March 22, 2023 - Last week's article, "In the AV World, 'Backorder' and 'Programming' Are Four-Letter Words," highlighted two of the key challenges integrators face when providing AV control solutions for their end-users: lack of both product availability and programming expertise.

But even if you're able to procure the control devices you specified in this supply chain-affected market, and get them set up to function properly, what happens when various components of your end-user's AV system require future replacement or upgrades? Obviously, the controllers will need to be updated to match the system's new functionality.

That's a common scenario, and it emphasizes the importance of choosing a control solution engineered to easily adapt to end-users' future needs. In addition to building high-quality products, that's another aspect of future-proofing that Biamp engineers prioritize.

Biamp understands that a control solution is a long-term investment—one that will likely outlive most other AV system components. Some end users, for a variety of reasons, require that they handle ongoing maintenance of their AV system. Biamp developed our controllers to be easily configured by anyone – no coding required.

Consider the following:

A cash-constrained school district has a project to upgrade classroom AV components. With a limited budget, the district technology manager's strong desire is to keep the control interfaces that were installed initially. Obviously, there's a need to ensure each classroom's control functionality remains in synch with the upgraded AV capabilities.

But if the existing controllers aren't from Biamp, most likely they can't be easily updated and may require extensive reprogramming; which leaves you with two options:

1. Work with your end user to reprogram control interfaces. This option can potentially require a lengthy lead-time for scheduling your programmer before performing the work and testing. All of which adds up to more steps, more time, more people, and more money which may be too costly or too disruptive for some customers. If it's only a simple change in an AV system, you may not want to dedicate resources that could be used in larger more strategic projects.

2. Purchase new Biamp control interfaces from an authorized dealer. They're in stock and require no programming. Adding new or swapping out old equipment is easily handled by you or someone on your staff, and totally within the capabilities of your end user technology and AV managers. Project Designer software, with its drag-and-drop simplicity, empowers users of varied experience to easily configure controllers and interfaces to deliver the control capabilities the newly upgraded AV system requires.

Thanks to the many advantages of configuration versus programming, Biamp control interfaces are quickly reconfigured by anyone on staff, better ensuring future upgrades of installed AV systems.

Which choice would you make?