50 Moments From 50 Years of ET Group

50 Moments From 50 Years of ET Group

With roots in Toronto dating back to 1976, we’ve grown alongside the technology that shapes how people communicate, collaborate and connect.

Over five decades, a lot has changed — the technology, the projects, the places we work and the scale of what we do. Along the way, we’ve welcomed new people, built lasting relationships and continued to evolve with the needs of our customers.

Behind every milestone are the people, projects and ideas that have helped move us forward.

To celebrate our 50th anniversary, we’re looking back at 50 moments that have shaped our story — and helped create the foundation for what comes next.

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Our Roots and Evolution

1. Our Story Begins in 1976: Our history traces back to Pistil Enterprises Ltd., founded in 1976, and its later evolution alongside Sound Power Luminescence. In 1991, Pistil Enterprises Ltd. took over Sound Power Luminescence, helping create the foundation for who we are today. That history is why 1976 remains the starting point in our story — marking 50 years of growth, change and evolution in 2026.

2. From Traditional AV to More Connected Technology: In our earlier decades, our work included installed sound systems, amplifiers, speakers, wired microphones, projection screens, slide and film projectors, and early video and television systems. As the technology advanced, meeting and presentation spaces began bringing more of these tools together. Projection gave way to digital displays, laptops became part of the meeting experience, and interactive presentation and collaboration technology created new ways for people to share and work with content.

3. Expanding Into Hospitality and Entertainment: Our portfolio also grew across Toronto’s restaurant, nightlife and entertainment scene. We supported recognizable hospitality brands with audio, video, displays and control systems designed around the guest experience. From walls of screens showing sports and entertainment to custom AV control behind the scenes, these projects showed how technology could become part of the atmosphere and experience of a space.

4. Growing Into Integrated Corporate AV: As workplace technology evolved, our corporate projects evolved with it. Boardrooms and meeting spaces increasingly brought together videoconferencing, displays, presentation technology, room control, tabletop connectivity and dedicated AV infrastructure. Rather than operating as separate pieces, more of the technology in the room began working together as one integrated system.

5. From Individual Installations to Enterprise Scale: As our capabilities and customer base grew, the projects got bigger too. What might once have involved a single system or location can now mean designing, deploying and supporting hundreds of spaces across offices, campuses and multiple locations. At that scale, consistency matters — from how rooms are designed and deployed to how they’re supported long after installation.

6. Our Toronto Roots: Our home has changed a few times over the years, with each location marking a different chapter in our growth. Our Toronto and Etobicoke addresses have included 500 King Street West, 90 Thorncliffe Park Drive, 500 and 524 Front Street West, 29 Booth Avenue and, since 2022, 130 North Queen Street in Etobicoke. From our earlier downtown locations to where we are today, the spaces we’ve worked from have grown and changed right alongside us.

7. Built on Long-Standing Relationships: Some of the relationships behind our work have lasted for decades. Several team members have built long careers here, with some approaching 40 years with us, while customers and technology partners have continued to grow alongside us. That shared history has created a depth of knowledge and familiarity that can only come with time.

8. Trusted in Complex and Mission-Critical Environments: Over the years, we’ve built deep experience in justice, government and other environments where technology simply has to work. Courtrooms, correctional facilities, command centres and other highly regulated spaces come with requirements around security, reliability and day-to-day performance that go well beyond a typical meeting room.

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Building a National Presence

9. Growing Beyond Toronto: We started in Toronto, but our footprint has steadily grown across Canada through acquisitions, new offices and a more distributed team. Today, we have employees based in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

10. Welcoming CONTI and Forte: In September 2022, we acquired CONTI Electronics’ audiovisual design and integration business assets, including the CONTI and Forte brands. The acquisition brought CONTI and Forte employees into our team and established a Vancouver presence, supporting our continued growth in Western Canada.

11. Expanding into Atlantic Canada: In 2023, we opened a new office and technology demonstration facility in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Now known as the Fredericton Experience Centre, it gives customers and partners a place to experience workplace technology firsthand across collaboration, personal, social and justice spaces.

12. Extending Our Reach Through Ricoh Canada: Joining Ricoh Canada in 2026 added a broader Canadian office and service network to the footprint we had already built, giving our teams access to additional resources and support across the country.

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Behind the Work

13. A Home That Reflects the Work We Do: Our current North Queen headquarters is more than office space. It brings together people working across different parts of the business with areas for collaboration, staging, service and the hands-on technical work that happens before and after a system reaches a customer site.

14. Building and Testing Before We Reach Site: A lot happens before an installation ever reaches a customer. Our in-house staging and pre-build process gives our teams space to build, configure, label and test systems ahead of deployment, helping catch issues early and making onsite work more predictable.

15. The Service Work Customers Don’t Always See: Installation is only one part of the lifecycle. Behind the scenes, our service and onsite support teams troubleshoot issues, prepare equipment, maintain systems and help keep technology working once it is in use. Some of that happens at customer sites, while some happens from our own service and support areas.

16. Different Specialists, One Project: A finished space can involve people across strategy, design and engineering, programming, project delivery, installation, unified communications and ongoing support. Each sees a different part of the project, and complex environments often depend on several of those disciplines working together from the earliest design conversations through deployment and support.

17. Thinking About Virtual Work Before It Became the Norm: Flexible and virtual work were already part of the conversation well before hybrid work became commonplace. In 2017, Dirk Propfe was featured on the cover of Ivey Business School’s Intouch magazine for a story on “Virtually Virtual,” reflecting on virtual teamwork and why it could work for organizations. It’s an interesting snapshot of how early questions around remote collaboration, trust and the workplace were already becoming part of our story.

18. Bringing Human-Centered Thinking Into Our Technology Work: The way we thought about our own workplace also began influencing how we approached technology for customers. Rather than starting with products or equipment, the focus increasingly shifted toward the people using a space — how they work, how they need to collaborate and what the technology needs to make easier. Dirk later shared that approach through Human-Centered Technology Design for a Hybrid World at WORKTECH Toronto.

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Recognition Along the Way

19. Seeing the Transformation Take Hold: The changes weren’t limited to organizational structure. Collaborative workshops, ET Connects and other opportunities for people to contribute ideas became a more visible part of how we worked together. By February 2022, we reported a 95% employee retention rate and an employee Net Promoter Score consistently above 50. We also reported profitability at 2.5 times the industry standard and four times the growth we had experienced in 2016.

20. Recognized for a Different Business Strategy: In 2018, we received an NSCA Excellence in Business Award in the Differentiating Strategies category, recognizing our move toward design thinking, participatory leadership, self-management and a more consultative approach to workplace technology.

21. Named Pexip’s Most Agile Partner: In 2021, we were named Pexip’s Most Agile Partner of the Year at the Pexip Americas Partner Leadership Summit, recognizing our ability to adapt quickly and find collaboration solutions around specific customer needs.

22. Receiving the Inaugural Tony Hsieh Award: In December 2021, Dirk accepted the inaugural Tony Hsieh Award in Las Vegas on our behalf. The award recognized the work we had done to explore more empowering and participatory ways of working. (Read the story behind the transformation and its impact.)

23. Taking Our Story to a Global Stage: In 2024, we received the Zero Distance Excellence Award for Emergent Excellence. Mark Chen represented us at the Zero Distance Excellence Summit in Qingdao, China, where he accepted the award and joined organizations from around the world in conversations about self-management, decentralization and customer collaboration.

24. Building a Multi-Year Record as a Best Workplace: Since becoming Great Place to Work® Certified in 2023, we’ve received recognition across several workplace categories. In 2025, our growth placed us among Canada’s Best Workplaces for organizations with 100 to 999 employees, where we ranked #15 in Canada. We were also recognized among Canada’s Best Workplaces in Technology, for Mental Wellness and with Most Trusted Executive Teams. In 2026, we ranked #30 and received the Fairness Award, alongside recognition for Inclusion, Technology and Most Trusted Executive Teams. (Explore our workplace awards and recognition.)

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Projects Across the Years

25. Supporting Justice Environments at Scale: We have designed, implemented and supported secure AV systems across courtrooms and correctional environments, and by the end of 2026 that footprint is expected to exceed 1,000 justice spaces. The work supports remote appearances, interpretation, evidence presentation, accessibility and other functions where reliability and security are critical. (Explore our justice technology solutions or see the case study behind this work.)

26. Growing with GreenShield Across Seven Cities: Since 2017, we have completed 57 AV projects with GreenShield across seven Canadian cities. The relationship has grown across executive boardrooms, hybrid rooms, multipurpose environments and other workplace spaces while supporting greater consistency across locations.

27. Building a Nationwide AV Standard with Sobeys: In 2024, we partnered with Sobeys on more than 12 AV projects across Canada. Through discovery sessions and stakeholder engagement, we developed repeatable designs for executive rooms, training spaces, huddle rooms and town halls, creating a more consistent hybrid meeting experience across locations.

28. Supporting Hybrid Learning and Collaborative Research: Our work in education has included a range of approaches to teaching, learning and collaboration. At BCIT, we helped connect existing video technology with newer collaboration platforms to support campus-wide hybrid learning. Our work with York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering included an interactive virtual classroom, while at OCAD University we supported collaborative research spaces designed around accessibility and participation.

29. Technology Across the Campus Experience: Our education work also extends beyond traditional classrooms. At the York University Student Centre, technology helped create a more connected social and community space for students. Our work with a leading Canadian independent school has grown across more than 25 projects and two campuses, spanning classrooms, gymnasiums, a swimming pool, boardrooms, multipurpose spaces and shared areas.

30. Bringing the Cisco Innovation Centre to Life: At Cisco’s Toronto Innovation Centre, we helped create a flexible environment for demonstrations, training and global collaboration. The project brought together cross-platform videoconferencing, intelligent cameras, ceiling microphones, touch control, wireless content sharing, digital display pillars and a multi-panel video wall.

31. Creating an Immersive Digital Experience at B6: At Bentall GreenOak’s B6 building in Vancouver, we helped transform a large architectural surface into an immersive digital canvas combining a large-scale video wall, custom content and discreet audio. The installation also created a platform for showcasing work from local artists.

32. Designing Around Sagamok Anishnawbek’s Council Circle: We partnered with Sagamok Anishnawbek on a hybrid-ready Council Chamber built around the Nation’s circular Council layout and governance practices. Microsoft Teams Rooms, Televic Plixus and individual uniCOS units were brought together alongside custom nameplate overlays and VR design work to support the unique environment.

33. Standardizing 176 Rooms Across 40 Locations: For a leading Ontario utility, we designed and deployed AV across 176 rooms spanning 40 locations. The work ranged from smaller collaboration spaces to executive environments, with standardized room templates, centralized conferencing and remote monitoring helping make a large distributed environment easier to deploy and support.

34. Connecting Technology Across an Entire Headquarters: For a leading Canadian dairy provider, we helped create a Toronto headquarters where technology extends across huddle rooms, boardrooms, collaboration spaces, digital signage and larger Town Hall and streaming environments. The project also used CAD and VR planning and incorporated existing equipment where it continued to serve a purpose.

35. Supporting Infrastructure Teams Across Eight Locations: Since 2022, we’ve delivered more than 10 AV projects across eight locations for a leading Canadian infrastructure organization. Standardized meeting environments connect executive leadership, regional offices and project teams whose decisions can directly affect active job sites.

36. Building an 8K Centrepiece at GreenShield: At GreenShield’s downtown Toronto office, we helped deliver a 10-foot-high, 27-foot-wide video wall with 8K native resolution. People-tracking cameras add an interactive element, allowing content to respond as people move through the space. The installation is another chapter in our long-standing work with GreenShield.

37. Modernizing Secure Collaboration at RBC: Our work with RBC has included modernizing executive and meeting environments to create more intuitive, hybrid-ready collaboration while meeting the reliability and security needs of a major financial organization.

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Learning and Staying Connected

38. Bringing Global AV Insights Back from ISE: Our teams attended Integrated Systems Europe in Barcelona in both 2025 and 2026, meeting with global manufacturers and partners while exploring developments across unified communications, LED, audio, workplace management, immersive AV and smart-building technology.

39. Staying Close to the Collaboration Technology Ecosystem: Enterprise Connect and Cisco WebexOne have given members of our team a closer look at developments in AI, collaboration platforms, room systems, security, governance and interoperability while strengthening relationships with the partners behind many of the technologies we work with every day.

40. Sending Our Largest Team Yet to InfoComm: In 2026, we sent our largest team to date to InfoComm in Las Vegas, with people representing Growth and Innovation, Design and Engineering, Customer Engagement, Project Delivery and Vendor Relations. It gave people from different parts of the organization a chance to explore new technologies, meet partners and bring ideas back into their own areas of work.

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Supporting the Full Lifecycle

41. Managing More Than 200 Rooms Proactively: For a major Canadian financial institution, we introduced Remote Monitoring and Management across more than 200 meeting rooms nationwide. The program reduced average issue-detection time by 98.7%, lowered support-ticket volume by 75% and produced more than $100,000 in annual support and energy-related savings.

42. Embedding Technicians Across 135+ Spaces: Our Meeting Room Technician programs place dedicated AV specialists directly within customer workplaces. For one global financial client, our embedded technician team supports more than 135 spaces across Toronto, London and other global locations, including executive boardrooms, hybrid classrooms and mission-critical environments.

43. Expanding Our Work in Justice and Corrections:  As our justice work grew, so did the range of environments we supported — from courtrooms to correctional facilities. That included purpose-built solutions such as Video Remand Cabinets, designed to support secure virtual appearances and communication, alongside courtroom collaboration, remote monitoring and ongoing AV support.

44. Seeing a Space Before It Exists: We’ve used immersive VR design reviews to let customers experience proposed spaces before construction or installation begins. Stakeholders can walk through layouts, assess displays and sightlines, review camera coverage and make decisions while changes are still much easier to make.

45. Connecting Old and New Technology: Not every modernization needs to begin with replacing everything. Across projects in education, energy and enterprise environments, we’ve helped customers connect existing video systems with newer platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Webex. For one Ontario energy provider, interoperability allowed existing systems to work with newer cloud collaboration platforms without requiring an immediate rip-and-replace.

46. Building Sustainability Into the AV Lifecycle: Our approach has included maintaining and reusing equipment where it still has value, replacing individual components where possible, reducing unnecessary site visits through remote support and directing end-of-life equipment toward responsible reuse or recycling. (Read more about our approach to a more sustainable AV future.)

47. Staying Involved After the Installation: Many of our customer relationships continue long after a room goes live. Help desk support, onsite technicians, preventative maintenance, remote monitoring and ongoing optimization all play a role in keeping spaces working as technology, workplaces and customer needs continue to change.

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The Next Chapter with Ricoh

48. Beginning Our Next Chapter with Ricoh: On February 2, 2026, we announced that we had joined Ricoh Canada as a wholly owned subsidiary. It marked one of the biggest changes in our 50-year history and the beginning of a new chapter — one that allows us to build on what we’ve created while becoming part of a much larger organization.

49. Preserving Who We Are: We continue to operate under our existing brand and leadership team, with customers working with the same people and teams they already know. As we move forward with Ricoh, we’re continuing to build on the relationships, experience and specialized expertise developed over the past 50 years.

50. Combining Our Expertise with Ricoh’s Scale: Our next chapter brings our AV design, integration, unified communications and managed workplace expertise together with Ricoh’s broader resources, digital capabilities and service coverage. Together, we can support more of the workplace technology lifecycle while continuing to bring the hands-on approach our customers know us for.

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Looking Back — and Moving Forward

Our story has been shaped by five decades of people, projects, customer relationships and turning points.

Some of that history can be seen in the finished spaces. Some of it lives behind the scenes — in old project photos, equipment racks, design drawings, staging work, service calls and the people who have spent years learning how to make increasingly complex systems work.

Together, these milestones show just how much has changed, from our early Toronto roots and individual AV installations to projects spanning hundreds of rooms and locations across the country.

As we begin our next chapter with Ricoh Canada, we’re carrying that experience forward. Technology will keep changing, and the spaces where people work, learn and connect will change with it.

The next 50 years will build on the projects, relationships and people who brought us here.

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InfoComm 2026: Modernizing AV Design, What’s Driving Technology Decisions & the Shift to Digital

Summary 

• ET Group attended the annual InfoComm AV showcase and conference, hosted in Las Vegas, to learn about the latest technology insights, trends and innovations 
• InfoComm 2026 highlighted several key shifts shaping the future of AV and workplace technology.
• AI is becoming more embedded in room design, deployment, optimization and support.
• Manufacturers are expanding beyond traditional hardware to offer more complete room ecosystems that include devices, software, monitoring and management tools.
• Google meeting room solutions are gaining momentum, while Microsoft Teams Rooms continue to drive major innovation across certified devices and platform experiences.
• Interoperability is becoming more important as businesses continue to rely on multiple meeting platforms.
• Security, AV-over-IP, workplace data, sustainability and flexible room design are becoming bigger considerations in how businesses plan and manage their technology.

What is InfoComm? 

InfoComm is the biggest annual pro-AV showcase and conference in all of North America, catering to technology designers, integrators, consultants, distributors and more. This massive event features specialized trainings, jaw-dropping keynotes and of course, two large halls full of booths and demos from vendors all over the world. 

The 2026 show took place in fabu-Las Vegas, surrounded by amazing entertainment, culture and unimaginable architecture (buildings shaped like spheres or guitars, anyone?)

This year we sent our largest group ever to seek out the latest trends, newest tech and modern methods to bring back to our team, so we can make sure we are only offering the best to our customers. 

In attendance were members from our Growth and Innovation team, Design and Engineering, Customer Engagement, Project Delivery and our ever popular Vendor Liaison (and top-notch show coordinator who kept our large group in line and on schedule!) to ensure we stay innovative across all stages of our organization. 

Here’s what the team learned: 

Key Trends from the Show Floor

Manufacturers are building more of their own UC engines

AV is no longer just Audio-Visual anymore, but has grown to encompass the entire collaboration experience, which is both exciting and complex. Today, businesses don’t just need to consider the quality of a camera or clarity of a speaker, but also the compatibility between their hardware, meeting platforms, far-end experience, network and any other applications that may be running in their environment such as digital signage or monitoring software. Most often, collaboration environments are made up of many parts from many vendors in order to account for every part of the experience. 

Until now. 

Many manufacturers known for selling traditional AV hardware are expanding their scope to incorporate UC compatibility. Over the last several years we have seen increasing convergence between AV and IT as collaboration continues to shift from analog to digital, which means more platforms, applications, security, network and management requirements to consider.

What does this mean?

A lot of manufacturers seem to be moving beyond just hardware peripherals and are now building deeper compute platforms so they can better control the experience, support their own ecosystem, and tie everything into proprietary remote monitoring and management licenses.

This looks like brands such as Crestron, Logitech and Biamp offering full, all-in-one solutions that include audio and video devices, control systems, DSPs (digital signal processors), cable solutions, design assist software, and space monitoring and management systems from one consistent provider. 

Why this matters:
One the one hand, this streamlines design and deployment processes, ensures compatibility and consistency, and makes support more seamless by removing typical frictions seen in multi-vendor environments, while also creating more predictable lifecycles. 

However on the other hand, this may be leading to more segregation across the industry, meaning it will be harder to integrate third party devices or platforms and could cost businesses more by requiring additional solutions such as interoperability licenses or more complex software integrations to fill any gaps not resolved by these one-and-done vendors.

Increasing demand for Google solutions

Meeting rooms designed for Google Meet are on the rise, and many manufacturers are ready to accommodate. Video conferencing vendors like Logitech, Neat, HP Poly and Sharp were promoting Google room systems and devices, while platform vendors such as Synergy SKY and Pexip are making it easier for non-Google rooms to connect through solutions such as interoperability. 

At Sharp’s offsite showroom, they showcased their latest LB3 Series AQUOS BOARD, offering multi-UI support which includes the option to run Google EDLA (Enterprise Device License Agreement). This means that instead of operating from an unofficial “open source” model, this device is Google certified, guaranteeing access to Google Support, an embedded Google Play Store, integrated Google Workspace apps and native Google Android UI.

Though solutions for platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom still took up the majority of the show, Google’s presence was certainly felt and we expect to see more throughout the rest of 2026 into the next few years. 

Why this matters:
Unlike many of the collaboration platforms on the market, Google is a web-first meeting solution that does not require additional software or infrastructure changes, while still offering a holistic, integrated suite of workspace applications such as Gmail, Docs, Sheets (Google’s version of Excel), Calendar, Chat and Drive, as well as access to Google Play Store for additional tools such as whiteboards. 

This means that Google ecosystems are easy to access and scale, making it an increasingly popular choice for businesses who have limited IT resources, small-to-medium businesses that can take advantage of lower-tier storage and call capacity without requiring additional licensing expenses, or businesses that work in extremely large scale industries that cater to many audiences such as education that want easy scale and customization.

Expansions in the Microsoft ecosystem

Even though platforms like Google Meet are increasing their footprint in the collab space, Microsoft Teams is still where we are seeing the most innovation from vendors trying to remain relevant and competitive in 2026. 

There were two key Microsoft insights that stood out at the show: 

Q-SYS Room Bar running Microsoft Teams Rooms on PC
Q-SYS is evolving what it means to offer an all-in-one room bar (camera, mic and speaker all in one device) for Microsoft Teams Rooms. Their new RoomSuite Collaboration Bar runs on a built-in Windows PC, which will allow for faster access to new Teams features as they release, simplify room deployment and offer greater design flexibility that has been previously harder to achieve with traditional application-based deployments.

This is because this new device eliminates the need for a separate compute appliance (such as a mini PC) in order to pair peripheral devices which was historically required, since most room bars are android-based, forcing Teams-Rooms-on-Windows users to rely on more complex device configurations. 

MDEP is expanding to include more device categories
Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) coming to scheduling panels is another important shift. 

MDEP is a Microsoft-built operating system for Teams Room systems and devices such as in-room hardware, collaboration endpoints and digital signage solutions. It’s based on Android but replaces much of the standard Android software stack with Microsoft-managed components that are optimized for enterprise devices.

MDEP represents a large shift in Android-based collaboration devices, because it gives Microsoft much greater control over how Teams-certified Android hardware is built, secured, and managed.

By having MDEP-certified scheduling panels available, this opens the door to expanding Teams Rooms designs—improving consistency, security, and manageability across Android-based Teams peripherals, where previously there were security and compatibility concerns about incorporating non-certified devices. 

Why this matters:
Microsoft Teams Rooms are being designed with more secure, reliable devices, built using certified solutions that provide more seamless and feature-full collaboration experiences for end users, while still offering flexibility for both Android and Windows users. Over time, we will see better scalability, manageability and support for long-term growth.

AI and software are becoming part of room deployment

AI is no longer just a meeting feature. It is showing up in setup, tuning, camera framing, audio optimization, diagnostics, and support workflows — all things that can help make deployments faster and easier to manage.

While over the past few years we’ve gotten familiar with in-meeting AI features like auto-framing and speaker tracking, it’s now being incorporated into even earlier stages of room design and deployment, and continues to enhance how we support spaces. 

Manufacturers like Crestron and HP have introduced AI design applications that assist with the whole process: 

• Validating room layouts
• Device recommendation 
• Placement, zoning and POV verification 
• Pre-deployment equipment prep and configuration
• Installation alignment tools
• Post-deployment room tuning, optimization and support

Another new standout solution we saw at this year’s show was Pleneo, an AI room deployment platform that can cut down project delivery time from what can sometimes take multiple days into a handful of hours. Pleneo’s platform is an AV and UC vendor agnostic software that leverages AI to design, deploy, monitor and manage rooms for several different collaboration platforms (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, etc.) at scale. 

“Every product shares one operating system, one cloud, and one goal: make big rooms feel small.”

Pleneo works by removing manual time and labour from the process, leveraging their RoomOS platform to speed up device selection, automate hardware placement based on room size and shape, auto-generate equipment BOMs (bill of materials), and reduce deployment time by pre-registering device MAC (media access control) addresses that come online the moment they’re connected to power. 

This easy deployment is powered by their proprietary on-prem RoomHub box, which performs onsite local audio/video processing, edge computing, communication with RoomOS and coordination between all connected devices. 

Pleneo also offers post-deployment room monitoring for support and management. 

Why this matters:
For integrators, AI design and deployment assistance will lead to faster device selection, better design validation and make solutions easier to deploy, adjust, manage and support. This will allow us to be more productive by delivering solutions sooner, increasing customer satisfaction and boosting the number of projects we can successfully complete.

For businesses, it means better, more intuitive collaboration solutions that actually save time and money on design and delivery—so you can use your new tech sooner while saving on labour.

Interoperability and platform flexibility are more important than ever

Manufacturers are heavily focused on providing all-encompassing room solutions that enhance platform experiences. Intentionally designed devices and workflows for Zoom Rooms, Microsoft Teams Rooms and Google Meet rooms that are tailored to each individual platform. When used to collaborate within their designated platform, these rooms provide a seamless and productive experience. However, as these platform-specific builds become more popular, another issue has become more apparent: 

Businesses still require flexibility to join meetings on other platforms, and leaning too far into differentiation is causing friction due to incompatibility or even complete lockout. 

This is why we are seeing a rise in popularity for solutions like Pexip and Synergy SKY that provide interoperability software that unlocks these platform-specific room systems to enable multi-platform connectivity seamlessly, and without unnecessary device workarounds. 

We also saw some standout BYOD solutions, like Barco ClickShare’s latest wireless BYOD solution for Microsoft Teams Rooms. Their new next-generation platform enables users to launch and participate in alternative meeting platforms, such as Zoom and Webex, directly from their laptops while seamlessly leveraging the room’s camera, microphones, and speakers. This provides greater flexibility for end users without requiring additional cabling or room configuration changes. 

Why this matters:
For manufacturers, there should be more consideration of the need for platform flexibility when bringing devices to the market, before they find their customers looking to competitors who offer the interoperability capabilities they need. 

For businesses, when looking to enhance their primary platform experience, it’s important to choose an AV partner that understands the need for added flexibility and delivers solutions that enable that desired friction-free experience. 

Security as foundational: 

Security is no longer an afterthought to be resolved later. It’s a major consideration that needs to be built into the design from the start. With so many digital, AI and cloud-based solutions, the possible risks are increasing with every new device or platform that hits the market. 

Today, more and more businesses are expressing the need to know how security and privacy will be managed and protected before signing off on room designs, and citing specific requirements for certifications from manufacturers such as SOC 2 or GDPR, and data residency concerns. 

This adds a whole new layer to how AV designers must navigate how we build rooms, adding considerations such as authentication, compliance and encryption to the process, further solidifying the growing convergence of AV and IT across the industry. 

Why this matters:
AV design is no longer just about meeting hardware requirements, but also ensuring that everything we deliver aligns with IT expectations. The most important question has shifted from “does the system work?” to “is the system secure and network-ready?”

AV-Over-IP is becoming standard

Not only are AV designs becoming simpler due to single-vendor systems, but IP-focused solutions are also becoming more common. 

Also known as AV-over-IP, manufacturers are prioritizing cleaner installation, simplified cabling and easier scalability by leveraging internet connectivity over traditional LAN or WAN configurations. IP configuration allows for video control, audio control and other data to flow through one single connection point rather than more complex USB or proprietary cabling. 

Why this matters:
One connection point is easier to configure, control and collect data from, while leveraging internet makes it simpler to add and/or oversee your devices without complicated matrix switches, fixed endpoints or manual routing.

This allows businesses to cut costs, grow or change environments quickly and promotes more flexibility. 

Some other quickfire trends to watch

The workplace is becoming measurable
There continues to be a major shift toward data. Everything in our AV environments is generating insight now—how spaces are used, how meetings run, how systems perform. Businesses are gaining more and more visibility into what’s actually happening in their spaces. 

For AV providers, this provides us the ability to be better business partners by making data-backed decisions based on real, validated information. The expectation is no longer that we are just designing and installing equipment, but acting as ongoing technology advisors that deliver long-term success for our clients. 

The Smart Workplace
End users have higher expectations of their workplace technology. It’s no longer about whether individual devices work as intended, or how sleek and modern the room is, but how every component comes together to work as one complete, intuitive system. Hardware, platforms, control systems and workflows should be so well integrated they aren’t even noticeable. Businesses want minimal user-interaction with their tech, with rooms that adapt to their users—not the other way around. 

Sustainability is at the forefront of decision-making
More and more businesses are evaluating solutions based not only on how well they solve their desired collaboration experience, but are also considering which ones offer the most longevity, lowest energy consumption and highest ROI. 

At the rate that new technology is being produced, there is a real desire from businesses to prolong the lifecycle of their technology; both to gain maximum usage and to lower carbon footprints. 

We are seeing an increase in solutions on the market that have a more positive impact across the board, offering more sustainable practices from design and install, to support and lifecycle planning.  

AV-specific furniture and flexible mounting solutions are becoming more popular
While technology is the engine that makes rooms work, it shouldn’t be the focal point of the space. Businesses want to be able to personalize their spaces and have flexibility when their hardware tools are not in use. 

Brands like Leon and Salamander are designing sound equipment and AV furniture solutions such as cabinets, tables and credenzas that bring style and character to the room without compromising the usability or accessibility needed to install and control technology. 

And vendors such as Global Mounts Group, Peerless AV and rp Visual Solutions provide mounts, carts, stands and more that make spaces more modular and easier to adapt to other use cases when needed. 

But it’s not just about the tech…

All the innovation on the show floor was inspiring and delivered tons of insights to bring back to our team, but what’s most memorable is always the time we get to spend with each other and connecting with members of our extended AV family. We had a great time attending several partner hosted events, which included a night at the famous Las Vegas Sphere to experience the Wizard of Oz in a whole new, immersive way at a VIP event hosted by Crestron, as well as a wonderful private dinner with our friends at Sharp Canada.

 

And of course, we can’t stop talking about the amazing Nu Disco night hosted by Peerless AV, featuring an amazing blend of retro and modern music, talented dancers, pyrotechnics and everyone dressed in fun, disco fashion.

The ladies on the team also attended the AVIXA Women’s Council Breakfast, featuring keynote speaker and Peabody Award-winning journalist Mariana Atencio. Her presentation, “Real Matters: Building Trust in an Unreal World,” explored the critical role of empathy, authenticity, and meaningful human connection in a world increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence and digital transformation. Mariana shared powerful insights on how organizations and individuals can foster trust, strengthen relationships, and remain genuinely connected while navigating rapid technological change. 

Outside of scheduled events, we enjoyed lots of great food (shoutout to the best giant cinnamon roll that was so good we ordered it two days in a row), friendly competition at the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix F1 Drive Experience and just taking in the exciting vibe of the famous city. 

What’s Next? (Conclusion)

Each day began at approximately 7:30 a.m. and extended well into the evening, reflecting our commitment to maximizing every opportunity for learning, networking, and relationship-building. The event provided an exceptional platform to strengthen partnerships, deepen industry connections, and collaborate as a team while gaining valuable insights from across the AV industry. 

Now that we’re home, it’s time to turn these insights into actions as we continue to design and refine the best AV solutions for our customers. 

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Beyond the Meeting Room: Why UC&C Strategy Matters

Summary

Today’s workplaces rely on more communication tools, platforms, and meeting spaces than ever before. But when those pieces are not connected by a clear strategy, collaboration can quickly become frustrating for employees and difficult for IT and AV teams to support.

For many organizations, the challenge is not a lack of technology, but the complexity created when teams use different systems, workflows are inconsistent, and support needs continue to grow behind the scenes.

Unified Communications and Collaboration, or UC&C, helps organizations look at the full collaboration environment, including how people meet, share information, move between spaces, and use the technology available to them.

In this blog, we look at why collaboration environments become inconsistent, what a more strategic UC&C approach can solve, and how ET Group helps simplify the way people connect, meet, and work together.

Key Takeaways

• UC&C is not just about meeting platforms: It includes the rooms, workflows, devices, support models, and tools that shape the full collaboration experience.
• Meeting room issues often come from a lack of UC&C strategy: When rooms, platforms, and workflows are not aligned to how an organization actually works, employees lose time, internal teams face more support requests, and technology can create friction instead of enhancing collaboration.
• A strategic UC&C approach improves usability and adoption: The easier and more familiar the experience feels, the more confidently employees can use the tools available to them.
• Hybrid collaboration needs to work for everyone: Remote and in-room participants should be able to communicate clearly, share content, and participate naturally.
• Support and scalability matter long term: UC & C environments need to be easier for IT and AV teams to manage as rooms, locations, and workplace needs evolve.

Understanding UC&C

87% of businesses say UC&C improves customer interactions through faster responses and better collaboration, while 83% of workers say UC&C tools help them feel more connected, especially in remote and hybrid environments.

Unified Communications and Collaboration, or UC&C, refers to the tools, platforms, meeting spaces, and workflows that help people communicate and work together across locations, devices, and teams.

That can include:

• video conferencing and meetings
• messaging and calling
• content sharing and collaboration
• meeting room technology
• hybrid workplace experiences

In practice, UC&C is about making communication and collaboration feel connected throughout the workday.

That might look like:

• Standardization: moving between devices or locations without disrupting the experience
• Meeting Equity: helping remote and in-room participants collaborate more naturally
• Streamlined Workflows: simplified meeting join and seamless content sharing
• Reduced Meeting Fatigue: team members leave feeling informed, connected and confident, instead of frustrated and disengaged
• Consistency and Reliability: users can expect and trust the technology to perform as intended, without needing additional workarounds

As the modern workplace continues to evolve, UC&C plays an important role in making collaboration easier, more consistent, and more adaptable to different meeting types.

Where Collaboration Starts to Break Down

In summary, IT teams are already stretched managing infrastructure, security, endpoints, and day-to-day operational demands. That makes it difficult to proactively standardize, support, and improve UC&C environments over time.

• Consistent
• Universal
• Intiutive
• Reduced risk
• Increased ROI
• Productivity and Engagement

A more strategic UC&C approach helps organizations focus on:

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AV Managed Services vs. AV Support: What’s The Difference?

Summary:

AV managed services and on-demand AV support aren’t the same. Managed services come with both proactive and reactive monitoring, maintenance, and updates. Providers use remote management tools to detect, diagnose, and fix issues before they can cause disruptions and charge a predictable monthly rate that may also cover 24/7 support and strategic guidance to improve uptime and scalability. On-demand AV support operates on a break-fix model, which means you only get help when you call and pay each time.

AV Managed Services vs. AV Support: Which is Right for You?

Modern businesses rely on audiovisual (AV) equipment for everything from daily communication to virtual team-building exercises and global client presentations. Systems like these have a powerful ability to bring people together and streamline workflows when everyone can rely on them.

Like any technology, your AV systems can’t stay operational in a vacuum. You need to have the right supports in place to maintain and fix it if you want to keep benefiting from it long-term. Most businesses will outsource at this step because it’s easier and more cost-effective than hiring in-house AV experts.

Managed AV and AV Support can both add value, but it isn’t really about having one or the other. We’ll walk you through why it makes more sense to have both models in place at once below.

What Are AV Managed Services?

Managed services create an ongoing partnership between your organization and your provider. Instead of calling a number for help when something goes wrong, you get a more comprehensive set of services that cover both proactive and responsive care for your entire AV ecosystem.

This typically includes:

• Remote monitoring and management (RMM) 
• Real-time alerting and incident response
• Preventative health and security checks
• Automated testing for meeting rooms and other spaces
• Technology lifecycle management

Managed Services save businesses money over time by reducing the need for on-site visits and the amount of incidents that turn into serious disruptions.

How Do AV Managed Services Work?

Every provider is a little bit different, but here’s how it works at ET Group. We start by installing secure remote monitoring and management (RMM) software across your network. The program runs invisibly in the background without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Once the RMM is in place, our support experts can:

• Detect issues in real time. The RMM alerts our support team whenever devices like cameras, microphones, or digital signs go offline so we can take action to resolve it.
• Diagnose problems remotely. Technicians can often pinpoint what’s wrong and fix it at the source from a distance, which means you don’t need to wait for a visit.
• Automatically restore or reset devices. If your device and network infrastructure are compatible, the RMM can send out a command to reset or restore the equipment when it detects a problem.
• Keep uptime high. Automated health checks and proactive maintenance, including software and firmware updates, ensure your AV stays online, operational, and ready for use.
• Track data and trends. Reviewing factors like usage, performance, and capacity helps us provide tailored advice for getting the most out of your systems.

You’ll also be assigned an account manager as a single point of contact who understands your AV environment, your needs, and how they evolve over time.

Read More: 5 Ways Managed Help Desk Services Support Your AV

What Are AV Support Services?

Support services provide reactive assistance when something goes wrong or your AV equipment goes down. Essentially, if it breaks, you call us, and we assign someone on our team to take ownership of the case, diagnose the problem, and fix it.

How Do AV Support Services Work?

At ET Group, support and maintenance services are typically handled through Service-Level Agreements (SLAs). What this means is that we set up a contract that spells out your exact needs as well as factors like how and when to reach out, when you can expect us, and what’s included under your agreement.

This typically includes:

• 24/7 access to our help desk and/or ticketing system
• Basic troubleshooting over the phone for teams
• On-site fixes when your hardware, software, or network stops working
• Preventative maintenance, scheduled checkups, and routine updates
• Asset management, including coordinated procurement, RMAs, and hardware replacements

We do occasionally provide break-fix services for one-off situations. However, most organizations prefer an ongoing partnership under a contracted SLA for the reliability, speed, and consistency it provides. 

Comparing AV Support and Managed AV Side-By-Side

 

How Managed and Support Services Work Together

Imagine that a 200-person firm with offices in Toronto, Ottawa, and Calgary relies heavily on video conferencing for client meetings and cross-office collaboration. They have 12 meeting spaces in total and rely on their unified AV during tax season, when they see a sharp uptick in client presentations.

A ceiling microphone array fails to connect in Toronto minutes before a 2:00 p.m. presentation with a major corporate client. Key stakeholders are dialed in and waiting. All other rooms are currently full.

Here’s what happens next:

• At 1:58 p.m., ET Group’s Managed Services platform detects the microphone failure and alerts the support team.
• At 2:00 p.m., a remote technician logs in, identifies a firmware error, and pushes a fix. The microphones reconnect, and the meeting continues after only a brief delay.
• At 4:45 p.m., the same microphone array disconnects again. The RMM platform identifies the problem as a physical issue that can’t be fixed remotely and escalates it for on-site service. A technician is immediately scheduled to arrive on-site at the start of business hours the next day.
• At 4:47, an administrator calls ET Group’s help desk, but the Managed Services platform has already flagged the issue for follow-up and made the appropriate arrangements.
• At 9:00 a.m. the next morning, the technician arrives and discovers a frayed CAT6 cable leading to the array that became pinched behind nearby infrastructure.
• At 9:15 a.m., the technician finishes replacing and testing the cable, then confirms the problem is fixed. The ticket is closed and an incident report is shared with the client confirming the affected devices, diagnosis, and resolution.

The Outcome:

Both problems are detected, diagnosed, and resolved faster through a combination of proactive monitoring and reactive AV support services.

The Benefits of Outsourcing AV Support For Businesses

Outsourcing lets Canadian businesses tap into AV expertise without the resource drain that comes with building teams in-house. For perspective, the average salary for an AV tech is about $70,000. Multiply that by the number of people you need and it’s easy to see how fast the costs start to snowball.

Partnering with a company like ET Group is more cost-effective and gives you more value for your money at every step. You get access to:

• Certified AV experts with the latest training and a deep knowledge of AV tech.
• A team that works in your best interests to help you use and scale your AV more efficiently.
• The ability to scale your services up or down depending on how your business changes.
• A provider that can handle escalate tasks like warranties, parts, and procurement on your behalf.
• Support services that take the pressure off internal teams instead of burdening them. 
• A long-term AV strategy to keep stakeholders, priorities, ideas, iteration, and testing aligned.

Here’s a little proof from our own case studies here at ET Group:

A national enterprise in the finance industry saw a 98.7% faster time to detect issues, a 75% drop in support tickets, and six-figure annual savings after we successfully rolled out RMM for them. Admittedly, it can take time to get results like these, but it’s common to see a significant improvement within 30 days.

How to Choose the Right AV Provider

First and foremost, don’t hire the first company you find online. Take some time to research them, learn about their history, and explore what they’ve done in the past. Reputable providers will be happy to show you case studies or testimonials from real clients that prove what their value looks like in practice.

What you’re looking for is:

1. Industry and AV experience, preferably within the same niche or market sector.
2. Tech certifications from major AV manufacturers, like Zoom, Microsoft, Synergy Sky, or Cisco.
3. Service level agreements (SLAs) that specifically outline response and resolution times.
4. RMM that’s extensive enough to keep up with your specific AV needs (e.g., hybrid work).
5. A Canada-wide network of technicians so you don’t need to wait days for a technician to arrive.
6. Client references that speak to real-world reliability and show clear proof of their achievements.
7. Multiple channels of communication, including phone, email, SMS, or ticketing systems.
8. Transparent service-level agreements, so you always know exactly what you’re getting.

When you find a company you think fits the bill, ask for a demonstration, discovery call, or meeting so you can get more info first. Pay close attention to how they respond to your questions and how willing they are to explain things clearly. A good provider won’t rush you through the details or gloss over your concerns.

Get Reliable AV Support From ET Group

Meeting systems and other AV tech can be incredibly powerful, especially when they’re designed from the ground up with your business’s workflows in mind. The core issue most businesses run into with systems like these is a lack of appropriate support. That’s where managed AV services come in.

ET Group helps enterprises and other large-scale organizations develop, support, and scale unified communications (UC) systems that keep teams focused on their work, not the latest breakdown. To learn how we can help you get the most from Managed AV and AV Support, book a discovery call!

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How Interactive AV Technology Can Make Ottawa (& Other Cities in Canada) More Efficient

Summary:

Interactive AV technology helps public services in Ottawa and other major cities in Canada work more efficiently, improves accessibility in public spaces, and increases civic engagement. Command and control centers keep people safe, while virtual town halls and digital wayfinding reduce wait times, streamline services, and support bilingual and accessible communication. AI-enabled video conferencing with features like automatic transcription, smart framing, and real-time updates can also make communication more cost-effective so agencies can allocate funding to other priorities.

 

How Interactive AV Technology Can Make Ottawa (& Other Cities in Canada) More Efficient

Interactive AV technology is reshaping how the Canadian government delivers services to the public. From advanced videoconferencing systems and touchscreen displays to self-guided translation services, tools like these make spaces more accessible and let people work more efficiently, too.

In Ottawa, even those who haven’t adopted AV in-house are still benefiting from it. Command and control centers keep people safe, while virtual town halls let them actively participate in democracy. Even the eGate machines at the airport add value by helping people get from point A to point B faster.

Technologies like these have the potential to be life-changing in the public sector. We’ll show you how agencies and offices are using them, what they’re doing for accessibility, and how they help increase civic engagement over time.

Current AV Trends in Ottawa’s Public Administration

The most effective AV strategies don’t start with fancy equipment. In the public sector, it starts with someone identifying a problem, like long wait times, that technology can help solve. When the problem defines the opportunity, technology becomes a solution instead of just a costly gamble.

Command and Control Centres

Command and control centres are mission-critical spaces that bring teams, data, and communication systems together to support faster, more informed decision-making. Correctional facilities, emergency response teams, and government agencies need to know they can rely on their AV 100% of the time.

Equipment Examples

Virtual Town Halls

Virtual town halls let residents and staff participate in council meetings without having to travel across the city or even really be present in it. They gained popularity during COVID but continue to be a useful tool for getting more people involved in live polls, discussions, and Q&A sessions.

Equipment Examples

Digital Wayfinding

Digital wayfinding signs and interactive maps vastly outperform static signs every time because of the way they grab and hold attention. They’re perfect for providing high-visibility, realtime updates or navigational markers that help them find their way through complicated buildings like hospitals, government offices, and shopping malls. Voice prompts, translations, and braille on buttons make them more accessible.

Equipment Examples

How AV Can Help With Accessibility and Efficiency

Ottawa is expected to lead in the push for a safer, more accessible world because it’s the capital of the country. But in today’s environment, most people also want to know that the city is using taxpayer money responsibly and working to limit waste along the way. AV can help agencies achieve both goals.

Accessibility

The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) makes it mandatory for government offices, employers, and many other public services to actively seek out and remove barriers to access. The Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which is expected to come into effect this year, builds on these standards even further. The Official Languages Act forces agencies to serve people in English and French. 

With modern AV, you can:

• Activate real-time captions and/or translations in council meetings and town halls
• Cast live updates to all digital signage at the same time at once in seconds
• Make screen readers, voice prompts, large-print screens, or and other assistive tech available
• Set wayfinding signs up in multiple languages to meet the needs of Ottawa’s diverse population
• Integrate hybrid participation tools, like remote voting, polls, or Q&A, for people with mobility issues

Systems like these can be very complicated and often involve software integrations or advanced networking strategies. We strongly recommend working with an AV design company like ET Group if you want to prioritize accessibility but don’t necessarily want to spend more than necessary on it.

Efficiency

Efficiency in government is about good stewardship. Citizens expect agencies to avoid waste by preventing duplication and streamlining workflows, but they also don’t want changes like these to impact service timelines or make it impossible to get the help they need.

Today’s AV systems can help you:

• Push updates out to one, some, or all of your AV equipment
• Activate automatic AI note-taking or transcription services for convenience
• Lower the cost of paper, ink, printing, and photocopier maintenance over time
• Give people faster access to accurate info and/or automatic services

While AI isn’t in a place where you can “set it and forget it,” it does spare people mundane work so they can focus on what really matters instead. Get an insider look at how AI is shaping work at this link.

How Cities Can Leverage AV to Improve Civic Engagement

It isn’t always easy for governments to get people to engage with the civic systems designed to serve them. Low voter turnout has been a constant in some ridings for decades, and political leaders struggle to connect with the constituents who need them the most for a variety of reasons.

Language, literacy, transportation, health, and even income barriers can all prevent people from doing their civic duty or taking part. Consider a single father with three children under five—he may want to vote, but lack the time to cast a ballot because life gets so busy.

To turn challenges like these around, cities need to make civic life more accessible and more available to residents. Smart meeting tools like Cisco Webex open up new opportunities for people to join in from home and help level the playing field a bit.

Step 1: Meet People Where They Are

The easier you can make it for people to participate, the more likely they are to take part. If they can hop into a meeting on a topic they care about from anywhere, it’s easier for them to justify the time investment. 

Videoconferencing tech that lets people join from their own devices is the answer. People can follow along from home on a mobile device or join in on their lunch break.

But to offer this level of flexibility, you’ll need:

• Live streaming equipment: Professional camera systems, encoders, and streaming software that broadcast council meetings and zoning hearings directly to YouTube, Facebook, or the web.
• Digital signage networks: Centrally controlled displays at OC Transpo stations, community centers, and libraries let you get eyes on important alerts more efficiently.
• Recording and captioning systems: Automated recording solutions with AI-powered transcription and bilingual captioning (English and French) let people review on their own time.
• Hybrid meeting platforms: Videoconferencing setups with Zoom Rooms or Microsoft Teams integrations give participants the power to contribute to town meetings and Q&As.

Taking simple steps like these shows residents administrators want to hear what they have to say. Making services and processes more human-centric by improving accessibility ensures that no one is left behind.

2. Go Beyond Broadcasting

You can’t broadcast without AV equipment, but that doesn’t mean it’s all you need. Interactive features and systems that let people touch, click, or take some kind of physical action increase engagement while helping you collect vital info about the people you serve.

Consider options like:

• Interactive displays: Touch-enabled screens and interactive whiteboards in libraries, service centers, or major transit hubs that let residents access services or browse resources
• Audience response systems: Live polling hardware and software that delivers a result to every participant’s device pulls each person into the conversation.
• Interactive Q&A platforms: Let participants submit their questions or comments, then have someone respond to them. Or, open the floor up to everyone.
• Video walls and collaboration displays: Large-format displays in council chambers or operation centers display video feeds, data tables, and participants more clearly on the screen.

Modern AV systems turn passive viewers into active participants. When residents can submit questions from their couch or vote on budget priorities from their phone, engagement stops feeling like a chore and becomes just another part of daily life.

Get Interactive AV Right With ET Group

Interactive AV technology is quickly becoming a standard in cities like Ottawa. It has the power to help the government streamline workflows and reach more people, but that can only happen if you design and integrate it around the way you work and the services you deliver each day.

ET Group has successfully designed, implemented, and supported AV systems in mission-critical spaces like the Ontario Court of Justice and Correctional Services. From initial strategy to procurement, roll-out, and ongoing support, we know how to design systems for maximum value and reliability.

Book a Discovery Call today to learn more.

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Building a virtual culture

How do you maintain and build a strong virtual culture in a pandemic?

By T. Smitten

Creating a Culture That Thrives

Over the last year a vast majority of organizations have transitioned to some form of a hybrid workspace, where team members have the flexibility to work remotely for most, if not all of the time.

Mark Bystrek is the head of ET Group’s People Development. He works to maintain an enriched company culture of human connection, co-creation and collaboration while using virtual technology. Through our expertise in virtual technology, ET Group has built an effective hybrid work environment and developed a company culture that thrives in it.

The Importance of Company Culture

Mark admits maintaining company culture isn’t easy, but he highlights the importance of it , “It’s going to be a challenge for all organizations, how do you connect and keep that team spirit together? Remotely? It’s something we can never let go of.  We always have to keep that in paramount, no matter how busy we are. “

Mark and the ET Group leadership team have worked to find the right balance of technology, and collaboration to create a well-connected agile work environment for team members within virtual space. But how did ET Group do this?

Mark has has found the keys to successfully maintaining company culture are:

• Definition
• Sharing Your Culture
• Open Communication

Define Your Team Culture

At ET Group Mark and the leadership team have outlined the ET Group way, this is a document that is posted with the details of the company’s values, code of conduct and best practices. You want to make sure your company values are clearly outlined and easily accessible.

Share Your Team Culture

Post, post, post! Mark post videos, links, and announcements in the company’s web messenger channels for all staff to easily access. You want to make sure you are continuously sharing items the highlight, support and outline your company culture.

Open Communication is the Foundation

Communication is the foundation of a successful virtual team. Company culture should encourage communication and welcome feedback. ET Group has found using web messenger channels for announcements, surveys and to share info has been an effective for team members to share their ideas, reactions, and responses easily and openly. You want to create and allow for dialogue around your company culture posts and messages.

Ideas for Staying Connected

Communicating workplace culture in a virtual environment can seem a daunting task but it can be done using the technology we have today. It can take a little strategizing and some tech savvy but once that work is done, organizations can easily maintain organizational culture and real human connection amongst their members. Mark often will use WebEx (A web conference and message application) to share company updates. ET Group schedules company wide video conference meetings for all to attend. As part of the company culture the team is encouraged to use “video first” to hold  “face to face” conversations to help maintain connection.  

Mark is continually finding ways to develop virtual teams. He’s found the company to be far ahead of other companies working virtually in 2020 citing the various creative ways they have brought the team together. “We did weekly townhall meetings, we have a water cooler chat, – we were far ahead of a lot of organizations as such and that was keeping us connected.”

Mark also schedules virtual Team building events for the team such as:

• Virtual Team Lunches
• Virtual Escape Rooms/ Games Nights
• Virtual Company Townhalls / Team Connect Meetings
• Company Message Boards/ Communications Channels

Please see our company handbook where we share open information about how our company works together. This includes unique approaches, processes, and practices such as self-set salaries and decentralized decision making.

The workplace is going Hybrid

Exploring the new reality of a hybrid workplace. One which allows the flexibility of employees working between home, office, and remote locations.

When asked how he would describe 2020, David Kerr, ET Group’s Unified Communications and Collaboration Specialist replies “exceptional and unprecedented.”

On any given workday in 2019, David would be designing and implementing Unified Communications solutions for a variety of large Canadian organizations. Fast forward to present day and his workday remains fairly unchanged. While most organizations found the requirements of social distancing a major challenge to their continued daily operations, ET Group did not. In his five years with the company, David has been a part of the ET Group team that works on designing, integrating, and optimizing clients unified communications and collaboration environments. The kind of hybrid environments that allow working from anywhere, whether at home, in the office, or completely remote.

Work is no longer about where you do it, it’s about what you do and how it gets done.

Hybrid is the future workspace

Organizations have mobilized work from home infrastructure and policies that have forever shaped the way we approach work. Now that the dust has begun to settle, they are collectively looking to the future once again. As companies explore shifting their workers back to the office. They are also envisioning what a flexible workplace might mean to their long-term workplace strategies.

• How will our workplace strategies and technology strategies need to change?
• How will our office evolve to integrate and include the remote workers?
• What technologies will support flexible working between the office, home, and remote locations?
• How will we enable our people to convene for group work?

David is part of the HybridX innovation team at ET Group. He has witnessed and assisted in the architecture of workplace communications firsthand. He is proud to share that, “We’re not afraid of doing remote work and using remote technologies. We’ve been demonstrating it for years. It works, I mean, we’re thriving.”

Workplace and tech strategies are changing

Having worked with many clients to implement their technology strategies to transition to an integrated modern-day workspace. David reflects on the success in leading others to their ideal connected and collaborative work environment, both physically and virtually. “We’re (ET Group) currently experiencing what we’ve been already living for the past few years. Covid has forced us (society) to put it into place now to some degree. By living it, it gives us great advantages in terms of being able to share the experience with others and see what the potential could be.”

“73% of employees want their company to embrace flexibility (working both remotely and in office) post COVID-19.”

Mckinsey Report – June 2020

David has noted the required changes that companies have begun making to their workplace strategies:

• Increased prioritization of workplace technology within business. Organizations need to have a technology strategy that can evolve for the future.
• Intuitive tools; Organizations should be able to define their desired user experience with the technology they are choosing.
• Reliable and user-friendly video communications. Organizations are now in a video first culture that requires high quality audio and visual performance along with an easy to use platform.

Prioritizing flexible, collaborative technology

David has also witnessed some setbacks for companies who did not prioritize flexible and collaborative technology tools within their operations. He remarks at the number of companies who were unprepared to work remotely this year. “It was really quite surprising to me but it’s not all that uncommon. It seems that some companies are still kind of slow to change and Covid has really exposed that.”

David listed some fundamentals items every organization will need for a hybrid workspace:

• Laptops – Companies should ensure their teams have laptops for mobility vs. desktops. HD built in cameras are critical.
• Webcams – Companies should ensure team members have working high resolution video tools for home offies.
• Secure Communications – Companies should invest in secure software and platforms to maintain privacy.
• Remote work connections like a VPN – Companies should invest in a virtual private network.
• Headsets or Audio Boxes – Quality sound and audio for meetings. Forget the basic headphones.
• Data Sovereignty   -Companies should be familiar with the location of their servers and data and be aware of any privacy laws relating to the storage of their information.

Challenges of going to a hybrid workplace

As part of ET Group’s HybridX innovation team, David works on identifying and resolving the human challenges of collaboration, communication, and connection using technology.  “There were a lot of users that weren’t ready for this. From the standpoint of some users – technology kind of makes them afraid.” Increasing team adoption, training, and comfort levels with technology is critical to overall success when transitioning to working flexible between the office and at home.

When implementing new technology into a hybrid environment, David notes some things to consider are:

• Get feedback from your team on their desired user experience and ease of use. What do they need from the technology to get their work done?
• Ensure you fully understand what the technology will allow you to do and not do. Research your options and assess reliability.
• Find a good consultant to work with your leadership team and determine the technology roadmap that works for your business. ET Group offers a human-centric approach to visioning, strategizing, designing, implementing, and evolving your technology roadmap as part of our HybridX offering.

David offers his take on additional challenges he has seen this year, “What I think is happening is a couple of things, one, sometimes whoever is making the decision makes it a challenge. It could be making the decision on the technology platform that we should move forward with, but there was really no consultation with the users in terms of what we really need. Which can definitely be a challenge and wreck user adoption or hinder user adoption. The other element is personal bias at times that gets in the way. So, it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m a Microsoft guy’ and that’s all I want to deal with’. I don’t really care about whatever else is out there, even if there are better tools. Other challenges are a lack of information around what technology you need to work better, which is what we’ve been trying to do at ET Group, share that info. “

Preparing your company for the transition

David shares valuable words of wisdom when it comes to integrating new technology into your business. “Organizations must lose the fear of failure”. This can cripple the ability to discover new things. He recommends keeping an open mind when it comes to trying new technology and stresses the need to consider your users when implementing new technology.

“I had the opportunity to work with my church, for example. There’s a lot of users there that just aren’t into this remote working space at all,” says David. “A proper understanding of the users (i.e. accessibility requirements, sights impaired vs hearing impaired, etc.) is crucial to seamless user adoption within an organization.”

Many businesses are still unprepared to implement work from home programs although we are at a time in history when technology makes it more possible than ever. With companies starting to reintroduce their teams back into the physical workspace amidst and post-pandemic, they are experiencing unique operational challenges within their industries. “ET Group is really taking the time to hone in on what we have not only experienced but kind of referring back to what we’ve heard from our customers.”

Work isn’t about where, it’s about what

HybridX (Hybrid Workplace Experience) makes it possible and beneficial to every team, organization or business that thrives on communicating, collaborating, and connecting anywhere in the world.

Work is no longer about where you do it, it’s about what you do and how it gets done.

ET Group has invested years into studying and fine tuning the design for the workplace of the future. ET Group’s strategies for collaborative work environments have kept people together even when apart. “What HybridX is really saying is there’s a new work experience, we want to hone in on what that experience is for you and what makes the best sense,” says David.

ET Group takes a strategic approach to designing innovative hybrid workspaces solutions. By applying human-centric design processes, we create seamless and powerful connections between the office, the home, and the remote worker.

Transitioning your organization to a hybrid work environment can seem overwhelming and costly. With the right tools and design process, your organization can experience a new level of communication, collaboration and connection while increasing your ROI (Return on investment) in the long term.

5 Tips for hosting effective large video conferences

If your team has been hosting large group video conference meetings because of COVID-19, here are some key insights to maximize your meeting potential.

By Tracy Smitten

Article based on our Webinar: Hosting Large Group Video Conferences Effectively. Download the webinar.

Amid the COVID-19 public health emergency and for the first time in our history, society has committed to maintaining physical distancing with a strong need to work together to find new ways to communicate, collaborate, and connect with each other.

For the last 4 years, ET Group has grown as a productive, self-managed, collaborative unit, while working almost entirely remotely. Our team’s operate regularly in large group video meetings. We host virtual team connects that run up to 5 hours in length, host large group town hall meetings with over 40 people, and collaborate daily in large group virtual settings. We continue to explore new tools and practices that can enrich our team’s virtual experience. Technology strategy and design help increase productivity, but it’s not all you need.

Here are 5 key tips we have learned to make your next meeting more effective.

 

 

 

 

1. Identify the technology you will need

What are the technology platforms, tools, and equipment will need to use. Make sure to choose a video conferencing platform like Zoom or Webex that can take advantage of large groups using settings like gallery view. Equipping all of your team’s participants with the best audio and video equipment available will maximize everyone’s experience. This will ensure that everyone is on the same playing field, limiting technology issues and creating a more engaging experience for all.

2. Define your meeting roles

It is critical to establish a few base roles to ensure you create clarity and the ability to run a smooth meeting. Who will be the meeting hosting? Who will be facilitator to guide and hold space for the conversation? Who will be scribing and taking notes? Who will be responsible to manage the technology?

It may sound like a lot of roles but they are key to your success!

Host: Establishes the meeting context and the meeting objectives
Facilitator: Guides the conversation, keeps the meeting in check and on-time, while allowing the group to focus on the content.
Scribe: Takes notes and documents the meeting.
Technology Manager (Optional): Ensures the meeting is set-up, handles tech issues, and records the call if necessary.

3. Put together the structure for your meeting

What is the purpose of your meeting? What do you want to get out of it? What do you want people to experience?

Establish a structure for your meeting to make effective use of time and increase the clarity and expectations for participants. Create your meeting objectives, meeting milestones, determining meeting length, and choosing your facilitation style.

4.  Choose your meeting practices and processes

Determine the level of engagement you plan to invite from your participants.

Check-in’s are a fantastic way to establish everyone’s place in the meeting. Asking a question such as, how are you arriving and what do you expect out of today’s meeting. It helps people feel engaged and not lost in such a large virtual group.

However, in a large group setting it can be tough to manage this in a timely manner. Instead, ask your participants to write their check-in via the chat window or using a collaboration platform like Webex Teams or Slack.

Use practices that maintain involvement and engagement from your participants. Send out periodic meeting polls or pose questions that participants can answer in the chat window, rather than out loud. This can also help manage time in a large group while involving everyone.

It is important that you use practices and processes that create an environment that invites everyone to participate. So that it is not the One-to-Many experience that so often plagues large group settings. This is one person speaking to a large group.

5. Understand the mindset of your participants

Understanding the mindset of your participants is key to an effective meeting. What mindset are participants potentially arriving into the meeting with?

Are they arriving with confusion surrounding the meeting? Are they unclear of why they are invited? Are they feeling excited or down?

As a host or facilitator, it is your job to gauge the room and ensure you can manage the group, shift gears if required, and draw the best out of everyone.

 

We would love to hear about your experience in the comments

We have sought and found virtual meeting techniques that enhance human connection.  We have found video conferencing can be extremely productive! We thrive when we can bring harmony to our work and workplace with technology.

We would love to hear about your experience with remote working and how the 5 core elements of Effective Video Conferencing have worked for you. Contact us and let us know how you do!

Register for our upcoming webinar series

In an effort to help organizations and individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are launching a series of webinars to offer our expertise.

 

WEBINAR: Supercharging your virtual collaboration experience

WHEN: Wednesday, April 22, 2020
TIME: 2:00 p.m. (EDT)
LENGTH: 45-Minutes

Rich virtual collaboration presents key challenges and opportunities. This webinar is for you whether you are new to collaborating remotely or you have been doing it for years. We will discuss key tools, processes, and technology that will help supercharge your next virtual collaboration experience.

You’ll get to see, learn, and participate in a virtual collaboration session hosted by seasoned experts from ET Group (Workplace Technology Integrator) and Nureva (Creators of Visual Collaboration Technology)

What Is WebEx Telepresence? How do WebEx and Telepresence come together?

WebEx is a program that runs on your browser allowing you to collaborate on-demand with other people.  The original WebEx program consisted of voice capabilities and content sharing. It allowed users to have a voice conversation while simultaneously sharing whatever was on their PC screen with the other users on the WebEx call. You can incorporate Webex into many different workplace designs if you plan accordingly and have the right partner to install them.

Cisco bought WebEx in 2007 and has continued to enhance its capabilities, by adding key features, such as video, and by developing a whole suite of WebEx products. These products take the same basic capability of WebEx and specialize it for different kinds of online meetings – Webinars, Support, Training, etc.  Each of these meeting environments is a little different and works best with a customized set of tools to manage the online meeting.

Telepresence is the name given to the most life-like video conferencing implementation, which is the closest video conferencing implementation to “being there”.  The size of the video images are life-like and the audio quality is superb making it seem like you are sitting across the table from the people you are meeting with, even though they are in a different part of the world.

With two great products – WebEx and Telepresence, it was natural that people would soon ask for the two to be able to connect to each other.  Last year, Cisco introduced an update to their Telepresence solutions called WebEx Telepresence.

So now callers in a video conferencing enabled room can connect via video with remote participants who are using WebEx video.

WebEx Telepresence allows participants in WebEx meetings to connect via video with participants using Telepresence video conferencing endpoints (traditional H.323 and SIP videoconferencing).  Standard room based videoconferencing systems use H.323 or SIP as the protocol to connect rooms and control the call.  Traditional manufacturers, like Cisco and Polycom, use these protocols.  WebEx on the other hand, uses a proprietary protocol that is unable to directly communicate with traditional room systems.

What is the big deal with integrating one video technology with another?

Many videoconferencing industry insiders envision a future where video conferencing is ubiquitous. They believe that it will replace voice as the main real-time communications tool in the not too distant future.  However, one of the main roadblocks preventing this is interconnectivity between video systems.  The interconnectivity problem is that different technologies are using different protocols (languages) and until they either all speak the same language or translate the protocols between them seamlessly they can’t talk to each other.  I doubt that cell phones would have ever exploded 20 years ago, if users on the AT&T network couldn’t call Verizon customers or if Android phones could only call other Android phones.

To your average user, particularly those who use consumer video conferencing technologies like FaceTime and Skype, this seems like a straightforward task to accomplish.

“If I can FaceTime with Mom to wish her a Merry Christmas from the beach in Costa Rica, surely an enterprise boardroom should be able to make a video call to a PC based video desktop, particularly if they are both using Cisco products”

But we also know that Skype users can’t connect with FaceTime users – different protocols.  Those of us in the business know that getting all the video technologies to work together is easier said than done. It took Cisco almost four years since the acquisition of Tandberg in 2010 to get WebEx to talk to their Telepresence systems, resulting in the launch of WebEx Telepresence.

Why is it important?

I have many different clients who have been eagerly waiting for this capability. Some are educational institutions who want to leverage existing rooms, equipped with HD cameras, codecs and audio systems, to collaborate with research partners who could be located anywhere in the world and equipped only with a laptop.

Others are large enterprises that want to connect individual employees in remote locations with groups in central locations, who have access to video conferencing enabled boardrooms.

Sure there are many ways to tackle these requirements with different technologies, but when you have already made an investment in videoconferencing enabled rooms, infrastructure and WebEx, it makes a lot of sense to be able to connect them together.

WebEx has an excellent reputation for providing desktop web conferencing and superior audio conferencing capabilities. The addition of WebEx Telepresence means that these features can now be added to the high end video call experience. Unlimited audio users can also join a video call from anywhere in the world, be it from a phone or desktop computer. This new capability also means that iPad users can now join a video call on a Cisco system with high resolution video.

What is required?

In order to implement WebEx Telepresence you will need to have the following infrastructure, at the right release levels:

• Cisco TMS Scheduler: This component schedules the required resources, users can schedule a meeting, invite other users and select the required resources (like a videoconferencing room).
• Cisco MCU:  This is the bridge, it connects the different endpoints together (room systems, WebEx desktops)
• VCS Control/Expressway: This provides firewall traversal, so users can make calls outside of their network and translates between different protocols, like H.323 and SIP

Summary

WebEx Telepresence offers a great way to connect two powerful collaboration worlds – WebEx and Telepresence. WebEx Telepresence solves one particular problem; connecting remote WebEx based videoconferencing participants with Telepresence room based systems.

Whether or not WebEx Telepresence makes sense for your organization will largely depend on what you are starting with or your current infrastructure.  If you already have Cisco video infrastructure and are using WebEx then it’s definitely worth looking at combining the two together to create an even more powerful collaboration environment.

Allowing different videoconferencing systems to communicate is a positive step towards ubiquitous videoconferencing.

Contact us if you have questions or would like assistance in connecting the WebEx and Telepresence systems.