{"id":244,"date":"2017-01-24T01:37:16","date_gmt":"2017-01-24T01:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/systems\/?p=244"},"modified":"2017-01-24T19:43:55","modified_gmt":"2017-01-24T19:43:55","slug":"winter-is-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qsc.com\/systems\/fr\/2017\/01\/24\/winter-is-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"wInTer is Coming"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ll admit it\u2026 I\u2019m a bit late to the \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d (GoT) party. I hadn\u2019t seen a single episode before my trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia this year. During that trip, I learned that Dubrovnik was a key filming location for GoT and on a whim, decided to download the first few seasons to occupy the long plane ride home.<\/p>\n

At first glance, I thought I had the show figured out: One family seemed to be clear protagonists, while the other family occupied the throne while being the embodiment of evil. Easy enough, right?\u00a0 Wrong. The story quickly introduces dozens of different geopolitical subplots along with a gaggle of bizarre characters, all of whom believed they were rightful heirs to the throne.\u00a0 Halfway through the first season, the only thing clear in this convoluted story was that \u201cwinter was coming\u201d and I had NO IDEA what that meant!<\/p>\n

Too many characters, too many subplots, too much confusion, and everyone wants to be the king.\u00a0 Then it dawned on me that this scenario bears a striking resemblance to \u201cAV\/IT Convergence\u201d:\u00a0 too much noise, too much technical \u201cfud\u201d being spread around, not a lot of clarity on the vision of the industry\u2026 and everyone wants to be the king!\u00a0 How on earth did we get here \u2026?<\/p>\n

Recognizing Opportunity vs Disruption<\/strong><\/h4>\n

AV and IT departments used to be distinct functions within an organization but have since shifted towards a unified, IT-centric organization. CIO and IT departments around the world are being told that audio, video and control (AVC) are now under their care.\u00a0 However, most IT departments have no interest in fully understanding the nuances of AVC.\u00a0 Their main concerns are to simply find and deploy a standardized enterprise-wide AVC solution that will solve their collaboration woes and deliver business outcomes.<\/p>\n

The AV industry has a new customer in IT, one that is not interested in the \u201cpeculiarities\u201d presented by traditional AV solutions cobbled together from discreet components.\u00a0 We can view this as disruption, or quite possibly the greatest opportunity that we will see in our AV careers.<\/p>\n

\"timeline-final<\/a>History Lesson in AV and IT<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the dawn of the internet connected device, the pace of change in the IT industry shifted rapidly, setting the stage for the digital platform cycle. In an era where integration is paramount, software platforms have become the differentiator creating new applications and forms of value while many hardware based systems shifted to commoditization.\u00a0 IT is firmly in the era dominated by flexible and extensible software driven platforms and eco-systems.<\/p>\n

The AV industry took a similar trajectory.\u00a0 AV spent decades in a cycle dominated by analog signal processing, until companies like Peak Audio introduced digital signal processing and changed the way integrators thought about system design.\u00a0 In the last 24 months, we have seen a shift towards fully integrated AV&C, with manufacturers breaking their traditional molds and entering new spaces (ie. Crestron introducing audio products; Harman, Biamp and QSC entering the video markets).<\/p>\n

The astute observer will also notice that the \u201ccatch-up\u201d time between AV and IT cycles is accelerating.\u00a0 Where it used to take 10-15 years for the AV industry to catch-up with the accompanying IT cycle, it\u2019s now less than 4 years. The AV industry is entering a software dominated era that will be defined by the ability to come to develop truly flexible AVC ecosystems. Winter, with its IT influence, is certainly coming, and it is coming faster than we think.<\/p>\n

What Will wInTer Bring?<\/strong><\/h4>\n