The integrality of the systems has allowed better accessibility to meeting rooms, through scenes that allow the systems to work intuitively.
Richard Santa
The Bios Group brings together different companies from the agro-industrial sector in Colombia. Since 2015, this group has been implementing different solutions for the audiovisual industry in the headquarters of each of its companies. For this, it has worked hand in hand with the Colombian integrator Smart Box.
AVI Latin America spoke with Julián Toro, commercial director of the integrating company, who told details of the constant technological update in Grupo Bios and its most recent project.
Over the years, the Group has had needs that have been working with the different technology systems installed. From safety, energy saving, comfort, to the needs of audiovisual communication, through projections, collaborative aids, video conferences, sound reinforcements and more. Solutions include:
- IP video distribution
- Wireless presentations
- Video conferencing
- Sound and sound reinforcement
- Lighting control
- Bacnet air control
- Access controls
"Grupo Bios is a dynamic and technological company, always open to new technologies in favor of communication, security and productivity. For each technological project, the needs are exposed, planned, programmed, designed, and proposed system, of different types and scopes, for the final definition and approval of the start of technological projects. Technology managers belong to the IT team, they are updated leaders in the technology sector, "said Julián Toro.
The latest integration
The Bios Group has updated and reformed its areas and ways of communicating, generating spaces for coworking, presentations of different areas, even has an auditorium for 100 people. The building houses a large number of people involved in the Group's companies, and this requires the technology to be reliable, stable, easy to operate and very agile.
The representative of Smart Box that are part of the technological project, audiovisual systems, air conditioners, access controls, lighting, video conferences, collaborative aids, working on an integration platform for easy administration and operation.
"One of them, video conferences and collaborative aids, required that the current BMS control system that operates on sound, audiovisual, access control, air conditioners in different communication protocols such as BACNET IP, Serial RS232 and 485, IP, Infrared, integrate organically the resources of video conferences to make a complete and integral BMS system. All this guided by the international standards in force for these types of systems," he added.
In the spaces intervened in the last integration, there were, in some cases, no projection systems or monitors. Each employee reserved a room to connect from their computer to the conferences. In some rooms, audiovisual equipment was available, each employee took his conference on a computer and connected it to the audiovisual equipment, with acoustic and video difficulties.
"They were difficult rooms to manage where the IT manager in the company had to be coordinating resources for employee meetings, turning on each of the teams in a manual way," he said.
Integrated solutions
For this integration, different video conferencing systems were proposed for small meeting rooms (5 people), medium (10 people), management (8 people), management meeting rooms (11-30 people, modular room), presidency (14 people) and auditorium (100 people).
In each room it was fundamental to choose elements such as cameras, microphones, UC engine, video distribution, visualization, control and native conference platform, since the architecture of each space, functionality, acoustics, modulation of furniture means that they should be taken as different projects, integrated with each other. Technologies such as:
- Controllable cameras with 120° angles for presidency, with 20x zoom for auditorium, PTZ with 12x optical lens zoom for modular rooms, duality of cameras in auditorium, cameras with tracking for medium and small rooms, are some of the different choices for each space.
- Microphones to recess in table, arrangement of microphones in sky, professional RF microphones of sound reinforcement, embedded microphones with acoustic echo correction are part of each of the spaces.
- Video projections, video wall and monitors, were elements specifically chosen according to the areas and architectural modulation.
Julián Toro mentioned that "The native Zoom video conference, with the possibility of BYOD was an initial requirement, thinking in the future to change it to Microsoft TEAM with the same equipment, with integration of lighting, air, audiovisual resources integrated in the same platform for an easy and integral operation".
Results achieved
Julián Toro highlighted some aspects after completing this last project: "With the choice of solutions and brands, together with a high level of product training, programming and certifications, we managed to integrate the different systems in each room, with customized interfaces. Constant communication with the IT team, providing feedback at every stage of design, construction and programming, was key, as customization was successfully done to the initial aspirations in each room."
Additionally, he commented that the integrality of the systems has allowed better accessibility to them, through scenes that allow the systems to work intuitively. In addition, communication is of higher quality, and easier to operate and higher productivity.
During the execution of the project, they had to overcome several challenges, among them, due to the moments of implementation during the pandemic and post-pandemic, some brands did not have immediate availability of equipment for the solution. They also found that maintenance and updating of previous systems were not attended to during the pandemic.
Finally, Julián Toro mentioned that "Finding a direct channel and trust in the IT team of companies is of vital importance. Having trained collaborators in the companies in which we work, facilitate the work of specification, design and implementation of the systems, since they intervene in the networks, infrastructure, and other systems of the companies".
Overview
Integrating firm: Smart Box S.A.S.
Manufacturers (brands) involved: Crestron, QSC, Biamp, Clearone, Bose, Marantz, Shure, Audio Technica, Clockaudio, Zoom Meating, Samsung, Logitech, Extreme Networks
Professionals involved: Julián Toro, Smart Box Commercial Director, Electronic Engineer
Company covered with installation: Bios Group
Installation dates: from 2015 to date
