Commercial Integrator January 2023 - 14

THE SERVICE DESK
MSPs and IT Professionals Assess AV Integration
Thought leaders from The ASCII Group evaluate AV integrators' readiness
to tackle network deployments, enterprise-grade cybersecurity standards and more.
FOR THIS MONTH'S " The Service Desk "
column, Commercial Integrator and its
organizational partner, The ASCII Group,
decided to do something a little bit diff erent.
Usually, this column features a longform
thought-leadership contribution from
a single member of The ASCII Group; this
time, however, we off er the perspective
and wisdom of fi ve thought leaders whose
fi rms are part of the organization. The ASCII
Group is the oldest and largest group
of independent IT solution providers, systems
integrators, MSPs and value-added
resellers. We asked some of the foremost
minds in the group for their thoughts on
areas of interest to commercial AV integrators
- namely, whether AV is transforming
into IT, how integrators and MSPs can
better leverage each other's strengths, and
whether AV integrators are ready to handle
enterprise-grade cybersecurity.
Below, we present comments on all
those from the following panelists: Paul
Parisi, president and founder, SaviorLabs;
Marc Bodner, senior director of business
development, American Technology
Services; Mike Bloomfi eld, president geek,
Tekie Geek; Stephen Switzer, president
and chief technical consultant, Switzer
Business Solutions, LLC; and Victor Salicetti,
president and CEO, AmericaVen.
If you want to add your voice to this
conversation, please email Dan Ferrisi,
editor-in-chief of Commercial Integrator, at
dan.ferrisi@emeraldx.com.
Commercial Integrator: Do you believe
that if AV integrators are not already IT
companies, they need to begin transforming
themselves into IT companies?
Why or why not?
PAUL PARISI: Possibly. Having personally
done both, they are very diff erent skill
sets. They're working with similar tools
and concepts, but, again, very diff erent.
It is not unlike the relationship between IT
companies and electricians. Electricians,
14
Not all AV companies necessarily have to become IT companies; however, all integrators
at least need IT-knowledgeable partners to integrate network-centric systems.
to date, have mostly focused on wiring
and related " projects. " I choose the word
" projects " deliberately; most electricians
and AV integrators do not constantly
revisit a site to manage their installations.
Electrical work is typically one and done -
that is, a project. Similarly for AV integrators
- again, one and done.
What homeowner or corporate user
wants to relearn a new AV system? None
that I have met. They want it to just work,
and, given the narrow scope of the solution
(AV focus), it doesn't make sense to constantly
change things. I do believe that both
electricians and AV integrators will need to
homogenize themselves through acquisition
of the other and acquisition of MSPs.
Remember that the MSP has a target-rich
environment, as security is top of mind. So,
it is going to be more challenging for an AV
integrator to acquire a well-executing MSP.
MARC BODNER: It cuts both ways.
They certainly need to become more IT
savvy and knowledgeable. It's debatable
whether they need to transform into an
IT company or develop the capabilities
to properly partner with IT companies,
support the needs of their partners and
clients, and provide the level of service
that IT companies require in their straCommercial
Integrator JANUARY 2023
tegic partners. What is not debatable is
convergence, and the MSPs, IT providers
and other ecosystem partners had better
be prepared for it.
MIKE BLOOMFIELD: Being an AV integrator
does not make you an IT company, just as
being an IT company does not make you an
AV integrator. Both have diff erent specialties
and expectations. However, it is possible,
with the right staff , leadership and determination,
to have a company that does both.
No, I do not think all AV integrators should
transform themselves into IT companies. For
many of the smaller companies, it makes
more sense to fi nd an IT provider you can
partner with that can handle the network
design, implementation and security.
STEPHEN SWITZER: Traditional AV integrators
tend to lack the competencies of designing
or adapting to an IT infrastructure,
and only the largest will be able to acquire
the skills needed to handle the ever-increasing
demands of migrating content delivery
to IP network transport. The smaller companies
will not tend to have the technical
prowess to handle it appropriately.
VICTOR SALICETTI: As a systems integrator,
we have two technical departments:
commercialintegrator.com
ALPHASPIRIT/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator January 2023

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