We focus a lot on the advantages AVB will bring to our integration partners: streamlining the deployment process, eliminating hundreds of feet of wires, simplifying complicated network design issues, etc. But often overlooked is what I consider a “game-changing” aspect of AVB — IT professionals will embrace it. And that fact will secure meetings and win business for all of us.

Why are we confident IT professionals will accept AVB more readily than other AV network protocols? Here are five important reasons:

  1. IEEE standard. AVB was developed by the prominent task group that brought us the IEEE 802 standards for wireless networking. IT types — from department heads to network engineers to help-desk workers — recognize and value IEEE standards. The influence of and respect for IEEE cannot be stated enough. The organization has over 400,000 members in 160 countries. It publishes 8 of the top 10 journals in Telecommunications and 6 of the top 10 journals in Computer Science, Hardware & Architecture, among many others.
  2. Open standard. AVB is an open standard, which means any device manufacturer can include AVB technology in their product. IT professionals inherently understand that IEEE = open standard and that open standard = interoperability. Interoperability is critical to IT personnel because it allows choice, better pricing, and of course reduced support costs. For example, Gartner found that introducing a second networking vendor into an enterprise infrastructure will reduce total cost of ownership for most organizations by at least 15% to 25% over five years. Closed, proprietary solutions are a thing of the past.
  3. Future proof. Because there is a standards body dedicated to maintaining and improving the AVB standard, interoperability is ensured now and in the future. With “cost reduction” landing in the top 10 list of CIO priorities, no IT department will invest in solutions they will need to “rip and replace” in a couple of years.
  4. Easy to manage. Audio visual systems, particularly in large-scale installations, can be extremely complex. When the devices in a system can be standardized on AVB, it takes uncertainty out of the equation and minimizes complexity — both in installation and management. Devices interact and function as expected. IT professionals do not embrace solutions with complexity and uncertainty.
  5. Technically sound. The AVB standards were developed collaboratively with input from representatives from the consumer electronics, technology, professional AV, and automotive industries. It also has the backing of well-recognized IT providers, including Cisco, Broadcom, and Intel. It is this collaboration that makes the AVB standards more technically valuable than proprietary technologies.

Today, the AVB standards are new and not widely known in IT circles. Our opportunity is to evangelize the benefits and features that matter most to IT professionals. By introducing this technology, we secure our place as a trusted advisor who brings solutions of value to our customers. The IT professional will get it and what he will say more often than not is, “Why hasn’t anyone told me about this before?”