What is a Certified Technology Specialist and Why is it Important?

The Audio Visual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA), is a hub for professional collaboration, information, and community, and the leading resource for AV standards, certification, training, market intelligence and thought leadership.  For more than 30 years AVIXA has administered the Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) Program.  Within the CTS program, there are three levels of specialists - CTS, CTS-I and CTS-D.

CTS is the general audio visual certification, CTS-I is specific to the task of installation and CTS-D is specific to the task of design.  Currently there are more than 12,000 CTS holders and more than 2,000 hold either CTS-I or CTS-D credentials.  

In June, more than 44,000 visitors attended the InfoComm Show in Las Vegas and more than 80,000 attendees are expected to attend Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) Show in 2019. As the industry continues to mature and develop, the CTS certification remains a coveted certification.

As a current or potential client you may be thinking ‘Why is it important for my organization to work with a solutions provider that has Certified Technology Specialists?’  

The CTS program benchmarks industry personnel against peer developed standards which upon successful completion of the exam, provides a three year certification.  At the conclusion of the three-year period, either the holder must have obtained 30 renewal units (RU’s) as outlined by AVIXA or the certification lapses and is no longer valid.

There are many professionals within the audio visual industry and the ability for customers to feel comfortable and confident in working with a particular company should begin with a clear understanding of their abilities.  

At Newgentek, we feel certifications and industry training are important for employee development and an integral part of delivering the very best solutions with a strong knowledge base behind it.  We are proud to say that today we have eight (8) people within Newgentek that are CTS holders and will continue to grow that number in accordance with our company growth!

Infocomm 2018 Recap!

InfoComm 2018 occurred last week, Wednesday, June 6th thru Friday, June 8th in Las Vegas, NV. 

InfoComm 2018 is the largest professional audiovisual trade show in the United States, with thousands of products for audio, unified communications and collaboration, display, video, control, digital signage, home automation, security, virtual reality and live events.

InfoComm provides integrators with a unique opportunity to meet with 1,000 exhibitors, thousands of products, and 44,000 attendees from 110 countries.

For the past 10+ years InfoComm has alternated between Las Vegas, NV and Orlando, FL. The change in geography gives integration partners and end users an opportunity to attend the trade show with at least a bi-annual frequency, however for the Newgentek team, InfoComm is a ‘must go’ each year.  Here's why.

InfoComm provides Newgentek with the ability to see cutting edge technology and schedule meetings with our key vendor partners. As highlighted in our Mission Statement, our company is built on Strategic Partnerships - which are made up of our employees, customers and key vendors. 

The theme this year seemed to be "more with less". Here is a review of specific technologies we noticed during our booth tours:

Video Conferencing / Huddle Room Solutions:

• Gone are the days of dedicated hardware video conferencing solutions for institutions.  Companies like Zoom who partner with Logitech and Crestron provide a soft codec experience and are changing the game. Click here to learn more about Zoom.
• Logitech provides numerous feature-rich camera options like Meet-Up or Rally to provide crisp video and clear audio for users to communicate from one office in America to another in Europe. 
• Crestron has continued to modify their Mercury solution that ties directly into the Zoom Platform for ease of configuration and allow room users to have their content shared on the screen within moments of arriving. Want more information on Crestron's Mercury solution?  Click here.

Audio Solutions:

• The JBL Brand within the Harman family continues to be a household name. This year they showcased their 2x2 Ceiling Speaker. The benefit to this speaker is the un-intrusive appeal. Most rooms use the 2x2 Ceiling Tile pattern, and the LCT 81C/T drops directly into an open 2x2 tile and provides that brilliant JBL sound. Click here to learn more.
• Sonance hit a home run with speaker appeal with the Professional Series PS-P63T. It’s a 70V/100V/8 Ohm selectable Pendant Speaker that utilizes a minimalistic design similar to pendant lighting to blend discreetly into the environment.

Eye-Catchers:

• Samsung showcased their Fl!p board, a digital white board device that provides collaboration within Huddle Rooms, Boardrooms and Conference Rooms. When the room users have all of their information on the board, instead of taking a picture of the board, the content can be emailed directly to meeting attendees. One more nice feature is the ability for the Fl!p to be used in landscape or portrait format.

For the Newgentek team, we returned from InfoComm energized about where the professional audiovisual industry is headed. We are excited to meet with our key customers to share the ways we can incorporate technology in an easy to use format, with a focus on how we can increase their productivity.

The countdown begins to InfoComm 2019, June 12th thru June 14th in Orlando, FL!

Our Recap of the 2018 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago!

What exactly is the National Restaurant Association (NRA)?  The NRA is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations.  The association was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Washington, DC.

On Saturday, May 19th, NRA kicked off its 99th Annual Show in Chicago which ran through Tuesday, May 22nd.  Many folks, including myself, wondered why the NRA show is in Chicago - that answer is easy. To start, Chicago is home to 7,300 restaurants, which ranks in the Top 10 Cities in America.  With 22 of the 7,300 restaurants ranked as Michelin starred restaurants, it's not hard to find top quality eating experiences.

Now back to the show…50,000 folks from around the United States attend the show to meet with 1,800 exhibitors representing equipment and products related to the Food and Beverage sector, furnishings, decorations, paper, plastic supplies, services, tableware, food itself and our personal favorite - technology.

In short order, the restaurant industry has evolved at a rapid clip to incorporate technology kiosks for ordering, interactive signage for menus, digital kitchen solutions, pay ahead technology and now the ability to incorporate robots into automating the process.

Gwen Brannon, Director of Guest Insights and Analytics at The Coca-Cola Company shared with operators during a panel session that “People are tethered to digital devices”.  We all see technology in today's society taking our industry to new heights.

There were a few key manufacturer partners that stood out with new technology offerings - here are a few of those partners:

PAR Point-of-Sale:

Par’s point-of-sale technology, referred to as Brink, is a cloud-based software that easily adapts to support the evolving needs of customers.  As a cloud-based POS software solution, Brink does not require a back-office computer, and all your data is safe, secure and accessible in the cloud.  There are no upfront licensing fees, and upgrades are included and performed automatically. To recap, here are the four main reasons Brink POS is a leader in our industry:

• Automatic Upgrades
• Secured Data
• Accessible Anywhere
• Fault Tolerant

For more info on Brink, click here.

BrightSign:

BrightSign state-of-the-art technology is found around the world, powering digital signage in every vertical market.  BrightSign hardware is known for ultimate reliability and an extremely robust operating system purpose-built for digital signage.  BrightSign uses a simple process from content creation to publishing - the six step process is as follows:

• Concept
• Content
• Software
• BrightSign OS
• Media Players
• Digital Signage

For more info on BrightSign, click here.

FusionPrep:

FusionPrep is a digital kitchen solution that will revolutionize your kitchen.  FusionPrep offers the following services as a part of their offering:

• Keep track of receipts and builds
• Simplify your prep process
• Fast label printing
• Simple reporting interface

For more info on FusionPrep, click here.

In addition to the specific manufacturers mentioned above, the NRA show has a dedicated Technology Innovation Hub which offered exhibitors the ability to view, test and meet with ~100 manufacturers in the technology vertical market.  During the Signature ‘18 Keynote speech, Dawn Sweeney, President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association, recognizes the need to incorporate technology into the new age restaurants across the country.

We at Newgentek are counting down the days until next year’s NRA Show - it’s scheduled to occur May 18th-21st, 2019 back at McCormick Place in Chicago.  Newgentek will be present at the show and hope to see and meet with many current and prospective clients!

Until then...Bon Appetit!

Five Newgentek Team Members Have Received Their CTS Certification!

Today we are proud to announce that five more team members at Newgentek have received the Certified Technology Specialist certification!  Congratulations to Chon Nguyen, Tim Hall, Jason Riverol, Adin McDermott, and Kellen Brown!  Newgentek now has a total eight team members with a CTS certification!

The Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) certification is administered by AVIXA and is recognized worldwide as the leading AV professional credential. Candidates who have passed the exam demonstrate competency, experience, and ethics.

One of our core values is 'we believe in shared success'. We believe in growing and nurturing our team's careers through ongoing training, education, and certifications.  We truly care about supporting the development of our people, so that they can continue to grow in their professional careers. On behalf of our entire organization, we appreciate your dedication and hard work in obtaining this certification and appreciate the value you bring to our organization and customers!

Newgentek Becomes Investor in the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation

Newgentek is excited to be an investor in the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation.  We are proud to be a part of a robust and growing community and look forward to contributing to Tampa's growing economy.

PRESS RELEASE:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Newgentek has entered into a partnership to become an investor in the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation (EDC) effective May 1, 2018.

“We are delighted to join the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation as an investor.” said Jared Lederhandler, President of Newgentek.

“Upon meeting with the EDC to review their strategic plan and growth model for Hillsborough County, we understood the importance of investing within our surrounding community for economic growth.”

Established in 2009 as a partnership between the public sector and private corporate investors, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation is the lead designated economic development agency for Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace, and an official partner of Enterprise Florida, Inc.  Working with corporate executives, site selection consultants, real estate professionals, and other influential decision-makers, the EDC provides customers confidential relocation and expansion services to domestic and international companies interested in growing their business in Hillsborough County. Locally, the EDC helps existing businesses access the tools and resources needed to succeed.

“Companies like Newgentek and its executive team will play a big role in shaping our region’s economic future,” said Craig J. Richard, President and CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation.

“We are excited to welcome them as an investor in our organization, and look forward to having their leadership and participation in our initiatives to grow our local economy.”

About Newgentek:

Newgentek is a full service systems integrator focused on being a strategic partner providing turnkey solutions for our clients.  Our Restaurant and Retail division serves multi-unit operators and our Unified Communications division serves corporate and enterprise clients.  Our goal in both divisions is to turn customers’ infrastructure, network, point of sale, and audio visual requirements of any complexity into manageable, easy to use solutions through our industry leading workplace transformation process.

For more information, please contact:

Megan Nguyen

Director of Marketing

megan.nguyen@newgentek.com

813-283-0684

Conference Room Scheduling & Management

Are you keeping a piece of paper outside of the conference room to keep track of scheduling?  

Resource management, especially conference room management, is becoming more and more important.  The need to maximize the resources that are available in a given company has become a top priority throughout organizations.

As many organizations outfit technology within training rooms, conference rooms or huddle spaces, the next logical step is how to reserve the room.  Throughout many organizations today, those rooms are reserved by scheduling the resource through the companies email client - whether Microsoft Outlook, Google, etc.  The missing piece is how that data translates to the room itself.

Just imagine, your team is strategizing on how to penetrate emerging markets outside of your geographic territory with a white board full of great ideas when… your co-worker enters the room insisting that he/she has the conference room that you reserved.  Without any type of room scheduling or management solutions implemented, you and the team leave the room in hopes that you’re able to pick up where you left off. If this sounds familiar - good news! You’re not alone and even better news, there are tools that can assist!

When searching the market for this tool, you will discover that the solutions have changed within the past few years.  Approximately three years ago, many of these tools were solutions that required hours of programming and configuration.  In certain applications those systems are applicable, but in others, the focus is based on three factors: Scalability, Implementation & Ease of Use.  Let’s better understand each of these factors.

Scalability:

In business today, scalability is critical.  No matter how many rooms are formal boardrooms vs. huddle spaces, seats to a room, or geographic boundaries - technology provides organizations the ability for each room to look uniform, be managed by your current email client and provide the room-user with the same experience and behaviors whether your employees find themselves in Chicago today and Los Angeles tomorrow.

Implementation:

Gone are the days of installing a hardware solution and finding that your organization does not go live with the solution for another two weeks due to the backend coordination, programming and configuration and adoption of the software.  The market offers many solutions, such as Zoom Rooms, which allows users to utilize any type of device like an iPad or Android Tablet installed outside of a room, and through a simple, standardized user interface, it is up and running within a few hours.

Ease of Use:

The million dollar question now becomes - how easy are these solutions to use?  In today’s world, many of these solutions require the room-user to be technical - which inevitably has the room-user reaching out to the IT department to schedule room resources.  As with many of the solutions on the market today, Zoom Rooms are able to be reserved from the calendar within an organization's email client or through the front of the scheduling panel itself.  Additionally, with a bank of rooms lining the hallway of an organization, a user is able to understand which rooms are available just by looking at the tablet mounted outside of the room. The bottom quarter of the room scheduling solution will be lit green for available and red for occupied.  The benefit here is for room-users to conduct ad hoc meetings without having to schedule these resources from their desk.

Gone are the days of the piece of paper that is printed at 6 am only be outdated by 8 am.  Let Newgentek demonstrate the scalability, implementation and ease of use that room scheduling solutions offer!

Considering Technology in the Site-Selection Process

If you’re a multi-site operator in the throes of opening a new restaurant or retail location, technology is likely not the first consideration weighing on your mind. In today’s cloud-driven business environment and with consumers increasingly demanding WiFi connectivity from the businesses they frequent, the digital infrastructure of a potential site for a hospitality business matters more than ever before. While assessing a location for compatibility with your business requires careful planning, a strategic partnership with the right vendor can make the process painless. Here are some tips for assessing site infrastructure:

• Survey Potential Locations

Begin evaluating the infrastructure of a location of interest for your new site during the earliest stages of site selection. Plan for your technology with an eye toward future growth, much as you would when choosing the size of the location. To avoid costly roadblocks to future technology initiatives, savvy operators rely on an experienced partner to conduct a site-survey to evaluate available internet service providers (ISP’s).

• Consider Bandwidth Needs

Ideally, you want to choose a location with multiple ISP’s capable of delivering the bandwidth and telecom services needed to keep complex technical systems running without a hiccup. As you adopt VOIP phones or cloud-based technology, this data connection serves as the backbone of your operation – speed and reliability are critical.

• Rethink Guest WiFi

A recent University of South Florida study determined that 70% of patrons prefer restaurants or retail locations with WiFi hotspots. The study also noted a correlation between offering WiFi and a customer’s probability of becoming a loyal customer. Even if you don’t provide WiFi for customers today, select an ISP that can scale up your bandwidth in the future as your needs grow.    

• Include IT and Development

Share the results of this survey with your IT or third-party development team to ensure the ISP meets current and future requirements. Looping in your tech team helps avoid expensive and unexpected retrofitting costs as you roll out future technology solutions. Keep in mind that most modern point-of-sale systems, especially those with built-in loyalty program management, require a reliable high-speed connection.

• Plan for Redundancy

Operators of multi-unit businesses with a high-volume of transactions should pay careful attention to redundancy and continuity plans. According to the independent technology research organization, Standish Group, every minute of POS downtime costs retailers an average of $4,700. Fortunately, modern cellular networks mean the cost of redundancy is usually affordable, even for small and mid-size operations. When conducting site surveys, we test for cellular connectivity to ensure the integrity of contingency options. Deploying redundant 4G cellular failover solutions keeps your business processing credit transactions, gift cards, and loyalty programs in the event of a network outage with the primary ISP.

The easiest way to simplify the site-selection process is to develop a detailed list of requirements, which should include network availability, bandwidth and cellular connectivity. Planning for your technology growth up-front enables you to avoid significant or costly roadblocks when it comes time to implement new technology solutions in the future. Opening a new restaurant or retail location is complex enough. That’s why it’s important to find a partner who understands the unique challenges of multi-unit brands and can help you plan for the future.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you plan and execute your IT infrastructure and technology goals.

Support Services - It means no worries!

Expectations are reality and it’s reality for employees to expect technology to function.  The million-dollar question is - what is the cost of lost productivity when facilities lose a room asset for hours or even days?

Maintenance Agreements that include Preventative Maintenance is key!  It allows full service systems integrators to complete a thorough check up of your audio-visual system and components during multiple opportunities on an annual basis.  The ability for integrators to identify potential mishaps with technology prior to an important meeting will ultimately save time and money.

Whether your organization specializes in finance, law, medical, pharmaceuticals or any type of business for that matter, proactive support services allows your organization to focus on your initiatives while we provide ‘Hakuna Matata’.  Wait, what is Hakuna Matata...it means no worries!  

As a strategic partner in your business, audio-visual integrators focus on your shared success by ensuring clients realize maximum efficiencies and productivity while experiencing minimal downtime.  Let’s expand on the potential mishaps that can occur during the lifecycle of technology:

Unplanned Downtime:

One specific benefit of having Maintenance Agreements in place is the ability to improve equipment life and avoid unplanned downtime.  Similar to your annual physical at the doctor, this is scheduled ahead of time in an effort to uncover challenges. Audio visual strategic partners will spend several hours every couple months running the technology through its paces.  When we find situations that could interrupt business and potentially cause downtime - those fixes would be scheduled and completed ahead of the next big meeting.

Unreliable System Costs:

Imagine this - you walk into a huddle room to conduct a videoconference with your largest client to finalize a project, and the videoconference system is down and unable to be restored.  Putting the emotional frustration aside, you’ve now potentially lost a client or a particular opportunity due to technology mishaps - this is detrimental. This is an immeasurable risk that you cannot afford to take if your goal is to maximize your company’s revenue and make good impressions on current or prospective clients.  Another catch during the Preventative Maintenance appointment!

Software Concerns:

With much of America dealing with and understanding how security concerns affect their technology, the potential exists for bugs to be introduced within the audio-visual technology.  With Maintenance Agreements in place with various Service Level Agreements (SLA’s), the ability for audio visual integrators to involve themselves within minutes remotely or onsite within hours, could make all the difference in achieving your organization’s IT security initiatives.  Don’t let bugs sneak in through the cracks!

Not only can a Maintenance Agreement keep your integrated systems optimized and performing, but it can also save you money.  Expensive components, hourly rates, and emergency services vs. proactive maintenance can prove to be a costly adventure.

Let Newgentek show you how we can provide Hakuna Matata, so your organization can focus on your corporate initiatives!

Designing a Fail-Proof Business - Redundancy and Business Continuity

Although we live in an age where access to the internet is becoming easier and more reliable, it is never guaranteed that our internet connectivity technology will always work perfectly. Operating a business with multiple sites, whether restaurant or retail, it is one of the critical functions that you need to do business and provide a seamless experience for your customer.  Whether it be that ice storm that sweeps through the country, or your cable provider isn’t quite doing their job, you can probably expect your internet access to fail at some point in your restaurant’s lifetime. Planning ahead and having a business continuity plan is extremely important.

When something unexpected happens, if you don’t have a strategy in place to back up your current network, your operations could be in complete disarray. What does it look like when your staff’s handhelds or your point-of-sale systems suddenly don’t have that ubiquitous connectivity that they are used to? Imagine writing down credit card numbers manually on a pad for each customer order. Imagine no music for the customers and just an echo of voices flooding through your establishment. Imagine having to keep track of table vacancies and logging shifts manually.

It would be a disaster.  But luckily there are ways to support your operational systems and keep them up and running when your local network shuts down.

Running Your Business Offline

The first step is making sure as many of your critical applications are able to run offline as possible. If your company is streaming music for your customers, you may be at the mercy of the amount of bandwidth available to your network. You are also very dependant on network reliability, and we all know that some of the most reliable enterprise-grade WiFi systems go down from time to time.

But music streaming apps today have made it much easier to compile playlists for offline listening. Top music streaming applications like My Instore Radio, Spotify, Google Play, and Apple Music not only offer the ability to download custom-made playlists within seconds, but also have thousands of pre-organized playlists for you to tailor to whatever crowd you are bringing to your store or restaurant.  Having an offline music application is also one way to ensure your customers have the same experience every time.

So, as a multi-unit operator, taking inventory of the applications that you can run offline is your first step in your business continuity plan.

A Backup Plan - Have a Redundant Network

So you have moved most of your business applications offline. Great! But the reality is that you will still need internet access for some of your most critical store-operating functions in times when your main network isn’t accessible. What is a restaurant operator to do when your business is at peak operating hours, and your network goes down?  How will you run credit cards, gift and loyalty cards and keep business running smoothly?

This is where choosing the right solution for failover connectivity is crucial to your bottom line. Having a failover system implemented that automates the switch from your main network to a 4G network will not only give you 100% reliability, but it also gives you peace of mind when it comes to having stable access to the internet. It will also save you tens of thousands of dollars in revenue in the long run.  Losing sales because your internet is down isn’t an option in today’s world of intense competition.

Partner with an Experienced Vendor

The only thing left to do is to implement these systems. We work with companies like Cradlepoint that develop solutions which integrate seamlessly with your network infrastructure. We project plan, design and implement these solutions nationally for our multi-unit customers, always keeping in mind what their business goals are and how we can make life easier for them.

As a multi-unit restaurant or retail operator, there is enough stress with the nature of the business. Added stress due to unforeseen network outages can and should be avoided with a clear redundancy and business continuity plan. In order to ensure success with every store opening and with the restaurant technology and retail technology available today, are you using all of the tools that are at your disposal to have fail-proof systems? Planning ahead for worst case scenarios is how businesses keep a competitive edge and succeed, allowing your business to grow with no setbacks.

Congratulations - Daniel Meyers & Brett Carey!

Today I'm proud to announce that our Engineering Manager, Brett Carey and Project Manager, Daniel Meyers are CTS Certified! Along with our President Jared Lederhandler, we now have three team members who hold the certification. 

The Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) certification is administered by AVIXA and is recognized worldwide as the leading AV professional credential. Candidates who have passed the exam demonstrate competency, experience, and ethics.

Our leadership team understands the importance of ongoing training and education. One of our core values is 'we believe in shared success'. We want to ensure that we're supporting the development of our people, so that they can continue to progress in their professional careers. On behalf of our entire organization, we appreciate your dedication and hard work in obtaining this certification and appreciate the value you bring to our organization and customers!