AV as a Service For Higher Ed

The Latest Buzzphrase

We’ve all now heard of AV as a Service – it’s the latest buzzphrase being kicked around social media and discussed in team meetings in our small conference rooms – sorry, “Huddle Spaces”.  AVaaS shows promise in corporate markets, and potentially allows integrators to expand their business and remain relevant in an increasingly Amazon’d world of one-stop shopping.

What is it and Why Would I Want it?

The potential of an improved User Experience is attractive. Standards, predictable quality, AV in the cloud support and remote management, smaller in house dedicated staff, a customized, personalized and contractual level of support. One monthly fee provides a total solution. 

AVaaS can allow for better cost control, with predictable and scheduled costs, guaranteed availability and support, and scheduled upgrades before hardware becomes unreliable and obsolete. Videoconferencing support with managed networks and scheduling can improve collaboration and communication. A smaller operation could benefit from the shared enterprise level support for these systems and services offered by the integrator or provider.

But What About Higher Ed?

Here’s an issue – Budgets in a State Higher Ed institution often consist of one-time infusions of money to upgrade aging systems or build new rooms. Ongoing funds to pay for a monthly service are difficult to procure. Sometimes a system is upgraded with one-time money, and the old not-quite-dead parts are saved and reused, Frankenstein style, for incremental repairs and upgrades of other rooms. At an AG school such as ours, I can attest these repairs are in the best rural hand-me-down tradition and may occasionally involve liberal applications of baling wire. 

When money becomes available, purchasing rules must be followed. State purchases are lowest bidder, unless a persuasive and documented justification is made and approved. This works well when you’re buying a dongle from Amazon, or a pallet load of black boxes. It may not work so well if you are purchasing a service. My purchasing criteria for AVaaS would certainly include Quality, Fast Response, and Low Cost. As the adage goes, I can choose any two. 

Finally, what happens in the next budget cycle when it’s time to renew the AVaaS contract and budgets must be trimmed by 25%? Time to choose a quarter of my rooms that can function without any AV for the next year or more, or go with drastically reduced support. In our traditional model, budget cuts mean rooms simply operate longer between upgrades.

Wait. We’re already doing AVaaS

It’s easy to throw custard pies at the concept of AVaaS in Higher Ed for all the reasons I’ve mentioned, but a quick look at our operation shows we actually already follow an AVaaS model in our operation. Our AV department is the integrator and service provider, we simply have the advantage of being a non-profit entity. We and our institutional partners provide managed networks, enterprise videoconferencing with central scheduling and remote monitoring and management, high availability systems, standard designs and UI, and equipment purchased by one entity and installed across the institution. Scheduled upgrades keep us current as budgets permit, systems are installed and used by all departments across the institution without additional charge. Sounds a bit like a lease arrangement. 

On the service side, we have a 14/6 helpdesk with onsite support with response 10 minutes or less to every room. We have low cost labor, with those of us who are full time exempt employees working weekends and holiday breaks for one fixed labor cost when the room schedules require it, and part time students working at fast food wages provide on site tier one support.

So AVaaS for Higher Ed, sure. Our own in house private integrator/service entity seems to be how we can implement and afford AV as a Service, and will be the plan at least for now.