Why Is AVaaS Important?

AV-as-a-Service, or AVaaS, allows organizations to acquire AV technology without making a major, upfront capital investment. With AVaaS, an AV integrator installs, configures and maintains the system for a monthly fee. This arrangement can be contracted out for as long as the organization prefers, allowing businesses and schools to precisely forecast their technology expenses. In this way, AVaaS is much like Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS.AV’s presence in education and business is increasing. More people than ever are working and learning from home, and AV is central to this trend. It’s a trend that’s likely here to stay, so remaining competitive means investing in AV. AVaaS makes that possible for organizations that wouldn’t otherwise have the resources to do so.

What’s included with AVaaS?

AVaaS is designed to simplify the AV procurement and installation process for organizations. If you’re working with a reputable integrator, you can expect the following from your AVaaS agreement:

AV hardware that meets your AV needs

An AVaaS agreement includes all of the AV hardware your organization requires for its needs. As every organization’s AV needs are different, that means AVaaS typically includes a customized solution that the integrator puts together for the client. There’s limitless room to scale an AVaaS solution up or down, so whether you need one or a thousand conferencing systems, AVaaS can be made to fit. The integrator will also install and configure this equipment to the client’s preferences.

The manpower needed to maintain your new AV solutions

AV solutions require ongoing support and maintenance to maintain their performance. You’ll need an AV specialist for that maintenance, though, which is why reputable integrators provide expert manpower with AVaaS.If needed, an integrator can monitor your new equipment for any performance drop-offs and respond before those performance hiccups result in downtime. An integrator can also provide ongoing technical support, either remote or onsite, and recommend technology upgrades when it’s time to replace hardware.

An expert, long-term technology partner

The world of AV is complicated and having an experienced integrator on call is a major advantage. That’s what AVaaS offers, in addition to the hardware and manpower. Your AVaaS integrator can modify or upgrade solutions as needed, and help your organization keep pace with industry developments.

Three reasons to choose AVaaS

With AVaaS, organizations can acquire AV technology using an OpEx model rather than making a capital investment. Here are three reasons why that’s a big plus for businesses:

AVaaS won’t disrupt your company’s budget

OpEx tends to be favored by companies with minimal cash reserves or cash flow. There’s no major lump sum that has to be paid out, and AVaaS expenses can be forecast well into the future. This provides a great deal of budgeting certainty to businesses, making it much easier to manage your AV investment from a bottom-line standpoint. This becomes more of an advantage as your AV technology ages. With a CapEx approach, additional capital expenses will be needed when it’s time to upgrade or replace equipment. Incorporating that into your technology budget can be difficult, but it’s not a problem with AVaaS. When it’s time to modify your AV technology, your monthly AVaaS installments will only change slightly. So, even when new technology is needed, your budget won’t be stressed.

AVaaS exposes businesses to minimal risk

There’s little risk associated with AVaaS. We’ve already gone over a big part of that - predictable future costs. It’s easier to minimize risk when your costs are locked in, but that’s not the only reason why AVaaS helps organizations manage their AV risk. The other reason is this - AVaaS allows organizations to explore AV solutions without committing to them with capital. It’s common for businesses and schools to reimagine their AV needs once a solution is in place. AVaaS allows organizations to maintain their flexibility when it comes to their AV technology. If a particular solution isn’t working out as planned, an alternative can be switched in with minimal cost and effort. If the technology is working better than expected, then AVaaS solutions can be scaled up quickly. There’s always wiggle room with AVaaS, from a budgetary and operational standpoint. With an additional margin of error to work with, it’s easier for organizations to nail down an ideal solution through AVaaS.

AVaaS provides organizations with a long-term technology partner

It’s easy to forget the “S” in AVaaS, but service is a big part of the AVaaS advantage. With AVaaS, your organization has an AV expert in its immediate network. Experienced AV integrators understand the value that comes with a long-term client, and AVaaS makes it easy and cost effective for businesses and schools to establish this long-term relationship. This may not be a big deal for big businesses, but for small and medium businesses, expert support can make the difference. Smaller organizations may not have the resources to staff an AV specialist full-time, which makes it tough to monitor and maintain any AV hardware. AVaaS ensures this support is in place so your organization can optimize its technologies. An AV integrator can also provide long-range insight into how your solutions can be developed over time. The goal is to maximize AV impact while minimizing costs, and it’s much easier to pull that off with an expert guiding the process.

Optimize your AV investment with AVaaS

AV technology offers better communication, better collaboration, better recruiting, better productivity and better branding. That’s a lot to like, and with AVaaS, organizations can secure those advantages without exposing themselves to too much risk. If your company or school needs to modernize its technology while managing costs, AVaaS is a perfect fit.