I had a couple of goals when we did our CI Profile on Rhode Island-based Constant Technologies. [related]One, of course, was to shed light on a fast-growing integration firm that takes an industry atypical approach to just about everything. Another was to illustrate that opportunities that stem from the redefining of what’s considered mission critical AV.
Those opportunities, however, might not be for every AV integration firm. In fact, they’re probably not, according to Brad Righi, president of Constant Technologies.
“For many competitors, I think it’s a stretch to do a very complex room whereas for us general AV and other things would be rather simple,” Righi says in the CI Profile.
What separates Constant Technologies, he says, is its unwavering attention to the market. “We stay in our lane and solely focus on mission critical AV.”
Redefining Mission Critical AV
The opportunities around mission critical AV are evolving because so is the definition of “mission critical.”
“Every customer’s term of ‘mission critical’ and their sources is different,” says Danny Sasseville, Constant Technologies
“‘Mission critical’ used to be deemed just for the department of defense and other satellite missions, Righi says in a video interview for CI. “As the world changes, especially in the cyber world, protecting data affects everyone. From retailers protecting credit card data to social media companies protecting user data the market has certainly broadened. It has been something we welcome because our expertise has allowed us to fuel growth.”
The shift is significant for all AV integration firms, not just those dedicated to mission critical applications. Consider that for traditional customers the value that they put on information displayed on a video wall might be elevated. For a lot of reasons organizations are extremely protective of their information. Meanwhile, they place an extremely high value on business communication.
This all leads to applications that might be deemed as “traditional” in the past becoming “mission critical” in the customer’s eyes.
“Every customer’s term of ‘mission critical’ and their sources is different,” says Danny Sasseville, VP of project engineering for Constant Technologies, in the CI Profile. “The financial market might deem their stock view a lot more mission critical than somebody else.”
As the mission critical market expands, AV integrators need to ask themselves if they’re capable of delivering these critical solutions.
If they can, they’re presented with a new market opportunity. If they can’t, they may see their customer base shrink.
