April 2020 www.avnews.eu


Page 10 AV over IP - a done deal?


Unless you walked around ISE 2020 with your eyes shut, you can’t fail to have noticed the number of exhibitors offering ‘definitive’ solutions to outstand- ing ‘AV over IP’ issues. AV News reports.


Page 14 Retail innovations


2019 had the slowest rate of consumer spending growth since 2010, principally prompted by Brexit uncer- tainty - and then came the virus! AV News reports.


Avaya launches cloud-based collaboration


Avaya has announced Avaya Spaces in the UK. Avaya Spaces is described as a cost-effective cloud-based team collaboration tool, allows the mobile workforce to embrace a multiexperience approach by centralising voice, video, messaging, chat, and task management in one place; help- ing to improve productivity and increase employee satisfaction. Gartner forecasts that by 2023, fewer than one-third of digital workers will choose the office as their preferred place to work. As a result, organisations need to empower teams to work in more effective and productive ways with their preferred channels and touchpoints, wherever they may be and using whatever de- vices and platforms they choose. Rufus Grig, Chief Strategy Of- ficer at Avaya UK partner Main- tel, said “The launch of Avaya Spaces is a truly exciting mo- ment for the team collaboration space. The standards-based,


browser delivered experience is designed to work seamlessly and highlights the efficiency and productivity gains of one-click, real-time collaboration. The cou- pling of live meeting capabili- ties, and top quality audiovisual functionality with informal, ad- hoc messaging and document spaces really resonates with the way mobile workforces operate


in 2020”. Avaya Spaces is said to be easy-to-use, integrating web meetings and team collabora- tion and allowing users to cre- ate cloud work spaces where they can message, meet, share content and manage tasks from a browser or mobile device, and helps to provide a simple, se- cure and effective way to get


work done in the cloud. “The expectations of employ- ees and customers and how they want to engage is driving the shift towards a blended communications model of in- teractions across a variety of channels, devices and touch- points, requiring solutions that provide an effortless way to enjoy a uniform experience,” said Karen Hardy, VP Product Marketing, Avaya. “With the new capabilities of Avaya Spac- es, we are helping facilitate this through an easy-to-use app that helps foster enhanced collab- oration and communication. Avaya Spaces underscores the company’s vision to deliver a multiexperience environment that is blending unified com- munications, contact center and collaborations capabilities to empower teams and improve customer engagement.”


Avaya Spaces is now available in the UK. NEC and Sharp combine display solutions business


NEC Corporation and Sharp Corporation have agreed to cre- ate a joint venture by combin- ing NEC Display Solutions, Ltd. (NDS), a subsidiary of NEC, with Sharp. The Sharp-NEC joint venture will allow both companies to build upon their strengths and address the visu- alization needs of their global customers.


Like NDS, Sharp is a world-


wide developer of innovative business products, including professional and commercial displays, and advanced tech- nologies like next generation 8K-Ultra High Definition mon- itors. Perhaps the missing ele- ment for both companies is di- rect control over a collaboration


platform like Microsoft or Zoom. Both partners have concentrated on open platforms, leaving the end-user to choose the software elements,


“NEC offers one of the broad- est visual solutions portfolios in the industry, and with a consul- tancy-led sales approach, NEC is recognised as a trusted advi- sor and total solutions provider,” said Hisatsugu Nakatani, Pres- ident, NEC Display Solutions, Ltd. “Sharp and NEC Display Solutions follow the same stra- tegic approach to the future of visual solutions,..”


Fujikazu Nakayama, Senior Ex- ecutive Managing Officer, Sharp Corporation and BU President, Business Solutions replied: “The


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combination of Sharp’s and NDS’ international strengths is mutu- ally complementary. We expect this agreement to result in a wide range of synergies, including economies of scale and business expansion in new categories, Under the terms of the trans- action, NEC will transfer 66% ownership of NDS to Sharp, and retain a 34% equity stake in the business. The joint venture will continue to provide NEC branded products. NEC will also continue to sell the joint venture’s prod- ucts and solutions to its custom- ers around the world.


We can’t claim any special knowledge of epidemiology or insight into social behaviour in times of crisis, but we do understand digital and social media. To help the supply side of the industry ready itself for the return to normality, when- ever that might be, AV News will start a series of weekly news podcasts delivered


via


social media to more than 28,000 followers throughout the UK, Europe and beyond. Furthermore, AV News will be hosting a monthly series of re- mote webinars, in which pan- els of international speakers will provide thought leadership from the security of their own locations.


Midwich reports revenue and


profit growth across all markets lence and a high level of pre- and post-sales support.


Record revenue of £686.2 mil- lion, 19.6% ahead of the prior year (20.1% at constant cur- rency), reflected an impressive level of organic growth across the Midwich Group, alongside contributions from acquisitions made during the year and the full year impact of acquisitions completed in 2018.


The strategy of growing the geographic reach of the Group has resulted in Continental European revenues exceeding those of the UK and Ireland for the first time in 2019. Elsewhere, in February 2020, the Group entered the North American market, through the acquisition of Starin Market- ing, which gives Midwich a presence in the world’s largest AV market and increases direct representation in the global AV market to over 50%. Starin is a value-add AV distributor with a reputation for technical excel-


Initially a UK-only distributor, the Group now has 1,000 em- ployees across the UK and Ire- land, Continental Europe, Asia Pacific and North America. A core component of the Group's growth strategy is further expan- sion of its international opera- tions and footprint into strategi- cally targeted jurisdictions. Despite a challenging econom- ic backdrop in some key markets, gross profit margin was in line with the prior year and adjusted operating profit grew by 10.6% to £33.5 million reflecting the strong revenue growth. Adjusted earnings per share increased by 4.7% to 28.5 pence per share. Organic growth in revenues, before the impact of acquisitions made in the last two years, was 6.0% reflecting a strong perfor- mance and market share gains in difficult market conditions,.


AV News rolls out digital marketing toolbox


Following the successful in- troduction at ISE 2020, Zoom Video Communications will again provide sponsorship in the form of its market-lead- ing webinar technology linked to remote endpoints. Further details of the schedule can the found on the back cov- er of this issue of AV News. For more information about participation please contact: Saskia.josephine@bluean- dgreen.co.uk or telephone: 07811113078. Podcasts and webinars will be published on: avnews.co.uk, myshowguide. com, Spotify and YouTube.


The direct channel to the industry


AV News is rolling out an enhance programme of digital marketing op- portunities including weekly pod- casts and remote webinars.


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