us to deliver results with the scale and speed our customers demand,” he said. “With operations in more than 150 countries and decades of experience, Zones offers global reach with localized execution.”

Zones’ expansion into ProAV complements its four core business practices: Cloud & Data Center, Digital Workplace, Networking and Security. The company’s end-to-end lifecycle approach—covering planning, deployment, management and optimization—is designed to support enterprises looking to converge IT and AV under a single service model.

Zones Customer Connect, the event where the announcement was made, serves as the company’s annual platform for showcasing emerging technologies and fostering collaboration among technology partners and clients.