Buying a permanent audiovisual system has a multitude of potential benefits for your commercial building or small business – from increased employee engagement and client satisfaction, to vastly improved and effortless communication. 

To ensure you get the most from your new commercial audiovisual installation and investment, here are some key questions to consider before you decide on the AV solution that’s right for you.

1. Are you building the AV system into a new construction, or renovating an existing space?

Whether you’re installing an audiovisual system into an existing office or starting from a blank slate affects your options in several ways. With a brand new build, your options are virtually limitless, as cabling, mounting and electrical fittings can all be customized to make your vision come to life. 

With an office renovation or refresh, it’s more important to consider how the area is already used, and how it could be optimized to make presentations and communications seamless while also working within the existing infrastructure. 

Whichever situation you’re in, contact one of our audiovisual specialists for expert advice and assistance to better evaluate your options.  

2. What AV functions and daily tasks does the room need to perform?

This is perhaps the most critical question of all, as aligning your audiovisual technology with your goals is core to creating a space that is both productive and great to spend time in. 

Here are some potential different scenarios.

• You have a small space that you only intend to use for intimate client meetings.
• You have a larger room that needs to facilitate both in-house meetings and online meetings. 
• You have an auditorium sized space which needs to be updated with modern technology and with multi-panel touch screen accessibility.
• You expect to have multiple callers joining in on conference calls from all over the globe, and also need to record these meetings in high-quality for stakeholders. 
• You have a medium space that needs to fulfill lots of different functions, from impressive client presentations to one-on-one meetings. 

As you can see, the anticipated daily functions of the space will have a major impact on choosing the right equipment, as well as your anticipated budget. 

3. What is the size and shape of the room like?

Both the square footage and shape of the room (such as a curved wall or an immovable support pillar) need to be taken into consideration. Also important is how many people you expect to use the room at one time, as this might require additional speakers, screens, or microphones for everyone to be able to see and hear clearly. 

In unusually shaped or very large rooms, it’s best to have one of our audiovisual professionals in for a site assessment. Purchase and instaltion of equipment without a proper assessment can result in not having the right equipment to meet your needs or having to delay scheduled events due to improper connections. 

4. What kind of audio quality do you need?

It wasn’t until online meetings became the norm in recent times that many businesses recognized the value of good quality audio. In a single meeting, you may have some participants phoning in on their smartphones, some using video meeting software, and some dialing in on a landline from another branch.

We’ve all now had the experience of how frustrating and distracting poor audio quality is on these kinds of interactions. Thankfully, new solutions are coming out all the time, as well as simple fixes. 

For example, for large spaces with multiple occupants, we can dramatically improve audio quality by including hanging or wireless microphones into your audiovisual design, as well as improving your network capabilities so incoming audio from external sources is optimized. Professional wireless LAN installation serves as the foundation for your in-house wireless network. 

5. How should we plan our budget?

One of the best things about a commercial audiovisual system is how many options you have to choose from when it comes to equipment and technology. This means they’re flexible enough to accommodate a range of budgets and outcomes. 

We suggest you break your plan down into two categories as a start. Your ideal or dream scenario with all the bells and whistles, and the bare minimum you need for the space to accomplish its daily functions. Normally, your budget ends up somewhere in between the two. 

Remember there are both very simple solutions and elegant designer solutions available. Begin by creating a wish list of everything you’d like to have the space to be able to do. We can then assist with pricing options, availability and installation timelines, so you can prioritize and determine what makes the final cut.

6. Do I need an integrated system?

In a nutshell, an integrated audiovisual system is one where all your audiovisual equipment – from speakers and microphones to video conferencing software and displays – functions as one blended unit. Integrated systems are best suited to organizations that require state-of-the-art functionality and seamless audiovisual quality with minimal technical skills needed on your part. An integrated system is also best if you want to be able to easily customize your AV system to your unique business goals.   

7. How can we address obsolescence?

As with all modern technologies, audiovisual solutions change rapidly. If getting the latest touch panel technology isn’t in your budget, there are still a myriad of ways we can help ensure your audiovisual system investment is not quickly outdated.

To ensure our clients get the most enduring value for money, we like to focus on proven solutions that will be around for years to come, yet which are flexible enough to keep pace with changing trends. For instance, by installing high-quality hardware and physical equipment which is used by a large portion of the market, yet can easily keep pace with new software and add-on infrastructures like touch screens or control panels at minimal cost to the client.

At SYSTCOM we’ve been providing audiovisual solutions for over 20 years. Contact us today to get started with your next audiovisual project.

Virtually every organization has a server room for its network connectivity these days. It’s the hub of communication and information exchange within the organization. As such, your server room must be well-organized and clean. 

If not, your network connections may be compromised, and you can experience expensive and disruptive downtime. This will affect productivity and eat into your profits. Having a clean server room with properly organized cabling is essential for the efficient running of your network systems. 

Another cardinal rule should also be that the server room or data center is not a storage area. Boxes and any ‘stuff’ cluttering up the area are not only inefficient, but they can contribute to polluting this very sensitive area.

Follow these pro tips to overcome a messy server room once and for all. 

Bundle, Mount, and Label

The most efficient way to avoid that messy, confusing and dangerous spaghetti tangle of cables is to make sure that all cables are properly bundled and mounted. By using different colored tapes and labels you can clearly organize all your network cabling by function. 

This will ensure that they remain connected to the actual equipment that they serve. It will also make it easier to identify any issues like disconnections by lessening confusion, thus ensuring that maintenance and repair become easier and faster.

By organizing the network cabling using appropriate hardware, horizontal and vertical wire management and velcro ties, you will also achieve better airflow in your server room, which is key to avoiding overheating.

Keep it Accessible

Server room accessibility for maintenance and repair is a must as downtime costs money and impacts productivity. A messy server room compromises efficiency and causes delays. A logical structured cabling system, that is properly implemented with the use of ties and labels, facilitates speedy repair and maintenance services. 

Electronics get hot when they run for long periods, which can create a fire hazard. Data center experts have long adopted the practice of keeping server rooms at a cooler temperature to minimize overheating. Make sure that you remove any unnecessary equipment or cables, and that servers are separate and properly contained so that good airflow is maintained. 

A messy server room also increases wear and tear on your equipment, necessitating expensive repairs and replacement of equipment. Wear and tear can be lessened by cooling your server room by using fans and making sure your servers are correctly stacked. 

Adopt a Cleaning Schedule

Dirt and dust, in any shape or form, are the nemeses of a server room. It is a fact of life that premises need repair and maintenance from time to time. Construction work in particular can have a disastrous effect on the cleanliness of your server room. 

Maintain communication between your server management team and maintenance personnel. Adopt sensible precautions, such as using plastic curtains, to protect your equipment during construction or messy janitorial work.

Having a rigorous regular cleaning schedule, using antistatic cleaning solutions, high-efficiency particulate air vacuum cleaners, and microfiber mops and cloths, is also crucial. Over and above that, a deep clean, when an even more thorough cleaning of the server room is done, should be scheduled every three months.

More Pro Tips for Organizing Your Server Room

• Use Good Server Racks. An efficient system of server racks is crucial for any server room as it allows you to stack all your network infrastructure like routers and switches efficiently. Server racks come in all shapes and sizes. They can be wall-mounted or free-standing and are generally fairly customizable to fit your specific requirements.  
• Avoid excess cable lengths obstructing your rack by stacking server equipment from longer to shorter cables.
• Never leave redundant cables or obsolete equipment cluttering up your server rack. 
• If you would prefer to not use labels, color-coding cables offer another option.
• Why not invest in an electric duster that is purpose-designed for cleaning fans and server racks?

By following these pro tips, you will be able to keep your server room organized and support your team’s data exchange, communications and wireless networking services.

Is your messy server room keeping your team from pique productivity and putting your data and communication systems at risk? Systcom has been keeping server rooms organized for over 20 years. Call or contact us today.

At Systcom, our business IS your business. We share responsibility for the business results that our clients demand. Through the partnerships we form with our customers every day, we create a unique bond – one that produces unique and long-lasting value.

Serving clients across a broad spectrum of industries, Systcom offers a rich portfolio of IT offerings; network cabling, integrated security, audiovisual, data centers, wireless, paging, and sound. While we excel in each of these categories, we revel in those opportunities where we bring the full range of solutions to the client.

Meet Under Armour
With a mission to make all athletes better through passion, design and the relentless pursuit of innovation – we were honored to partner with them to create a state-of-the-art, online fulfillment and distribution center. Located in Sparrows Point, Maryland, we rose to the challenge for a soup-to-nuts installation that exercised our full portfolio of expertise.

Network Cabeling: By the Numbers

• 1.3 million square feet
• 15 miles of fiber optic cabling
• More than 2,000 fiber optic connections
• 2,500 Category 6 connections
• 115 miles of Category 6 copper cabling
• 6,000 total man hours
• 400 Wireless Access points
• 27 Telecom Distribution Frames
• Network Architecture supporting 1,000 employees

Certainly, this was no simple task, but engagements like these allow us to really shine. From start to finish, we brought the highest level of quality and craftsmanship to each aspect of the network infrastructure project. Partnering with Under Armour – a brand that embodies performance excellence – to build out the full network infrastructure solution was an exciting way to start 2018.

It’s what we do
When it comes to complex IT systems, our professionals bring decades of experience to every project. Through careful collaboration with our clients, we’ve successfully served the mid-Atlantic area – and are currently expanding – for more than thirty years with tailored solutions. Our technicians bring a rich set of experience to every type of project – corporate, medical, education, industrial and retail. From smaller projects to massive projects, we’re confident that you’ll find us the right partner for every setting. We offer:

Network Cabling: Whether large cable plants or small moves adds and changes, we provide structured cabling solutions that come with extensive warranties and are capable of outperforming any other in the marketplace.

Integrated Security: We have provided closed-circuit television systems to the Baltimore/Washington metro area for more than 20 years. During that time, we have serviced and installed systems for the hospitals, apartment complexes, condominiums, Fortune 500, and private businesses throughout our region.

Audio/Visual: The need for these solutions in business has increased dramatically during the past few decades. We specialize in helping address specific needs as they relate to business, education, or government applications.

Data Centers: We can help identify the main initiatives and strategies for data centers while finding ways to reduce total operating costs, enhance business agility and improve business continuity.

Wireless: We integrate the wireless LAN system into current networks, as well as install all the required wireless equipment and certify its operation. Expect all associated cabling used to support your wireless network to be completed and certified prior to the installation of access points.

Paging and Sound: Whether applied to a business, school, hospital, retail, government, or house of worship building, we can design and install any overhead paging, public address, sound masking, warehouse paging or zone paging system.

At the end of the day, we build infrastructure that you can depend on.

We are Systcom.

What is an integrated security system?

Firstly, let’s begin by clarifying just what we mean by an integrated system. Take CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software as an example. Before a company implements one of these systems, none of the functions it performs are ‘talking’ to one another. The sales department doesn’t know what the marketing guys are up to, the marketing guys aren’t aware that some of the business’ customers are getting their deliveries late, and management isn’t aware that there’s a looming (but entirely preventable) PR crisis on their hands.  

The same is true of traditional, non-integrated security systems. You have several different ‘departments’ – CCTV cameras, access control systems, PA systems, intruder and fence alarms, etc. – but they are all working in isolation. Because you don’t have one single overview of all the components, your security system isn’t working as efficiently as it could be. As a result, you’re opening yourself up to avoidable risk – just what you’re trying to prevent with a security system in the first place.

In contrast, an integrated security system allows all these different parts to function together as a single, more sophisticated entity. Any authorized person with access to your integrated security system can be alerted when there’s a potential problem, check for themselves across various cameras or sensors to see if the danger is real, and take immediate action to protect your employees and property.

What are the benefits of security system integration?

These are just some of the advantages of an integrated security system:  

• Real-time monitoring means faster response in an incident – because you can see multiple inputs simultaneously, it’s simple to identify when a threat is real, and instantly alert all parties who need to be made aware.  
• Remote monitoring – even outside of business hours when your premises is empty (or at least should be!) you can keep a virtual eye on it.    

• Fully customizable – every organization is different, and faces different hazards. An integrated security system can be designed specifically for your needs and challenges. 
• Simpler to use – rather than juggling multiple systems, one integrated security system is easier to manage, and train employees on.  
• Cost-effective – because an integrated system streamlines processes and improves efficiencies, you’ll find your investment quickly pays off.  
• Augment your loss prevention and monitoring services. 
• Increase prevention of internal theft and a reduction of vandalism or destruction.  

• Improve access control and intrusion detection. 

How does security system integration work?

Easy to access, cameras are automatically triggered by movement, and images can often be retrieved wirelessly or over the internet. High-resolution pan, tilt, and zoom, along with low-light or no-light vision, make viewing video recordings from digital and network recorders (DVR/NVR) easy on the eye: results are much more discernable and sophisticated than ever before. 

Adding these additional “eyes” to any security system can be invaluable in high-profile areas or during specific times of year—such as right now, as we enter into the holidays and theft can be a problem. Nowadays, many of our clients are utilizing a single-camera closed-circuit (CCTV) system or multi-camera options to give an additional safety boost to their existing security. 

What types of buildings or property can benefit most from an integrated security system?

Hospitals, corporations, private businesses, and apartment complexes or condominiums alike can all take advantage of these systems, as can parking garages or lots. Whether you want to monitor or secure a well-trafficked (or, conversely, isolated) expanse of space or make sure packages and mail are being delivered, an integrated security system can be a great complement. 

Partner with SYSTCOM and enjoy all the benefits of integrated security.

We’ve partnered with some of the most trusted manufacturers of integrated security, and are constantly evaluating new systems to bring you the latest in technology capabilities. 

Could your property benefit from any of these integrated security solutions? We can work with you to review your current security, and recommend how best to implement additional enhancements as your business grows or changes. 

To learn more about integrated security and how it can help protect your business or property, please contact us.

Untangling the secret to organizing your network closet

There’s nothing worse than messy things; tangled Christmas tree lights; knotted extension cords; poorly assembled Italian beef sandwiches. But when your business depends on clearly marked and organized network cabling – you can’t afford things to be messy. Before you ask, ‘well how hard can it be to organize a network closet?’ you might be interested to know the answer is: Very.

There multiple factors to consider when building a network closet:

So. Many. Cables.

Ethernet cables come in a variety of colors and depending on the size and scale of your business and you may be routing printers, computers, fiber optics, video systems, modems, security, internet, transaction data and UPS. Using different colors can help you partition each of these, making maintenance, moves or changes much easier on your technicians.

Fasteners

Whether its zip ties or Velcro, all cables need to be gathered so they can be neatly routed and organized for easy access.

Labels

If you’ve ever swapped out an HDMI or A/V component on your home stereo or home theater, you know how important it is to know which wire belongs to where. It can be extremely frustrating (not to mention time consuming) to backtrack through your wiring to discover that your DVD player is plugged into your auxiliary 1 and not your auxiliary 2 jack. Network closets aren’t exactly a home stereo, but you get the picture – labels are your friend.

Hardware

In addition to the items already mentioned, network closets can also include patch panels, hubs, bridges, switches and routers – all adding to the complexity and detail of the build out.

Regulations

That’s right – you can’t just install a network closet anywhere. Federal regulations provide guidelines for any network closet that must meet certain environmental requirements that include power supply, heating/venting/cooling and must be secure from unauthorized access and meet all applicable building/safety codes. At a glance, network closets should adhere to the guidelines governing items such as the following:

• Floor, ceiling and floor material
• Temperature and humidity
• Lighting
• Power outlets
• Cable access
• Room equipment and access

Understanding the scale and scope of the overall system, whether it’s a small office network or large-scale plant operation, no two network closets are the same and performance demands an organized and thought out cabling system before any build out can begin. Unless you have thoroughly trained technicians for your networking project, this isn’t DIY territory. Italian beef sandwiches on the other hand…

For more than thirty years, SYSTCOM has been providing a broad range of high-quality, low-voltage technology systems throughout the Mid-Atlantic area – more specifically the counties intersecting with Baltimore and Washington D.C.  One of SYSTCOM’s primary offerings is Professional Audio Visual (A/V) Services. 

As a local area leader in the design and installation of Professional AV systems, whether new construction or retrofitting older structures, SYSTCOM combines both the art and science to the growing demand for end-to-end A/V systems.  Careful planning and communication is key to the delivery of any successful project. In addition, there must be a thorough understanding project specifics such as acoustics, electronics and budget constraints which all play a part in any installation.

With so many different system configuration options, SYSTCOM has the right tools and talent for any type of job. Projects at a school with multiple classrooms, offices, music rooms, hallways, a cafeteria and auditorium can be very different than a business or government facility with web/conference rooms fitted with microphones, podiums, projectors and digital signage spread across multiple floors or buildings. The size, uniform placement, output levels, speakers, amplifiers and controls are custom to each installation.

While designing the visual piece of “A/V” is more formulaic (power supply placement, projection or light requirements), the audio piece can be more challenging. The overall performance of any system will be influenced by the overall acoustics and the space. With difficult room acoustics, combined with improper speaker placement, the effectiveness or fidelity of the sound will be impacted negatively. The most obvious of challenges in live environments include the size of the room – rooms are rarely designed with the audio experience in mind! At a glance, the following features can have an impact on a system’s performance:

• Room size/dimension: Will sound need to travel down a hallway? In a conference room or office? Or a loud auditorium or cafeteria?
• Construction: Is the environment constructed of wood or concrete? Does the environment have high amounts of glass, carpet or tile?
• Reflectivity: How will speaker placement handle different frequency sound waves or echoes?

At the end of the day, the end product should fit seamlessly into any infrastructure, almost invisible to the eye but integral to everyday activities.

Thanks to ongoing relationships built over time, the many customers across the 30-mile patchwork of counties in and around Washington D.C and Maryland have come to depend on SYSTCOM for an array of A/V expertise.