Voting is open until May 3, 2103, and we need your vote!

The AVTEQ Slimline Pedestal, introduced in June 2012, has a sleek, space-saving design with up to 3RU of vertical storage.  The pedestal is designed to accommodate the audiovisual components needed to support everything from a small collaborative workspace to a high-functioning teleconference boardroom. It is the sister to the Communications Pedestal, which took home the award in the same category in 2012.

Be sure to vote for AVTEQ’s Slimline Pedestal now through May 3 at https://nbmedia.wufoo.com/forms/2013-scninfocomm-installation-product-awards/.  You may vote as many times as you want, so please vote daily!

The winners will be revealed at a ceremony at InfoComm 2013 in Orlando, FL.

You can read the full press release here.

THANK YOU for your support!

Our customers were looking for a durable, affordable and mobile AV cart that could easily be moved from one location to the next for mobile presentations.  The RPS-200 is perfect for its mobility.  The casters make it easy to move around a room, or from one group to another, inside a company.  This makes sharing one AV solution – cart, monitor and computer – among multiple departments an affordable option for most companies.

Features of the RPS-200 include:

• Adjustable mounting bracket for displays from 32” up to 55”
• Adjusts in height from 61” up to 71”
• Integrated universal screen mounting system
• 3” casters, 2 with locks
• 100% Solid steel construction

Originally designed for the corporate environment, our resellers have recognized the cart’s value to other industries.  Our valued distributor, Visitec, and their reseller, AVI Systems, have sold multiple carts to their customers to solve their mobility issues.

The RPS-200 is being used in multiple telemedicine solutions within the health care industry.  Customers are purchasing multiple carts to solve their mobile presentation needs.  As the telemedicine industry continues to grow, the RPS-200 and our entire RPS and TMP product line will continue to be a part of the AV mobility solution.

We are often asked for tips on laying out a videoconference room, so we decided to reevaluate our own.  Here are a few of the things we wanted to change:

• Add our logo to the back wall facing the videoconferencing camera
• Add some color to the room
• Hide the cables and cords running from the videoconferencing equipment to the conference table

It’s important to consider what others see when they are looking at you and your conference room during a videoconference.  We took advantage of our back wall and added the AVTEQ logo.  Our logo is now clearly visible during all of our calls.

The room was also rather drab, so we decided to add a coat of our AVTEQ red paint to the wall opposite of our logo.  The red really makes our Technology Credenza3 look great!

The next step was to solve the cabling issue.  We had cables running along the floor and up around the conference table.   These cords and cables interfered with anyone sitting at the end of the table.  While hiding cabling, we didn’t want to have an unattractive cable cover or lose the ability to comfortably seat someone at the end of the table.

To hide the cabling around the conference room table, we added our Slimline AV Pedestal.  The pedestal top and bottom is cutout to provide easy access for power, data and electronics.  The pedestals also offer 3RU of internal rack space, which was more than enough to address our cables.

To hide the cabling on the floor, we chose Connectrac® Designer Wireway solution. Connectrac’s product provided the clean and professional look we wanted to hide the cords and cables that ran from our  videoconferencing credenza to the conference table.  Not only was Connectrac’s solution perfect, but the customer service and team were great.  We are excited to partner with them on future opportunities

Our new conference room is complete, and we love to show off our remodeled room to customers, especially the cable cover solution from Connectrac.

We are excited to work with Connectrac and showcase each other’s products at InfoComm13 in Orlando this June!

It’s time for a conference call with an important client. Today you’ll be introducing the client to your executive team. You suggest conferencing via Skype, so you’ll be able to make face-to-face introductions, but wonder how it’s possible to have everyone visible on the call. How do you huddle everyone around the camera? How will the client perceive your executives and your company if everyone is rotating in front of the computer?

While Skype, Apple’s FaceTime or even the new Google Hangouts may be suitable for video calls in certain situations, is a free video platform really the best videoconferencing solution for your business? Why would a business pay for a videoconferencing solution, such as offered by LifeSize, Cisco, Polycom and other players in the video field, when there are free options available? Let’s take a look at the advantages of the various options.

Pros and Cons of Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts

There are hundreds of millions of subscribers using these free platforms today. Skype alone has more than 600 million subscribers. They are user-friendly and easy to set up. Skpye and Google Hangouts can be used on any computer and some mobile devices, provided there is a webcam, microphone and Internet connection. All you need is a free account with either platform and you’re ready to go. FaceTime can be used on Apple devices also equipped with FaceTime. (MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, etc.)

Free consumer-based videoconferencing services are designed more for the individual user, and less for the enterprise. With these services, you are unable to communicate with other organizations utilizing room-based videoconferencing systems. Additionally, free services only provide users the ability to connect with other users on the same proprietary software. In other words, a Skype user will not be able to communicate via video to an individual using FaceTime.

Management of the system, video quality and security are other issues to be considered when determining whether a free videoconferencing system is the best option for your business.

Advantages of a Business Videoconferencing Solution

A videoconferencing-enabled meeting room equipped with a wide-angle camera is ideal for conferences with more than two people on either end. The quality of the audio when multiple people involved is also something to consider. Enterprise-grade videoconferencing systems are ideal for multi-party calls and the highest quality of both audio and video. These systems are also more secure than the free options, utilizing an HTTPS connection and encryption. In many cases, Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts won’t pass approval from the IT department.

With a business videoconferencing solution, you won’t be limited to number of hours per month you can use the system. With Skype, for example, users are limited to 100 hours a month for group video chats, hindering your organization’s productivity.

Many enterprise-grade videoconferencing systems provide additional features, such as the ability to record videoconferences for playback at a later date. You may also video a videoconferencing solution that allows users to annotate on the video.

What about mobility? How can employees who are on-the-go get in on an important videoconference as well? Many business videoconferencing systems offer plug-ins enabling use of the system on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. With Skype, voice chat is the only option for users on mobile devices.

Deciding which solution is best for your business

If you are wondering if it’s time your business upgrades to an enterprise-grade videoconferencing solution, ask yourself these questions:

• Will multiple people be involved in videoconferences?
• Is quality of video or security of the system a priority?
• Are you using video to place important calls and handle meetings with clients or partners?
• Will your video communications require the use of other functions such as the ability to share content with other video participants?
• Is there a need to record videoconferences for playback at a later date?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, it’s may be time your organization makes the investment in an enterprise-grade videoconferencing solution that will provide the ease of management, flexibility, scalability, security and features your business requires.

AVTEQ made a pledge to allow two employees to work from home one day and one employee to work at home two days, and this is what we found:

By teleworking during Telework Week, AVTEQ employees will save:

• $142.20 – Total amount saved by teleworking during Telework Week
• 189 – Number of pounds of pollutants saved during Telework Week
• 0.095 – Number of tons of pollutants saved during Telework Week

If AVTEQ employees teleworked every week for a year, they will collectively save:

• $7,110.00 – Total amount saved by teleworking every week for a year
• 9,450 – Number of pounds of pollutants saved by teleworking every week for a year
• 4.725 – Number of tons of pollutants saved by teleworking every week for a year

In a Cisco report, Irene Sandler found that “44% of knowledge workers telecommute at least one day a week…this one day alone saves companies $2,400 a year per employee.” Based on these statistics, a company with 1000 employees would save $2.4 million just by allowing employees to work from home one day a week.

Telework can save more than your bank account and the environment. In a recent article on KBZ.com, Veronica Culver outlines other benefits of telecommuting for both businesses and workers including:

• Increased productivity
• Business as usual in extreme weather
• Flexibility and effectiveness
• Freedom to recruit top talent based on skill not location
• Less stress, better health

According to the Mobile Work Exchange, more than 135,000 pledged to telework. Collectively, these pledges saved $12.2 million and removed 7,842 tons of pollutants from the air during Telework Week. If they all teleworked for a full year, they would collectively save $612 million.  Mobile Work Exchange will release the full report on the success of Telework Week 2013 during the upcoming Spring Town Hall Meeting on April 30, 2013.

A number of federal grants for telemedicine are available, helping healthcare providers cover the cost of outfitting their facility with telehealth technology. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation grant awarded funding to seven telehealth projects.

Additionally, state and federal policy makers are beginning to recognize the need for changing legislation regarding telemedicine. Legislatures in some states are putting pressure on insurance companies to cover the costs of telehealth for patients, and others are introducing bills aiming to improve access to telemedicine.

So far, 20 states and the District of Columbia have introduced telemedicine bills and Texas is the first state to propose legislative changes to medical board standards regarding telemedicine.

According to ATA, Texas HB 1470, “introduced by Representative Jodie Laubenberg (R-89,) prevents the TX Medical board from adopting any rules that would limit the provision of telemedicine services by a qualified provider; repeals the requirement for a face-to-face follow-up if the patient has never seen their provider in-person; requires telemedicine providers to have in-state licensing and an established in-person relationship with the patient before the telemedicine encounter.”

Also in Texas, Section 1455 of the Texas Insurance Code mandates that all health benefit plans cover telemedicine services (with some exceptions).

Why the sudden growth?

This rapid expansion of telemedicine may be partly due to the fact that telehealth technology has finally caught up to (and perhaps even outpaced) the application of telehealth and telemedicine services. “Every year we seem to say this is the year of telehealth,” Rob Sprang, director of Kentucky Telecare says in this article. “In the early days there were technology challenges. We were trying to do things beyond the scope of the technology. But the technology now has outpaced the application of it. The technology is not what is holding us back now.”

Sprang believes the holdup now is in reimbursement for telehealth services. For example, Medicare and Medicaid have typically narrowly defined which telemedicine and telehealth services are covered by the program, Sprang says. With the advancement of technology and increasing demand for telehealth, we expect to see more coverage for telehealth in the near future.

May 5-7, ATA will hold it’s annual Telemedicine, Telehealth and mHealth Meeting and Trade Show will be in Austin.  In its 18^th year, the ATA trade show is the world’s largest meeting and trade show focusing on telemedicine and mHealth. Educational sessions and certificate courses will be offered at the event, along with keynote addresses from some of the “biggest thinkers in healthcare and technology.”

AVTEQ offers a range of telemedicine cart platforms to fit the needs of hospitals and healthcare clinics. Our solutions can help provide access to the information you need at any point of patient care.

AVTEQ Technology Credenza2

If you’re in the market for new videoconferencing furniture, there are a lot of choices.  When selecting A/V carts and stands, quality, durability and wood finishes are just a few of the options to consider.  Companies are looking for the best product that fits their budget.

Over the years, our best design options have come from customer requests.  Our wood veneer has been a huge favorite, but many of our customers have requested a more affordable option.  As we aim to please, last month we introduced our new laminate wood finish for our Technology Credenzas2 and Technology Credenza3 products.

Now, customers can choose between laminate and veneer, and select the furniture piece that best suits their budget and individual needs.

What are the differences between veneer and laminate?

Veneer

Veneer is often considered the more professional and “upscale” finish option, suitable for high-level executive offices. Veneer is essentially a finished wood. It is not a hardwood, but rather a thin, decorative slice of wood covering a durable wood substrate. It is warm and rich in color.

Veneer is durable and stable, though more delicate than laminate. A veneer surface can be scratched. It is also heavy. It has the appearance of solid wood, but is more affordable than solid wood.

Laminate

Laminate provides a more budget-friendly option. Laminate furniture also durable, though not quite as durable as veneer. It is made of printed sheets, which often have a wood grain look. The printed sheets are then affixed to a durable and stable core material. Laminate, unlike veneer, resists scratches and stains. It also provides a rich look. By choosing laminate, you will have more styles and colors to choose from.

Laminate requires little maintenance, and is more ideal for high-traffic areas. It is lighter weight than hardwoods or veneers, making laminate furniture easier to reconfigure and move around your office space. Though still professional in appearance, it is made of less expensive materials, and may be the better choice, depending on your budget.

There are pros and cons to both laminate and veneer. The right choice for your business depends on your budget and specific use of the furniture. The AVTEQ Technology Credenzas are available in veneer or laminate, with your choice of three wood finishes: cherry, blonde and mahogany. We also offer custom finishes.

For more information about our videoconferencing furniture and credenzas, visit AVTEQ.net.

ISE is Europe’s top pro AV and electronics industry show. The European event featured commercial and residential systems and integrators showcasing a number of technologies, including audio and videoconferencing, digital signage, unified communications, LED video walls, furniture, mounts and racks, flat-screen displays and new to ISE this year, a focus on Smart Building.

The annual electronics show drew a record audience of more than 44,000 people, and AVTEQ’s featured videoconferencing furniture products, including our Elite ELT-2000, RPS-1000, GMP-200, Credenza2-V/L and communications pedestal were well received by those who stopped by the ModulIT booth.

“Apparently, there are not many such solutions out there in the market for either screen-carts or videoconferencing support products which incorporate built-in rack mount solutions with designated space to install other equipment – a concept visitors to the show showed much interest in,” said Haim Elallouf, Cordica’s European Sales Director.

Participating in the ISE exhibition was only Cordica’s first step in introducing AVTEQ’s brand into the market. With a broad range of existing customer base and the hundreds of new leads collected at the show, Cordica is now set to continue and successfully market AVTEQ’s product line within Europe.

Other exciting news that came from ISE 2013 included the LifeSize UVC Platform winning AV News Innovation of the Year. Winners and finalists for the AV News Rewards 2013 were announced at the ISE 2013 opening press conference. LifeSize’s UVC Platform was announced winner of the Innovation of the Year Award in a category with tough competitors, including AMX and Polycom.

The LifeSize UVC Platform, introduced last year, is the industry’s first fully integrated virtualized software platform for HD videoconferencing.

In the age of the smartphone and tablet, users have learned to navigate technology in a new, simple way — with icons, widgets and apps. Unfortunately, all technology has not kept up with the changing speed. Videoconferencing, for example, is one technology, that has fallen behind.

Until now, that is. LifeSize recently announced the new LifeSize Icon videoconferencing series. Building on the user-interface of the smartphone, LifeSize has created a videoconferencing suite that operates in much the same way. Users are guided by easy-to-understand icons on the screen, simplifying the videoconferencing process.

According to LifeSize, the new videoconferencing series “is the culmination of years of user-behavior research and corresponding purposeful design to alleviate common barriers to adoption that have plagued the videoconferencing industry.”

Complex videoconferencing technology has hindered the growth of the industry. We are busy people, and videoconferencing should simplify the collaboration process, but many videoconferencing systems bring confusion and frustration to users, occupying valuable time to simply learn how the system operates.

“Making a video call should not involve pressing a dozen buttons, deciphering a complicated remote control and navigating through an intimidating user interface,” said Colin Buechler, chief executive officer of LifeSize. “It is those barriers, along with outrageous cost and an overwhelming burden on IT, that have dissuaded businesses from fully adopting video collaboration.”

In this article on LifeSize.com, Ellen Hawes Durbin, Product Marketing Manager, gives five reasons why the LifeSize Icon Series is “Smart Video.”

1. It is easy enough for anyone to use without training.
2. It contains lots of infrastructure applications, without the hassle of traditional videoconferencing.
3. It gives users a “heads-up” experience, meaning nearly all operations for the system are on the screen, rather than a remote.
4. It allows users to place video calls with name-based dialing, rather than IP, SIP and bridge numbers.
5. Users are able to utilize “smart scheduling” to track all meetings from within the interface, rather than referring to emails or calendar invitations.

“The Icon Series puts the experience back in the hands of the users and the complicated technology disappears,” said Buechler. “LifeSize Icon Series is reinventing video conferencing by answering the call of what this industry has needed since its inception: a radically simplified user experience that any organization can embrace. That’s smart video.”

“Our strategy has always been to act as a ‘one stop shop’. [Cordica] distributes almost every thinkable product that fits into the pro AV market,” said Haim Elallouf, European Union Sales Director.  With the addition of AVTEQ’s products, Cordica is now able to add an important complementary product line to their portfolio of AV products.

With this partnership, AVTEQ gains access to the valuable European market with Cordica’s strong and efficient distribution channel. Cordica has both the ability to keep an inventory of AVTEQ products the to market the AVTEQ product line within Europe.

“We are excited to introduce our AV products to the European market,” said Aaron Rubner, VP of AV Sales, AVTEQ Inc.  “With the goal of expanding our reach, we thought this was an excellent first step.”  The partnership between AVTEQ and Cordica brings the first complete AV solution to the table in the European videoconferencing and AV market.

As a distributor, Cordica will work with AV integrators and resellers to market and sell the entire AVTEQ product line in Europe.