AV Lifecycle Management: What to Do When Video Conferencing Devices Reach End of Life
Posted by ET Group on November 6, 2025
Summary
- Technology is developing and evolving at a much faster rate than ever before, reducing the average device lifespan from 8-12 years to only 3-5.
- Businesses need to start thinking about their AV the same way they think about IT — as a whole system of parts that work together, not separate components.
- When a device is announced End of Life or End of Support, the affected technology impacts your whole system and your users, which can be costly and disruptive.
- There are several ways to navigate and manage a device going EOL or EOS, from simple replacements to interoperability platforms.
- ET Group’s team of AV experts can help you understand the technology lifecycle, and design strategies for long term success that accounts for intentional EOL planning
So the worst has happened: a key component of your videoconferencing system has been announced End of Life or End of Support, and now you’re panicking at the implicated cost and inconvenience of having to replace it (and potentially other devices).
This is a frustrating situation that more and more organizations are facing each year as the technology production cycle accelerates faster than we can comprehend.
It’s not uncommon that we hear phrases like “we just bought that system two years ago” or “this wasn’t in our IT budget for this year.”
We hear you. It’s frustrating. But you do have options, and ET Group can help you avoid having the rug pulled out from under you with strategic lifecycle planning and support.
Understanding the Technology Lifecycle in 2025
As recent as 10 years ago, most AV devices had a life expectancy of 8-12 years, with proper maintenance and usage. This is because the foundation of most AV systems was focused on the physical assets in the space, driven by which display offered the clearest view, or which speaker had the crispest sound, as well as which hardware would last the longest for the price paid.
While these factors still have a significant impact when making AV design choices today, they are no longer the driving force behind our technology decisions. Rather, most technology devices are designed and selected to be compatible with video conferencing platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex and Google Meet.
In other words, the world of AV has shifted from Analog to Digital — which comes with a myriad of complexities.
What does this mean for the modern technology lifecycle?
Today, we have to approach AV the same way we approach IT. Platforms and digital tools like apps, AI and cloud capabilities are growing and improving at a much faster rate than physical devices, making it harder for hardware vendors to keep up.
For example, Generation 1 devices that were designed for Microsoft Teams back in 2020 are no longer compatible with the new Windows 11 update, along with the current feature-sets being delivered within the platform in 2025 such as AI audio and face tracking, or meeting assistant agents. Which means that even though these devices still “work”, many of them are being discontinued or are unsupported since they are no longer capable of running the latest software, and vendors are now releasing newer solutions on a shorter cycle.
This change in the technology development cycle means two things:
- The average device lifespan has been cut in half, with an updated expectancy of 3-5 years.
- Businesses are investing more in their IT infrastructure and seeking ways to be more flexible, budget-friendly and adaptable.
Moving from a hardware-focused model to a full IT-based technology lifecycle is a bit like adjusting to conducting an entire orchestra when before you were only responsible for playing the cello.
Instead of just keeping track of physical devices, the focus has shifted to include hardware, software, services, and data that all work together throughout one shared lifecycle. It’s a shift from a reactive, hardware-only mindset to a proactive AV and IT Lifecycle Management (ITLM) approach that covers everything from planning and procurement, to deployment and ongoing optimization, to responsible decommissioning of old equipment.
The impact of End of Life and End of Support
So what happens to your system when a device hits End of Life or End of Support?
First, let’s define what these terms mean.
End of Life (EOL) refers to the stage in a product’s lifecycle when the manufacturer stops producing, selling, or actively developing it. The product may still function, but it’s no longer being updated and will eventually stop being compatible as other technologies continue to advance. When this happens, you won’t be able to replace the exact model.
End of Support (EOS) refers to when the manufacturer no longer provides technical assistance, security patches, or software updates for a product, making continued use riskier and less reliable. The device itself may still work, but if it breaks or begins to cause bugs in the rest of your system, these issues will only worsen and are unlikely to ever get resolved.
There are a few different ways this may impact your meetings and workflows, depending on the device(s) affected, your network infrastructure, your chosen platform and/or your available resources:
System Performance Issues
Most commonly, users will begin to experience performance issues, such as incompatibilities between devices and platform features, total system crashes, and lower-quality meetings.
As the rest of your technology ecosystem continues to receive updates — whether it’s your video conferencing platform rolling out new features, your operating system applying security patches, or your network infrastructure evolving — your EOL/EOS devices won’t be able to keep pace. This can show up as audio cutting out unexpectedly, cameras failing to auto-frame, screens freezing mid-meeting, or devices suddenly disappearing from the control interface altogether. Even something as simple as joining a meeting can start to take longer or require more manual troubleshooting.
Though not immediately unusable, your system will continue to deteriorate over time, causing your IT team to spend resources patching holes that will ultimately lead to a waste of time, effort, and of course, money. And since there is no official support available from the manufacturer, every workaround becomes more temporary and more resource-intensive, leading to your IT team ending up stuck in “break-fix mode,” which is neither sustainable nor efficient.
Required Replacements
In some instances, entire meeting systems can become obsolete, requiring an immediate replacement of the terminated device(s) with one(s) that are compatible with the rest of your unaffected system as well as your platform, or a complete overhaul of the entire system, depending on its complexity.
This can create a domino effect. For example, replacing a Zoom Room system may require updating your touch controller, which may then require updating your display input configuration, followed by needing to upgrade your cable infrastructure—and suddenly a single device triggers an entire room redesign. The cost and effort aren’t always limited to hardware either; there may also be downtime required to reconfigure the system, update the new interface, or adjust internal workflows.
In some cases, businesses are forced to make rapid purchasing decisions simply to restore functionality, rather than having the time and space to evaluate options strategically. This reactive approach often leads to mismatched systems, reduced system longevity, disrupted user experience and higher total cost of ownership in the long run.
Security Implications
In order to avoid immediately replacing an EOL or EOS device or meeting system, many organizations delay deploying the software, firmware or network updates that render their otherwise working hardware outdated.
But intentionally avoiding these updates exposes huge risks to the privacy and security of your business—both for your team and your customers. When devices no longer receive security patches, they become vulnerable entry points into your network. Even if they appear to be operating normally, they may be susceptible to malware, unauthorized access, or data leakage.
Additionally, without ongoing updates, these devices may no longer meet compliance standards—particularly for organizations in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, education, or government. This can result in legal, reputational, and operational consequences far beyond the cost of replacing a device.
How to navigate and manage End of Life and End of Support
We can’t always predict when technologies go EOL or EOS, and it’s not uncommon to panic when you learn that the tools you rely on are no longer dependable. However, there are multiple paths to navigating this situation that will keep your business on track and minimize disruption:
Evaluate Your Current System
Take this as an opportunity to revisit the other components of your collaboration setup. Was the device that went EOL or EOS the star of the show, and now you’re realizing the rest of your equipment is lackluster in comparison?
Perhaps the rest of your system is great and it’s actually the platform that isn’t holding up now that the device that was enhancing it has disappeared.
Re-evaluating your whole meeting experience is a great way to determine what your next steps should be to mitigate this new gap.
- Do you replace the existing device with the next best and more compatible upgrade?
- Do you use this as an opportunity to refresh your entire AV strategy?
- Can you make do with what’s left after the affected device is removed, and accept a more limited meeting experience?
- Do you have other rooms with different equipment that you can still use, and repurpose the obsolete spaces instead?
The only right path is the one that keeps your users happy and doesn’t derail your business productivity.
Replace Affected Devices
If you can make it work with your budget, and no other system changes are required, it is often easiest to replace the device that has gone EOL/EOS with the next generation or another device that offers the same capabilities and is still compatible with the rest of your hardware and software tools.
In most cases, when brands take a product off the shelves, they have already produced and will be bringing an upgraded version of it to the market within the same time frame, for a quick and easy swap.
However, there is a possibility that the upgraded version is not compatible with your other existing devices, and further research and/or testing may be needed to find a replacement that will play well with others and still offer longevity.
Stagger an AV Refresh
There may be instances where it makes more sense to do a total system refresh instead, but we understand that this can be quite costly.
When a device is announced as EOL/EOS, businesses are typically given a lead time of anywhere from 6-12 months from the vendor, during which they can determine how this will affect them and how to solve for the upcoming gap.
This provides sufficient time to contact AV experts such as ET Group to redesign and plan a phased approach to updating your meeting rooms and collaboration spaces. Taking a staggered approach to refreshing your AV system is often the most time and budget friendly way to maintain productivity and enhance your meetings at the same time.
Start by ranking and grouping your rooms by priority based on factors such as use case, primary end users, size and projected time and cost to replace. Once you have established the time frame and budget to work within, the highest, most important ranking rooms should be the first to receive system upgrades as they are the most critical. Then, continue to schedule the rest of your room groupings throughout the determined time frame.
By breaking your AV refresh out into phases, you can better predict how these changes will affect your productivity, fiscal priorities and overall experience, and plan accordingly to ensure your business plans account for your upcoming project(s).
Interoperability
In some instances, you can prolong the lifespan of your legacy devices by leveraging their existing endpoints to connect to cloud-hosted meetings that don’t depend on your current system infrastructure.
Solutions such as interoperability are a great and cost-friendly way to take advantage of your room system as-is, whether for an undetermined length of time, or as you migrate over to a new system, depending which approach your team has chosen.
However, depending on your platform(s) and use cases, there are different interoperability approaches and providers:
Pexip CVI
Pexip Cloud Video Interoperability (CVI) enables you to host and join meetings on any platform from your Microsoft Teams Room or join Teams meetings from Google Meet or Zoom room systems. This works by using your existing SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and/or H.323 endpoints to access meetings in the cloud, rather than on your network, while still offering many of the same meeting controls and platform features as the native platform itself.
Synergy SKY
Synergy SKY’s SIP to Web solution allows any SIP-based room system to connect to web-hosted meetings on any platform, including Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, Google Meet and even Apple Facetime.
Synergy SKY offers an extremely feature-rich experience, and flexible cloud, on-prem or hybrid deployment.
Both solutions allow your teams to continue using your existing cameras, microphones, displays and speakers, and also offer extra features such as One-Touch Join and calendar synchronization.
Proactive EOL planning and Evergreening with ET Group
Though we can’t always predict when a technology will be announced EOL, there are ways to be proactive about ensuring your spaces allow for flexibility to seamlessly incorporate new technologies.
It starts with having a partner who can help you create a comprehensive AV program that includes technology roadmaps, lifecycle planning, monitoring, optimization and ongoing support that is personalized to the specific needs and priorities of your business.
ET Group can help you strategically plan technology refreshes, long term support and maintenance services, and streamlined workflows that scale with your business and incorporate your goals to minimize system disruptions and reactive, emergency spending.
Our approach is simple:
Discovery and Analysis
Before we even design your AV system, we take the time to truly understand your goals, workflow gaps, user experience, budget and timeline. We meet with your key stakeholders and end users, evaluate your current technology and platforms and observe how your teams use them in order to determine your project priorities and prepare for long-term success.
Key outcomes:
- Stakeholder alignment on your challenges and business goals
- Needs analysis that exposes gaps in your current workflows
- Budget and timeline to implement your new strategy
- Desired user experience to guide design decisions
- Technology roadmap that incorporates expected upgrades and room refreshes
Design
Once we’ve developed your long-term goals and key priorities, our design team starts crafting your system with longevity in mind. Our technology experts have a deep understanding of how devices communicate with each other, which hardware enhances the available features of your chosen platform and consider information such as support models and warranty information. And of course, the version or model number of the devices to avoid anything that may be considered EOL/EOS within the first few years after install.
All designs go through rigorous prototyping and testing to ensure we’ve delivered your ideal experience with a solution that is seamless, scalable and flexible for future optimization.
Support Services
We offer a comprehensive list of Support services focused on taking a proactive, preventative approach to maintain the health and functionality of your AV technology, such as:
Remote Monitoring — 24/7 monitoring of your AV system that detects and alerts our support team to any disruptions in your technology in real-time for immediate action and resolution. Our comprehensive platform finds the root cause of any issue, allowing us to solve the problem with minimal time and intervention while preventing long-term damage due to future incidents of the same kind.
Preventative Maintenance — an annual site visit where our technicians manually test all of your room equipment for functionality, quality and wear-and-tear, as well as ensure the latest software and firmware versions are running on your system. This helps prolong the life of your technology while also preventing privacy and security mishaps.
Meeting Room Technician — a dedicated in-house resource that becomes part of your on-site team that assists with incident tickets, live meeting support, ongoing preventative maintenance and coordination of other resources provided by ET Group.
With proper, hands-on support your team will experience fewer breaks, longer lifespan and increased user adoption of your meeting tools.
Ongoing optimization
Though our thorough design process has a 100% success rate, there is always room for improvement and growth. Technology, business practices and trends are always changing, and even one year from now things can look a lot different.
As your lifetime AV partner, we are dedicated to your success and helping you stay current. We don’t believe in one-and-done projects, our team works with you to track information like user analytics, space usage trends, support ticket history and more in order to help you make data-based decisions about your workplace AV strategy.
Our goal: proper planning now for steady progress and stress-free change management later.
In conclusion
As the AV world continues to move at a faster and faster pace, having a proactive plan and the right support partner makes all the difference. With thoughtful lifecycle management, ongoing monitoring, strategic planning, and the right approach, your organization can stay ahead of these changes instead of reacting to them in a panic.
At ET Group, we’re here to guide you through every step—helping you protect your investments, enhance your collaboration experience, and future-proof your meeting rooms so technology never gets in the way of your work.
Let’s talk about building a technology roadmap that keeps your business connected, confident, and ready for what comes next.
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