AV in a silo? Not anymore. Whether it’s video conferencing solutions, digital signage, or auditorium setups, audiovisual technology now runs on the same networks IT manages every day. And while modern enterprise-grade AV solutions are designed with IT in mind, they still need to be deployed, secured, and maintained like any other business-critical system.
If you’re a systems admin, this means AV is your responsibility, too. But don’t worry – you don’t have to become an AV expert. You just need the right strategies, tools, and best practices to keep AV running smoothly without creating headaches for IT. This post walks you through the basics.
Design Phase: Setting AV Up for IT Success
Most AV challenges start in the design phase – when decisions are made about what to buy, how it connects, and who manages it. If IT isn’t involved early, you could end up with systems that don’t meet security standards, overload your network, or create support challenges later.
Best Practices for IT-Ready AV Design
- Prioritize Enterprise-Grade AV Solutions – Choose AV systems that support IT security policies, offer remote management, and integrate with existing infrastructure. If your solutions provider can’t answer basic security questions, that’s a red flag.
- Align on Security & Network Design – Make sure the AV solution supports your organization’s security and network policies, including authentication standards, encryption, VLAN configuration, and SSO compatibility. If those pieces aren’t baked into the design, it will create friction down the road.
- Plan for Scalability – Avoid one-off solutions that don’t integrate with your broader IT environment. Look for AV-over-IP solutions that use standard network protocols and play well with enterprise IT tools.
- Involve IT from the Start – If IT isn’t in the room when AV decisions are made, you’ll likely be dealing with fixes, workarounds, and surprises later. Getting involved early means less hassle down the road.
Installation Phase: Network Optimization for AV Performance
AV devices don’t need to be network resource drains. Just make sure they have the network priority, segmentation, and security settings needed to perform well without disrupting other critical IT services.
Best Practices for Network-Ready AV Deployment
- Plan for Network Segmentation – While VLANs are standard practice, AV segmentation often goes further. Some organizations create a dedicated AV network on separate switches and topology, which then connects upstream to a production network. This approach helps isolate AV traffic and prevent it from interfering with other business-critical systems – while still allowing controlled access to the internet or shared services via routing rules. Other companies prefer a converged approach to have one view of everything on the network. This approach is gaining adoption in part because more AV manufacturers are addressing the concerns and needs of IT professionals.
- Fine-Tune Network Settings – Multicast, QoS, and firewall rules make all the difference. If AV is dropping out or causing lag, your AV partner should check:
- Multicast settings: Ensure switches are properly configured.
- QoS rules: Prioritize AV traffic without impacting VoIP or other business-critical services.
- Firewall rules: Make sure necessary AV ports aren’t being blocked.
- Choose AV with IT-Friendly Deployment Tools – Enterprise-grade AV solutions come with centralized management dashboards, automated device discovery, and cloud-based configuration. These features make deployment and updates a lot easier.
- Document Everything – Standardize network settings, VLAN configurations, and security protocols so every AV deployment follows the same playbook. This will save hours when troubleshooting or scaling in the future.
Maintenance Phase: Keeping AV Systems Reliable & Secure
Like any IT system, AV needs regular updates, monitoring, and troubleshooting. A strong change management approach ensures these updates are planned, tested, and implemented smoothly – minimizing disruptions and keeping systems aligned with IT policies. The good news? Enterprise-grade AV solutions now support remote monitoring, proactive alerts, and IT-friendly management tools, making it easier to manage AV systems with the same reliability as IT infrastructure.
Best Practices for Long-Term AV Management
- Adopt a Proactive Maintenance Plan – Don’t wait for something to break. Schedule firmware updates, security patches, and routine system checks just like you do for other IT-managed tools.
- Use Remote Monitoring & Alerts – Many enterprise-grade AV systems integrate with IT dashboards and send alerts for performance issues before users even notice a problem. This keeps IT one step ahead.
- Integrate AV into IT Helpdesk Workflows – AV support tickets should be managed just like any other IT request. Make sure AV-related issues can be logged in ServiceNow, Jira, or your preferred ITSM platform so they don’t fall through the cracks.
- Build strong collaboration between IT and AV teams (or partners) – Even when IT takes full responsibility for AV systems, success depends on open communication with AV specialists – whether they’re internal team members or external vendors. Defining roles, setting shared expectations, and maintaining regular check-ins help ensure AV technology aligns with IT strategies and business needs.
“Users aren’t concerned with whether something is IT or AV technology. They’re concerned about what they have going on in their own jobs. To ensure they have the tools they need, we must build ongoing relationships between our functions that we maintain over time – not just during a project’s set-up.” – Paul Mueller, Director of Integration Operations at AVI Systems
The kind of ongoing partnership Paul describes doesn’t just help end users – it also makes troubleshooting faster and more effective. Before making updates to systems that might affect AV performance, loop in your AV specialists. They may be aware of known issues or configuration details that could save you hours of detective work later.
Quick Evaluation Framework for IT-Friendly AV Solutions
When evaluating an AV solution, ask:
- Is it enterprise-grade? (Remote management, security compliance, vendor support)
- Does it meet IT security standards? (Authentication, encryption, access controls)
- Will it scale with IT infrastructure? (Network compatibility, cloud integration)
- Is there a clear support and change management plan? (Remote monitoring, ITSM integration)
If the answer to any of these is ‘no’, it’s probably not a good fit for your IT environment.
Your Trusted Partner for Enterprise-Grade AV
AV isn’t just an "IT-adjacent" technology anymore – it’s a core part of IT infrastructure. By choosing enterprise-grade AV solutions, optimizing network configurations, and treating AV with the same security and management standards as other IT systems, systems admins can ensure a seamless, secure, and scalable AV experience.
Need help selecting the right enterprise-grade AV solutions for your organization? We just so happen to specialize in IT-friendly AV integration. Let’s talk.
