News in the Channel - issue #38

AV/IT NETWORK INTEGRATION

experts rather than equipment suppliers. MSPs also bring mature IT processes, security frameworks and SLA-driven operations to AV environments. This positions them to manage AV as a business-critical service, not just a room- based deployment. Managing the converged network Customers increasingly expect a ‘single pane of glass’ for monitoring across AV and IT domains. Channel partners are well positioned to provide this by integrating AV management tools with broader network and security platforms, and by offering remote monitoring or managed services that bridge traditional departmental silos. Logical isolation combined with controlled routing allows AV networks to interact safely with enterprise services while maintaining the predictability that media requires. Out-of-band management can add further stability and reduce support risk. All these capabilities can feed into recurring support agreements, managed AV/IT network offerings, or proactive service models that strengthen partner– customer relationships. Collaboration as important as technology While tools and platforms matter, the most successful convergence deployments share another trait: strong collaboration between AV and IT stakeholders. Integrators and MSPs play a vital role in facilitating that conversation, aligning expectations, validating performance and ensuring operational responsibilities are clearly defined before go-live. For the channel, convergence is not just an engineering challenge. It is an opportunity to help customers deliver better hybrid collaboration, consistent user experiences, reduce support complexity and build more resilient digital workplaces, while opening the door to long-term service-driven revenue. n

⏰ Traffic predictability: AV environments are static and deterministic; IT networks are dynamic and bursty. When combined without planning, these contrasting behaviours generate instability. Another common pain point – and service opportunity – is multicast management. Most AV-over-IP platforms rely on multicast for efficient distribution, yet many IT-centred switching environments lack proper IGMP snooping or querier configuration. The result is unrestrained multicast flooding, unexplained packet loss, or degraded performance across unrelated network segments. Channel partners that master multicast design and troubleshooting gain a strategic edge, as these issues often create friction between customer AV and IT teams. Designing converged environments for reliability To unlock the benefits of convergence, MSPs and integrators must design with AV’s requirements in mind. Key considerations include: 🔮 Non-blocking switch fabrics that can sustain high-bandwidth flows without introducing bottlenecks 🔮 Proper multicast configuration, including IGMP snooping, querier placement and VLAN scoping 🔮 Precision time synchronisation, ensuring PTP stability across the media transport environment 🔮 Q oS policies tailored to real-time media rather than traditional IT workloads 🔮 Logical segmentation, typically using VLANs or Layer 3 boundaries, to balance predictability with enterprise integration 🔮 C lear change control, ensuring IT-driven network adjustments don’t inadvertently destabilise live AV systems. Channel partners that formalise these design principles – and communicate them effectively to customer IT teams – position themselves as convergence

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While tools and platforms matter, the most successful

convergence deployments share another trait: strong collaboration between AV and IT stakeholders.

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