Category: Articles

You may have seen them at a corporate campus, downtown commercial high-rise, shopping center or hospital. The use of autonomous security robots in parking areas is on the rise. Why is that, and are they a viable solution for your clients? Inflation. Rising gas prices. Vehicles parked longer than usual. Skyrocketing values for precious metals. […]

Videoconferencing usage has accelerated in today’s learning environments, and it shows no sign of stopping. J.C. Laucirica, president of integrator Innovate-AV agrees that there’s no going back to the way things were pre-COVID-19. The change is permanent. Higher-education clients are looking for more digital-forward classrooms that incorporate immersive solutions that work seamlessly with all video-collaboration […]

No matter how you slice it, 2021 was sweet music to the ears for the members of the CE Pro 100. The annual list of the largest custom integration companies had “record”-breaking growth last year that would make Adele envious. The median member of the CE Pro 100 had revenues of $6.56 million, up from […]

Commercial Integrator seeks not only to help integrators run their businesses better but also to spotlight the incredible things that integration companies do across the country and around the world. Over the past year, even as COVID-19-related challenges continued, those in our industry selflessly helped charities, groups of people and individuals. By doing things both […]

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — NSCA, a not-for-profit association representing the commercial integration industry, has released its 2022 Compensation & Benefits Report. The report is based on data gathered from systems integrators all across North America. The report tracks and benchmarks compensation and benefits data for a variety of key positions within the industry. Those roles […]

A classroom isn’t what it used to be five years ago, let alone 10 years ago. Just as auditoriums aren’t used only for the annual spring and fall play anymore — rather, they’re multi-use spaces that might host, for example, city council meetings — classrooms are no longer single-use spaces, either. “COVID-19 made every traditional […]

Cybersecurity is becoming a top priority for businesses in all industries and with good reason — it’s critical for protecting the privacy of your organization and customers, and avoiding reputational damage from a phishing or ransomware attack. Cyber threats are also constantly evolving, and throwing up new challenges in a world where workplaces already feel […]

Is it time to put that turntable back into your product mix? Probably! Consumers are continuing to gravitate to vinyl with the COVID-19 spurring the trend rapidly. According to a study from MusicWatch, vinyl album sales grew an astonishing 27% during the pandemic, with 18 million consumers aged 13 and over buying vinyl in 2021. […]

The way security and automation dealers and their clients interact is changing rapidly as technology advances and do-it-yourself (DIY) systems proliferate. Continued dealer success hinges on their ability to embrace these changes as part of everyday business. Traditionally, the dealer was the source of all devices and services required for a connected home. Dealers installed […]

Businesses across the entire world are stressed right now for various reasons: post-pandemic struggles, fluctuating economies, the war in Ukraine, staff shortages, ongoing supply chain issues, and more. The resulting “hustle culture” at many workplaces may seem reasonable — but it leads to employee burnout. So is a four-day workweek the solution? Many business owners […]