Interested in the world of large-scale, enterprise integration projects? We’ve spoken to three integrators who’ve handled jobs of this size and asked them to share the issues they’ve faced — and any advice they had to offer. In part two of this two-part series, we talk about working with IT departments, service contracts, the impact of the pandemic, and several other topics.
Our Q&A features:
Kris Mosser, Project Manager, Spinitar
Brandon Sorensen, Vice-President of Sales (West), Rahi
Ryan Blair, CTS-D, CTS-I, Lead AV Designer, IES Communications
What challenges are presented when coordinating with large IT departments?
Kris Mosser, Spinitar: One of the biggest challenges when dealing with large IT departments I’ve encountered is that AV seems to be a four-letter word, and the initial reaction is to say no. Having those important discussions with new partners such as the IT department about why this new networked AV technology is important to the organization and beneficial to end users can be difficult but necessary.
Ryan Blair, IES Communication: As an external resource, large IT departments don't always prioritize vendor needs, and it can be challenging to set aside time with them. Also, network and switch changes made by large IT departments that affect our systems are rarely reported to us during or after integrations.
Brandon Sorensen, Rahi: For every large enterprise out there, there are equal amounts of approaches to networking. Each enterprise we coordinate with presents unique constraints on how they want to handle security, port allocation, vLans, and differing appetites for the AV gear living on their network.
What special requests or unique challenges have clients presented you for these big projects?
Blair: A typical challenge is a project that the customer has not fully designed (or needs design help with) but doesn't spend the necessary time planning the details. We combat this by engaging on the front end of these large-scale projects to establish our ownership and collaboration with the stakeholders.
Are there any issues you’ve encountered with differing state (or country, if applicable) regulations, if any applied to the work?
Sorensen: Many states and most countries have their own unique set of requirements for construction and/or deployments. We have found that it’s extremely important to leverage a local partner who understands their local regulations if we do not have a presence in that region.
Mosser: Working in foreign countries and dealing with the complexities of their tax codes has been a learning experience. For example, we’ve completed a project for one of our customers in Ireland in late 2021, but we’re still waiting on the VAT and RCT tax rebates claims to be dispersed before the project can officially close. Managing cash flows and exchange rate fluctuations adds another layer of complexity to large-scale AV projects in foreign countries that take much longer to close than normal.
Blair: Yes. Construction permitting regulations, tax laws, and union regulations vary from state to state, so we must stay mindful of that.
What kind of service contracts accompany these projects; do you offer tiers of service? How’s that handled? How does a product such as the XiO Cloud® platform help in this regard?
Mosser: Yes, we do — typically we offer three levels of an SLA for our local projects, and through our use of the PSNI Global Alliance, we can extend those same level of services as our customers have come to expect on local projects.
Blair: IES recognizes that “Day Two Support” can look differently for different customers. That is why we provide completely flexible and customized SLAs and maintenance agreements with three tiers of service. XiO Cloud helps in execution.
Sorensen: Service contracts are extremely important for both the client and the integrator. With large-scale deployments, you typically have multiple technologies you are implementing within your client's environment. Most clients are not proficient in all these technologies. With a service contract in place, it allows proper support of these technologies in a timely manner. This ensures the client's needs are met and allows the service provider to build a proper support model for each client. XiO Cloud platform helps us accomplish this by allowing us to monitor all Crestron devices living on the network.
Have you taken on any enterprise projects post-pandemic? Do they differ from the “before times,” and how? How has the expansion of remote work affected these projects?
Sorensen: We experimented with different approaches to AV during the pandemic to accommodate current thinking in the office workplace. Temperature scanners, touch-less meeting controls, motion detection, and so on. Most have turned into novelty features as the focus on these types of preventative measures has diminished. Our technology and system deployment currently resembles something closer to what we were delivering pre-pandemic — that is, aside from supply plan design pivots.
Mosser: We’ve taken on several post-pandemic projects and the trend we’re seeing is seemingly every room must have remote conference abilities. I’ve noticed a trend to add the ability to have BYOD being platform agnostic to allow for a variety of users. For example, instead of having only a Zoom Rooms platform, we’re seeing the need to just extend USBs for cameras and microphones to allow end users to run the conferencing software of their choice.
Blair: As we continue to take on new projects, our approach to the demands of a post-pandemic workplace has somewhat shifted due to the increased reliance on remote interaction. Although remote communication is something we are very familiar with, the expansion of remote work has made it a new standard for many companies. One silver lining of the pandemic is that most people have become comfortable using online conferencing platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom Rooms. For some projects, this can even eliminate the need for conference rooms. As our customers adapt to a hybrid workplace, IES will provide solutions that fit their specific needs.
How do you ensure these installations are “future-ready” for upgrades or obsolescence?
Mosser: With IP-based solutions, it’s easy to add on additional encoders and decoders to meet customer needs for more inputs or outputs. In cases where IP-based solutions aren’t possible (like upgrading a legacy room where they don’t want to do a major redesign) we try and engineer solutions with extra inputs and outputs to meet future needs. It’s almost a certainty in today’s world that as soon as a room is in operation, end users are going to ask for additional monitors, extra laptop inputs, or a second camera. Having a design that anticipates and accommodates those requests in key to building trust with your clients to show you understand their needs.
Sorensen: We accomplish this by working with the client to understand their future roadmap for growth. By better understanding their business model and the direction they are heading, we can provide proper solutions that will support that growth and allow them to scale more effectively.
Blair: We make sure standards-based equipment is specified whenever possible to promote ease of interoperability. AV systems will continue to be compliant with IEEE and AES standards.
What Crestron products have been especially helpful in the sale or installation of these projects; which adapt well to scaling up?
Blair: Crestron products that support AES67 have been beneficial in sales installation and adapt well to scaling up.
Sorensen: Crestron XiO cloud platform has been instrumental in supporting large deployments of UC-Flex products. The ability to pre-commission through our pre-deployment division has allowed us to scale customer installations globally by defining items such as firmware, provisioning, and room information before shipping the product to site.
Mosser: One of our “go-tos” has been the DM NVX product line. These are products that are easy to scale and offer great flexibility in their application.
What advice would you give an integrator looking to expand into the enterprise market?
Mosser: Build that relationship with the IT department early. I’ve accomplished this by not just throwing requirements at them and calling it a day. Discuss why you’re asking for additional ports, firewall rule changes, or whatever the case might be. Try and foster the relationship of cooperation early and it will pay dividends later.
Sorensen: Slow down and listen. Often we are so eager to land a large project or client that we miss the bigger picture. By slowing down and understanding your client, as well as their clients, we are able to see the bigger picture and increase our value as we figure out ways to align with their strategy and growth.
Did you miss Part One? Find it here.