AV and IT – Building different parts of the same sandcastle.
Director of Multimedia Services,
California Baptist University
It doesn’t feel like very long ago we were having the debate about where audiovisual equipment fell in with the IT world. And not long before that, the debate didn’t even exist. I got into the AV world with a background in audio engineering, and sure we used computers and digital consoles, but none of it felt “IT.” Today, I can’t imagine purchasing any audiovisual equipment without also considering how it will work within the network.
In this article, we won’t concern ourselves with whether AV is IT or IT is AV (I’m sure you’ll find some of that in this here digital magazine though). Don’t get me wrong, there’s room for that discussion and thought experiment. With the right people involved, it’s a good “grab some popcorn and watch the show” type of discussion.
I’m more concerned about what we do know. I know that any AV install is going on the network. I know that when I add anything, I’m checking out the network requirements as much as the audio frequency or image specs. Quite frankly, it’s something I never thought I’d be caring about. I know that White Papers are critical, and I distribute them freely to anyone who might be remotely involved or affected, whether they like it or not.
And I know that I can no longer just plug something in without affecting someone else, somewhere, even if it’s just another thing on their network.
Maybe you’re a one-person shop and you do all things AV and IT. For most of us, there’s some sort of dividing line. I deal with hardware and in-class AV mostly but am under the IT umbrella. I know that delivering the AV standards required of my team by the professors and students will be at the mercy of IT infrastructure. I may have the best sports car in the world, but it’s useless on a destroyed highway.
The cliché gets thrown out a lot that AV and IT have to play well in the sandbox together. I think that is not the case anymore. AV and IT don’t just need to play well, they need to acknowledge that they’re building the same sandcastle. Maybe it’s different parts of the sandcastle, and sometimes the parts won’t affect each other, but often one wall will affect the wall on the opposite side, and making sure the IT team knows what’s coming will keep the castle up.
Here are a few tools I use to make sure the communication flows (and yes, a couple of these are on sticky notes on my monitor):
Get IT players in AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE – When a project is just starting to be considered, I like to tell people “tell me what you know when you know it.” Getting in early can be the difference between making something happen or not. The same is true for the IT team.
Give information to everyone who may remotely be affected, and continue until they ask you to stop – Some people will disagree with this tactic and treat things on a more “need to know” type of
basis, which is great for secrets, but not for AV projects. Use that CC, make that phone call, and communicate until you’re told they don’t need to be involved.
Respect their concerns – This can be tough, especially when hesitancy will curb enthusiasm. Consider this an opportunity to learn your device/project better to the point of being able to justify it to your IT team.
Take the hit when you mess it up – Being defensive is pretty natural, especially when it comes to your own equipment. Letting affected parties know right away when something wasn’t protected on the network, messed with traffic, or just generally got in the way. Admitting when you find it will make it a lot easier to troubleshoot than someone else finding it later. And admitting a mistake can help gain respect for future projects.
Don’t surprise IT – This goes back to general communication, but don’t let IT discover new devices or network changes on their own. Make sure they know when it’s gonna happen, that it’s happening and that it happened.
Is AV IT? Is IT AV? I don’t know. Is it ok to say I don’t care? I do know I’ve learned that language due to the fact that more and more AV equipment is written in it. We need to make sure that as we do our part of building the best sandcastle that we’re not ruining someone else’s portion of it.
Craig Shibley
Director of Multimedia Services | California Baptist University
Craig Shibley has been in the AV industry for twenty years, and in higher education for ten. He currently serves as the Director of Multimedia Services for California Baptist University in Riverside, CA. Craig is a HETMA steering committee member and the founder of CheckMyAV.com, an all-in-one AV testing resource and blog. He holds an MBA from California Baptist University and CTS certification from AVIXA. Connect with Craig on Twitter!
ABOUT HETMA
HETMA is an advocacy organization focused on the higher education AV industry. The goal of HETMA is to raise awareness of technology issues unique to the higher education community by communicating with manufacturers, vendors, and higher education administrators on the needs and challenges that technology managers face. HETMA is also dedicated to providing educational and networking opportunities to our members so that we can empower and grow our influence as an industry.
Connect with HETMA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Learn more and become a member free at https://www.hetma.org.