Commercial Integrator August 2021 - 14

AV AS A BUSINESS
Education Integrators Hit a Pivot Point
Tremendous strains on both K-12 and higher education customers have dramatically altered demands
and require education market integrators to re-evaluate their offerings. by Tom LeBlanc
FIRST THE OBVIOUS: There is no question
that the work of an integrator that serves
K-12 or higher education customers has
always been critical. Integrators that serve
education markets can be proud of the
impact they have on students, teachers,
communities, and society. Whether an
integration firm provides AV or distance
learning solutions to improve learning
environments; unified communications
and collaboration (UCC) solutions to enhance
faculty's working spaces; or security
and life safety technologies, integrators
provide benefits to students, teachers and
our education system.
However, it's time for education market
integrators to pivot. Educators and integrators
alike have seen a lot over the past yearand-a-half
-- and it hasn't been pretty. In
the post-pandemic market, the value that
an integrator can provide to both K-12 and
higher education customers will evolve.
Integrators should challenge themselves:
› How can integrators help K-12 customers
leverage remote classroom technologies
to create a stronger and safer
learning environment for all students?
› How can higher education integrators
Maybe the " next big thing " is seizing the opportunity now to turn the classroom
into a better hybrid learning environment.
K-12 at a Pivot Point
It's only natural that the disruption that
happened over the past year and a half
would cause K-12 customers to rethink
their priorities - and it's clear that they
have. For instance, schools now know how
important really strong broadband in the
classroom is. They needed it to facilitate
Integrators are tasked with improving the in-person
learning environment to the point where it's obviously
better than distance learning - and they're also charged
with improving distance learning to the point where students
see that as a great value. That's not an easy spot.
help universities not only enhance
distance learning but compel students
to want to be on campus and in classrooms?
›
How can integrators help keep pace
with safety concerns, noting that
COVID or at least viral concerns play a
much bigger role in that now?
Education integrators are at a pivot
point from a technology demand standpoint
- but also in terms of the escalating
value they can offer their customers.
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Commercial Integrator AUGUST 2021
streaming lessons to remote students.
The challenge for integrators - now that
stronger broadband is there, how will
you leverage that? What are you capable
of providing to enable better teaching
and learning tools? This is an opportunity
to recognize what the next big things
for classrooms are. Remember when the
smartboard was the next big thing? That
turned out to be a good decision.
NSCA asked integrator members what
they're seeing in terms of demand from
K-12 schools. Many K-12 integrators are
seeing schools finally make classroom
audio a priority. They're seeing both new
builds and retooled classrooms focusing
on not just classroom audio but on digital
audio for bells, clocks and paging systems.
It's impossible to overstate how big of
a priority school security is. NSCA highly
recommends that every integrator involved
in the education market learn about the
Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS)
program, which provides tiered security
recommendations and allows integrators
to assume a stronger consultative role with
education customers.
Beyond physical security, cybersecurity
is an intensifying priority. That should open
up a can of worms for every integrator that
works for K-12 customers. Does your team
have the right cybersecurity training and
Own Your Pivot Point!
Join NSCA at Pivot to Profit,
September 21-22 in Atlanta,
the most important business
transformation event of 2021.
Visit NSCA.org/p2p.
commercialintegrator.com
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Commercial Integrator August 2021

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