What is in the VALUE SWEET SPOT in converged AV and IT?

What is really the return when you combine AV and IT?  To answer this question you have to better define what AV and IT convergence is.  AV and IT convergence is when AV and IT can be deployed where collaboration, control (ease of use), connectivity, conferencing and sending content can all be enhanced by integrating both leveraging the features and benefits of both AV and IT.  The convergence part of the definition is key.  The convergence means that these technologies coexist and enhance one another.  In my definition convergence is not when AV is taken to the IT side, but is running on a separate physical network.  At that point, you are merely having AV leverage the value of IT.  In a truly converged application the two completely coexist and are fully integrated.  As I stated a couple of weeks ago, using HDBaseT as the last mile for extension is one thing, but further integrating it to leverage the IP capabilities to control devices and use all that HDBaseT has to offer to fully integrate AV and IT is true convergence. If you are using HDBaseT and IP Based video and audio together all the better.  It can be done with some engineering prowess and forethought.

The results of completely converged AV and IT systems address the pains that every customer has. These pains are addressed through an incredible series of interrelated key points. The major interrelated points really have little to do with AV or IT:

·        The first two points are when the MESSAGE and the MISSION are completely aligned.

·        The next two points are where the intersection of importance of the MESSAGE is shared between PEOPLE who have the message and the people they want to share it with.

The following points show how AV/IT converged systems can take the major interrelated points and drive them forward:

·        The next two points are when the TECHNOLOGY can enhance the PHYSICAL SPACE to increase the productivity of the user to best match the application and usage needs .

·        The technologically enhanced PHYSICAL SPACE can enhance and impact how MESSAGE is shared and relayed.

At which point the TECHNOLOGY enhances the PHYSICAL SPACE to drive the MESSAGE, MISSION and PEOPLE.  (Check out the Infographic at http://www.slideshare.net/mkopsho/avit-math to get a better understanding of the 5 equations that show the complete interrelationships in converged AV and IT solutions.)

The overall message is that as an integrator or anyone working in the AV/IT industry we are in a unique position.  For the first time in a long time, there is an industry that there is a solution that transcends all of these:

·        PHYSICAL SPACE

·        MESSAGE

·        PEOPLE

·        TECHNOLOGY

·        MISSION

In working in converged AV/IT we have an opportunity to improve and drive our customer’s organizational character by helping to propel their mission.  Converged AV/IT helps people to better get their message across and to truly connect on many levels.  When we converge AV and IT, we can impact the heart and spirit of an organization.  We can help our customers to be more productive, more profitable and to help people better connect and collaborate.  It’s simple math.  You have to love AV/IT.  I know I do.

Why So Many Certifications? - It’s all about the Bas(s) - The (BAS)ICS) that is!

I often refer to myself as a certification junkie. The truth of the matter is I am an education and learning junkie. I love to learn and all of the certifications are a side effect of that wonderful disease. That addiction to lifelong learning is probably why I teach. In teaching, I learn more than I could ever teach. Yes, I said it, teaching is a selfish business for me. When I teach I get much more than I give. When I am in the front of a class and when I am facilitating the class properly, I learn so much more than I could ever teach. Look at it this way, if I have a room of 25 students and the average experience of the student is 10 years then the collective student experience is 250 years. Compared to my 27 years of experience, I am the weak link in the class. My job is to draw out the unique experience from each of these students and make their experience, knowledge and skill part of the collective. During this process, I can’t help but learn. Of course, I develop an follow curriculum that works toward a learning and/or performance goal and share information that I have gathered from classes and experience that I have, but I can guarantee that the information transfer goes both ways. This is definitely a win-win situation.

So, the question are, why do I have so many certification? Is there value to these certifications? Can there be value in such a broad range of such certifications? To answer these questions I would put together some rules for certifications and education goals for technologist and sales engineers in AV/IT:

• Begin with the end in mind - (one of my favorite quotes and based on seven habits of highly effective people – Stephen Covey) – What is the end game? Is there a promotion, target job, target company, target degree or similar goal that a certification or education path will lead you to.
• Determine the disciplines that you want to follow – Technical, Project Management, Design, etc – or do you want to head towards multiple disciplines and be a renaissance man (or woman) –this was my goal and why I took so many certifications, my goal was to be multi-disciplined and be as much like Leonardo Da Vinci as possible (read more about this at my site for my book (www.davincisales.com).
• Set a plan – The concept here is to ask yourself, how do you eat an elephant?...One bite at a time. Don’t try to do it all at once. If someone told me I had to have all of these certifications, I would have said that would be impossible, but I took it all in small bites.
• Use all of the resources available to you and barter where you can - you have some skills and knowledge you can trade. Do it. Someone out there needs to know what you know and they have what you need. Share. I have lived my educational life based on that core belief and that is why I teach and learn to this day. The number one reason that I am by any means successful at what I do (teaching wise) is because I believe in what I do. It is about sharing. Do it!
• Stop Procrastinating - Take the test or class– so what if you fail? Failing is learning. I will not say if or how many times I have failed certification test…YES I WILL. I HAVE! And I still have my certifications. Failing can be a study method. If you take and fail a test, you have then seen the test and can better study for the test to take it again and pass.
• Enjoy your win – celebrate and brag and help others win to – that is part of sharing too.
• Keep going – don’t lose your certs. It doesn’t say much when you put on a resume’ r discuss how you used to have a CTS or whatever certification. As a hiring manager, I put very little weight in expired certifications. Keep them renewed. Some of the certifications I have are just to keep other certifications renewed. Sometimes it is a vicious circle, but it is a fun one.

I know I talk a lot about certifications in the blog, but in this blog if you replace the word certification with classes or education or other synonym for learning, it would all hold true. The certifications I currently have could not have been achieved without learning and that is what it is all about. That is why I believe certifications is all about the BASS. ALL ABOUT THE BASICS that is. EDUCATION and LEARNING is the most basic aspect of certifications and I have never encountered an instance where education and learning is not a good thing.

By the way, I guess I should actually answer those original questions about why I went and got so many certifications:

• Q. Why do I have so many certification? 
• A. With the goal of lifelong learning I can’t help but constantly set my own goals for some form of a metrics to make sure that I can prove to myself that I am constantly learning. My certifications are confirmation to myself that I am constantly learning.
• Q. Is there value to these certifications? 
• A. Absolutely – I have received promotions and new jobs that relate directly to some of my certifications. They also help with credibility with some of the customers I deal with.
•  Q. Can there be value in such a broad range of such certifications? 
•  A. This was one of my goals. I wanted to target having a very broad range of technical and business certifications. This also helps with dealing with customers in business and with helping to relate the technology and the business needs.

In business, in home life and in life in general, education is one of the greatest freedoms one can have and this weekend most of all we can celebrate the freedom of education.

Max Kopsho
CTS-I/D, CCENT, CCNA R&S and Security, PMP, CQT, CompTIA Network+ and CTT+
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

and a few more, but they stopped fitting on the business card...

More Than a Bridge – HDBaseT and IP - Not a Bridge and Not Competing

HDBaseT Technology is often referred to as a bridge between traditional AV and IP based AV.  This bridging reference is often used when people are comparing HDBaseT to IP encoders and decoders that are often used for audio and video transport over campus and metropolitan area networks.  

When I hear this comparison being made the term “apples and oranges” comes to mind.   This comparison makes almost no sense to me.  These technologies are not mutually exclusive and are not competitive and are quite to the contrary, the opposite is true.  These technologies actually complement each other.  Comparing these technologies is like comparing wired and wireless Ethernet.  I say this because wireless has applications and wired has a completely different set of applications as well and we typically do not need to compare or make it sound as if these technologies compete.  The two technologies work together in well designed and well architected systems for a world of incredible possibilities (secure government facility considerations aside).

I believe this type of bridge reference extends beyond just the scope of comparing the HDBaseT versus IP Video.  Here is why I think that: I am not sure why, but I often get the feeling that the AV industry tends to look at many situations with an EITHER/OR mindset.  My examples for such an observation are as follows: we live in a world that we view as it having to be Crestron or AMX for control, Extron or Crestron for distribution, HDMI or DVI for digital signal, and then as I already stated IP or HDBaseT for distance, add in JBL or QSC for line arrays and the list goes on and on.   But now, I think the recent acquisition of SVSi by Harman and the subcategorization of the SVSi brand within AMX shows us that HDBaseT and IP Video (and Audio) will truly coexist in solutions, branding and channel sales/solutions. And maybe, just maybe we can look at many other categories in that same light.

THE CHALLENGE: expand your approach to design and solutions providing to include “the last mile” and interface connections with HDBaseT and IP Video for enterprise solutions to leveraging all that networking has to offer at Local, LAN and WAN levels.  Each of these technologies has their benefits and their pitfalls.  It is up to the solutions provider to apply the right technology, to weigh all of the pros and cons and give their customers the best solution for the application at hand.  Heck, don’t take my word for it, I am just a manufacturer – you are the solutions provider.

Lessons from Marvel’s AVengers for the AV Industry

Tony Stark - Iron Man

Technology can make or break you.  We learn that Tony Stark can invent anything and often invents things just because he can.  Similarly, in the AV industry we implement technology for technology’s sake.  From the comics and movies we learn that if we implement technology without fully researching it and without finding out the purpose behind the tech we end up in trouble.  If we implement technology without researching the problems that it will solve then we are doomed to fighting the technology later.  Eventually, Tony Stark (Iron Man) fights against some form of his technology (or at least in 3 of his movies and hints of it in the upcoming Avengers movie). In AV we find that when we implement new or unproven technology we end up fighting against it later.  Think back to when you implemented a “leading edge” technology and you were left hanging in the field because the product didn’t support a feature you believed it supported.  You might as well have been fighting against Ultron.  Sometimes, leaning on proven age-old technology is the best route.  “The old ways are the best ways.”

Captain Steve Rogers - Captain America

What makes Captain Rogers suitable to be Captain America?  Was it size and skill?  No.  He had heart and determination.  Our lesson for the AV industry is that the companies that stay true to their purpose and passion are the ones that stand the test of time.  I also have to say that the secondary lesson that Captain America has to teach us is the importance of “shield.”  When working in AV, the signals are much more susceptible to outside interference and shield(ing) is more important than in data.  There is a lot more checksums and error correction in data than in AV.  AV needs shield(ing) a lot more than data.  So whenever there is a doubt (like Captain America) use your “shield.”

Thor – Son of Oden – The Right Tool for the Right Job

Sure, Thor only has a hammer, but it is the right tool for the job.  In AV we can learn from Thor that we need the RIGHT tool for the job.  We often skimp on tools and test equipment to save a dime and often spend a dollar later.  Ask your technicians and project managers to document the time wasted because they don’t have “The Crusher” (the translated name for Thor’s Hammer).  You will be surprised to learn how much time and money you are wasting because you tried to save a dime in test equipment or fancy tools.  Thor’s lesson is an expensive hammer is sometimes worth its weight in gold.  As a side note, we could learn that one should expand their toolbox to include more than just a hammer.  When you only have a hammer every problem looks like a nail.  Thor addresses this problem by surrounding himself with team members that round out his tool collection (both on Asgard and when on Earth).

Bruce Banner - The Hulk – Might Means Right

When you have brute force behind you, how can you be wrong?  There are some instances when knowing you have the strength of an entire industry behind you, you just know that you can do anything.  From the Hulk, we can learn that the sheer size and strength of our industry is an attribute we often downplay.  We tend to ignore the fact that we are a huge industry of incredibly knowledgeable professionals.  If you look at the history of InfoComm® you learn that it dates back to before 1939 and that AV has been around much longer than that.  You also learn that there are over 10,000 CTS/CTS-I/CTS-D holders.  The AV industry is a Hulk of an industry and when directed properly, “Hulk, will smash!”  When we consider that we have added Unified Communications and Collaboration to our skill sets and that we have the strength of the likes of Cisco and Polycom behind us, we are clearly the big green giant in this fight.  Of course it helps that Bruce Banner is also the world’s leading scientific researcher in his field.  We should learn that when we are not our giant alter ego, we can still gain the respect of everyone around us by being the trusted advisor and knowledgeable guy in the room about our subject area of expertise.  So I guess there are two lessons to learn here; knowledge is power and power is power.

The Role of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The two overall messages we can learn from Marvel’s AVengers for the AV industry is the value of balance within the team and the need for good leadership.  As a team, the AVengers are unbeatable.  Each member has their strengths and weaknesses and the team plays builds on the strengths of each member and covers each other’s weaknesses.  The leadership that S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division) provides wraps the whole AVengers team together and allows each member to leverage their strengths while still working within the strategic plan of an overarching structure.  Even superheroes need purpose and direction that can only be provided by good leadership.  Once leadership sets the direction and establishes the environment of success, they need to get out of the way and let the true heroes do the work.

Stop Selling My Products

“Stop selling my products” – This would be my new tagline if I were to move back into sales.

This may sound like a stupid statement for a sales person to say but bear with me for a little bit.  I can think of a million resellers that can sell my products exactly the way I prescribe.  For example, If I sell videoconference systems, I believe that they would be sold and installed by many AV and IT resellers alike.  The end result with thousands of AV/IT resellers will be almost identical.  Once all of the problems with network provisioning and space planning are all worked out, the room usually ends up with a display or two at the head end of the room, a camera placed below above or even between the two screens, loudspeakers placed in the ceiling and microphones in the ceiling or on the table with a speakerphone.  Of course there are subtle variations to the deployment based on some of the accessories I can offer as a manufacturer to allow for some level of customization.  But, no one, almost no one, will offer a completely different solution.  So why would I tell you to “stop selling my product?” Let me answer that by asking you a question: what value are you adding when you integrate my products exactly the same way that I prescribe?  Are you doing anything I can’t do if I were to hire a sales force and integration team of my own? 

Once this off-the-shelf videoconference room is built, what are the common complaints that the users will have?

•           The local participants yell at the ceiling or the table when speaking to the remote participants instead of speaking naturally and looking into the camera
•           The users can’t share documents with the other end easily and naturally
•           The people on the far end cannot look around the room and look for reactions as they would if they were in the room
•           Desktop sharing and remote collaboration are not seamless with remote users
•           Local AV integration does not consider the remote users – there is no option for dual screen so that camera and content will be an option
•           Local whiteboarding is not included as part of the remote sharing features
•           True collaboration is not the overriding application
•           The room is not intuitive to use and people would rather travel

The list goes on.

My point here is that, as a sales person, I would prefer my product not be sold as off-the-shelf items that are simply put in rooms as-is.  I would rather a full needs analysis and program report/design phase be completed and my products be fully integrated in a completely unique way.  Here is an example: what if there were an integrator that designed a videoconferencing system that treated remote users as if they were “In-The-Room.”  In addition to the room videoconference system, this system could have a camera (or two – one for a full room scan/peripheral view and one for eye-to-eye contact), a microphone and an LCD screen built into a chair (or a few chairs) for remote participant(s).  In this integrated solution, the local user looks at the chair (now “occupied” by the remote user “John” and makes eye contact, speaks to him with a normal voice.  John can now even use the pan tilt and zoom to look at others and address them directly.  His chair can even swivel and tilt to show some of the same body language he is showing on his remote end.  You can even add a document camera that is mounted into the ceiling so that local room participants can slide documents across the table to John.  Heck, at this point much of the local system becomes a simple matter of AV switching, so sharing a whiteboard or other local content is just another camera.  If you add online collaboration capabilities similar to GoToMeeting or even free versions like TeamViewer or SplashTop then sharing the desktop and true collaboration are not foreign concepts.  The last and most important feature that most certainly needs to be integrated by an AV/IT integrator is the control aspect.  The control system is what will provide the ease of use and the user interface.  An integrator that does such a solutions based offering is the type of partner I would want as my customer/partner.  Of course, there are current robotic solutions on the market now that offer similar features.  But even if I don’t sell that robotic type of product, my hope is that you will integrate my products and build a better solution than the off-the-shelf one and that you will add your value to the equation. 

My hope as a sales person is that you will add value that I don’t have and that together we can meet end user needs that even the end user didn’t know that they had.  Together we should know how to connect my product features and functions to how they benefit the customer and address their pains.  If together we can identify explicit and implied needs we can complete this whole sales cycle instead of just pushing products.  If I, in turn, provide service and support that make your unique skills and knowledge shine and if I can help your deployment and service painless and profitable, then you will choose my products over my competitors.  My bottom line: “Stop selling my products and start truly integrating them.”  When this happens, we all win and the biggest winner is the end user.

Connecting and Volcanos – My Two AHA! Moments This Week

Another great week with a class of incredibly talented AV geeks getting their CTS credentials.  This was another unique class because it was for a manufacturer, so the depth of knowledge in projection and image quality was unparalleled.  I learned a lot from this team of professionals.  Along the way I learned some things I didn't expect to learn.

In a couple of late night conversations with a very high executive in the company I was training, I was asked some very pointed questions and statements.  These conversations ended up hitting me in the core of who I am and what I am doing.  In this few days’ worth of time, I ended up learning more about myself than years of therapy.  The highlight of what I learned has to do with Connecting and the Volcano.

Connecting – One of our late night conversations was more of a question and answer session.  The executive I was talking with wanted to learn more about me and the company he was working with.  So he asked me a lot of questions. The question that hit me the hardest and made me realize I was on the right track with grAVITation TECHnologies was when he asked “what is it that you are trying to do, are you trying to make these people understand and learn the CTS topics and pass the test or are you trying to help them learn more about the industry and best practices?”  I thought for a second and answered. “Neither. I am trying to connect with them.”  As those words came out of my mouth I realized why I do what I do.  Yes, I love to learn and I love to share my knowledge.  Yes, I love to teach and see people improve. But, above those things, I love to connect with people.  My satisfaction comes from people coming up to me years after a class and telling me how I changed their life or their approach to something and how something I said stuck with them.  I love the idea that when I spend time with people in any environment (classroom, office or on the road) that I get to connect and we SHARE information and grow TOGETHER.  By answering that seemingly simple question, I learned (or reminded myself) more than I had realized in a long while.

The Volcano – As our discussions went on, the executive I was talking to referred to me as a Volcano.  I took this as a compliment because I see volcanos as powerful.  I also liked this statement because the result of volcanos erupting can be beautiful; tropical islands and luscious and fruitful lands.  It wasn't until I got home and pondered what he was trying to tell me.  I now think that I learned a small bit of what he was trying to say (and I am sure there is much more to this).  I ended up contemplating on this a lot more and even doing some research.  I realized that this new friend was telling me that I have a balance of many talents and traits (like the volcano has all the elements: earth, wind, fire, water and air).  The challenge someone like me faces is that I can be forceful and dominant in letting go of these elements at times.  The result is not the island paradise I was hoping, but a wasteland and destruction.  The beautiful paradise takes a long time of rebuilding.  However, If I hold back and allow the forces to remain in balance and only release in small doses when the time is right and only when I need to show appropriate passion about key things, then people will get from me what they need and I will get what I need - connections.  If we continue to consider the actual volcano as the metaphor here, there are many beautiful cities that exist near active (although dormant) volcanos.  I believe this is because the inhabitants gain much more than they perceive the risk to be.  I learned that I may have the force of a volcano I must learn to control that force and remain dormant (and control the eruptions) so that I can provide a luscious and fruitful area around me. Otherwise, the volcano can destroy the environment. 

Who knows?  I could be completely off on what my new friend was trying to relay to me, but the good thing is, it doesn't really matter.  I took what I could from it and learned something and hopefully I will grow a little more because of the week I spent contemplating connections and volcanos.

My Incredible Week with the Industry’s Best and Brightest - USAV APEX

What did you do last week?  Did you take on a big and challenging project or find a new million dollar customer?  I still think I can top that.  I spent my week with some of the industry’s top integration firms’ and manufacturers’ best and brightest operating executives and next generation leaders.  Was there a secret InfoComm or NSCA meeting?  No.  I was at the USAV APEX Integrator’s Summit.  We spent the week in awesome seminars, group discussions, panel briefings, technology showcases and social events.  In this blog you will find some of the highlights from this great week.

THE PEOPLE:  First I want to share a little about the people I spent the week with.  I would like to do this from a different angle than usual.  So, here goes: I spent my week with some amazing people.  I spent dinner with an awesome proud father of a downs syndrome son.  This father was one of the most driven project/program managers I know and to learn that his home life is so challenged taught me more about how driven and caring this man is than I ever knew.  I sat at lunch with an inventor that holds 3 patents.  This same man was so intent on listening to what others had to say and so willing to learn from others you would have never known that he himself was one of the best instructors our industry has to offer.  I sat in a session and learned about new ways of thinking from the fashion industry (really, the fashion industry?) and I learned an awful lot from this session and this instructor was awesome (and as an instructor myself, you know I don’t say that very often).  At yet another dinner, I sat with someone who built their own video walls 15 years before ANY manufacturer ever build one.  I spent time with a couple of AV/IT firms that are well down the road of converging their AV and IT departments.  These companies confirmed for me that the investment in people and showing loyalty matters.  They care for their people and care how their people progress in life.  This investment pays off in dividends with returned loyalty and unmatched service to their customers.  I also spent time with a few family owned businesses and learned more and more about the passion that goes behind starting, owning and running a business of passion instead of profit.  From this group of people, I learned more about the passion in this industry than any big trade show or big stage keynote speaker could have ever taught me.  I was blessed to be with some of the industry’s most passionate people who were willing to share their knowledge and insights.

THE PROGRAMS:  During these meetings and training sessions we discussed the major programs and support that the USAV Group offers its members and how the members support each other.  This was another huge lesson for me.  The way this group leverages the collective knowledge and experience amazes me.  USAV as a whole is of one character.  The executives from the group have clearly gone through a painstaking process in selecting their group members, in that, every member is of a very similar character.  With this, the group as a whole emotes one collective message – we care and we share.  I learned from this group that there is such a thing as healthy competition.  By the nature of the business these businesses are competitive, but these particular companies have found a common ground where they can share information, methods and best practices for the betterment of each other and the industry.  With this collective mindset, they are able to share resources across the country and throughout North America.  The big lesson I learned here is that as a group these integrators are much stronger, smarter and more effective than if they were working separately.  I am proud that they allowed me to be part of their meeting and their group.

What a week.  My only complaint about the whole week was that although I did take third place in the bowling contest, I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a prize for overall bowling high score or fastest ball.  But, in all seriousness, I love learning and I love being in great company, so this was the perfect week.  Was this week better than completing a huge project or finding a million dollar customer?  You bet it was!!!