This project was undertaken for a multinational company with a diverse portfolio, headquartered in the UK. The project started during their recent London relocation and included the implementation of new workplace technology including video and collaboration systems, a room booking solution, client experience spaces and building-wide digital signage across 5 floors and an outdoor space. The client goals were to better support their dynamic work environment by significantly enhancing operational efficiency, improving the user experience, whilst ensuring their sustainability objectives were achieved by implementing a centralised remote management and monitoring system. They requested a remote AV management system that allows IT managers to monitor and control systems and devices from any location, offering capabilities such as remote startup and shutdown aligned with the operational status of the building.
Centralised monitoring was crucial for managing and supporting these systems, including integration with platforms such as ServiceNow for efficient ticketing. Additionally, they needed automated usage tracking and maintenance scheduling to ensure optimal performance and support. Energy management was also a critical focus to manage renewable resources and analyse energy consumption. Utelogy was able to unify, monitor, and control the following:
• Logitech RallyBar and RallyBar mini systems
• Poly X Series
• Lenovo ThinkSmart
• Yealink MTR
• Neat MTR
• Crestron MTR
For smart building integration, the client was interested in enhancing the user experience through hospitality communication, utilising ocupan sensors for efficient space utilisation, and enabling location services for effective tracking of individuals within the building. Digital signage was provided to promote company environmental and health goals by distributing sustainability and wellness information throughout the building. Security and access control integration was also requested for seamless building access and meeting room utilisation. Additionally, environmental room conditions were optimised by automating lighting and shading. An AV management platform was envisioned to inform room booking systems of AV issues, ensuring efficient space management. Lastly, leveraging AV equipment such as sensors for people counting and space utilisation insights were desired for understanding building occupancy and usage patterns. These needs underscored the client’s dedication to leveraging technology for creating a more connected, efficient, and user-centric environment.
Before the deployment of Utelogy, the client encountered significant challenges that impacted their operational efficiency and technological management across their facilities. These challenges were multifaceted, affecting various aspects of their IT and AV infrastructure management:
• Understaffing in IT Support and Asset Management: Under-resourcing resulted in inadequate management and maintenance of the technological infrastructure; systems were not consistently operational and were unable to meet the demands of the business. The lack of sufficient personnel meant that existing staff were stretched thin, potentially leading to burnout and reduced effectiveness in managing the IT and AV assets
• Lack of Clarity on Asset Inventory within the Estate: Without a clear and comprehensive overview of the assets within their estate, managing these resources became a complicated and manual endeavor. This lack of transparency made planning for maintenance, upgrades, and deployment of new technologies challenging. It also hindered the company’s ability to make informed decisions about asset utilisation, leading to potential redundancies and inefficiencies in their technological infrastructure
• Excessive spending on Tier 1 support and manual system checks: This was partly due to the reliance on external support services and the need for manual intervention to ensure systems were functioning correctly. Such manual checks were time-consuming and labour-intensive, requiring significant investment in human resources and financial expenditure. This not only increased operational costs but also diverted resources away from strategic initiatives and improvements
• Delays in meeting start times due to system readiness issues: AV/UC systems were not always prepared for immediate use, leading to wasted time and frustration among employees and management. These delays disrupted the flow of business operations, negatively affecting productivity and potentially impacting the company’s professional image during external meetings and conferences. These challenges highlighted the need for a more efficient, automated, and integrated approach to managing AV/UC assets. The deployment of Utelogy aimed to address these issues by introducing a centralised management platform that could streamline operations, reduce manual interventions, and enhance overall system readiness and reliability.
The comprehensive Utelogy solution provided the client with a transformative approach to managing their AV and IT infrastructure:
• Centralised AV equipment control and monitoring: Utelogy’s platform allowed for a significant reduction in staffing needs by enabling IT staff to manage and troubleshoot AV systems remotely. Centralisation meant that issues could be identified and resolved without the need for physical presence, thus optimising staff deployment and reducing the reliance on extensive IT support teams.
• Comprehensive asset tracking and management features: Utelogy provided a clear and detailed view of their AV/UC assets throughout the estate. This facilitates better planning for maintenance, upgrades, and the deployment of new technologies. It ensured that all assets were documented and identified, their status monitored, and their usage optimised, leading to more efficient asset management and deployment.
• Automating system checks and maintenance tasks: The Utelogy platform automated routine system checks and maintenance tasks that were previously performed manually. This automation significantly reduced manual labour and associated costs, enhancing operational efficiency. Automated checks ensured that AV/UC systems were healthy, ready for use, and that any issues were identified and addressed proactively, significantly improving room uptime.
• Enhancing system readiness: Utelogy’s automation features ensured that AV/UC systems were operational and optimised for meetings, improving the time to meeting start by eliminating delays caused by UX complexity or system readiness issues. Utelogy enabled the scheduling of system start-ups and shutdowns, aligning system availability with room bookings and operational hours. Additionally. critical systems were always online, or quickly recoverable, minimising disruptions to meetings.
The project outcome has been highly positive. Together, these solutions from Utelogy not only addressed the immediate challenges faced by the client but also provided a scalable, flexible platform for future growth and adaptation. The deployment marked a significant shift towards a more efficient, automated, and user-friendly approach to AV/UC and IT infrastructure management, underpinning commitment to leveraging technology for operational excellence and enhanced user experiences.
Cost and time-savings included:
• Reduced IT support and system maintenance costs by up to 40% annually, thanks to the automation and remote management capabilities of Utelogy.
• Reduced the time spent on manual system checks and maintenance by 75%, freeing up IT staff to focus on higher-value projects
.Improved system uptime and meeting efficiency benefits included:
• Achieved a 99.9% system uptime rate, minimising disruptions and ensuring that technology is always available when needed.
• Reduced the average delay in meeting start times from 10 minutes to under 2 minutes, enhancing productivity and improving meeting efficiency across global locations.
Energy consumption was reduced:
• Lowered energy consumption by 30% through automated management of room availability and equipment power states, contributing significantly to the company’s sustainability initiatives.
• Automated systems resulted in turning off unused AV equipment, saving approximately 15,000 kWh of electricity per year.
Support for hybrid work environments include:
• Improved the flexibility of remote and on-site teams having seamless access to necessary tools and systems, while increasing utilisation of AV assets by over 50%.
• Enhanced employee satisfaction and engagement in hybrid work settings, with a reported 25% improvement in collaboration efficiency due to reliable and flexible AV and IT systems. These statistics highlight the transformative impact of Utelogy’s platform, underscoring significant enhancements in efficiency, sustainability, and adaptability to hybrid work environments.
The Utelogy advantage
Utelogy delivers strategic benefits so you don’t have to abandon your existing technology investment and have flexibility to make choices in the future:
• 360 degree view of your AV/UC estate – Single platform for control, automation, monitoring and management
• Hardware agnostic with the ability to integrate new devices and new protocols
• Largest driver and integration library on the market
• Simple configuration as opposed to complex programming
• Track and report device usage, room usage, energy consumption, and performance metrics
• Proactive room and device alerts and analytics
• Self-healings and smart automations for cost recovery and preventive maintenance
• Hardware and asset management
• REST API to integrate to other enterprise systems, data connectors, and 3rd party integrations
• Open architecture with support for standard web technologies
