INTRODUCTION
TechnologyOne, an Australian SaaS ERP solutions provider, was searching for the ideal solution to upgrade their aging control system as well as seamlessly integrate with their networked AV infrastructure, user interfaces, and other systems.
This case study explores their journey to identify the right automation and control platform that could easily be scaled to the specific needs of their enterprise. They also wanted to take advantage of the many possibilities that an open control system could offer.
Their system integrator B&H Australia, with support from MadisonAV, recommended an AMX MUSE open control system that could not only address their current needs but would be ready to support many unknown requirements of the future.
Through discussions with key project stakeholders, we hope this story can assist you in evaluating the right solution for your needs as well as illustrating the wide-ranging benefits of shifting to an open control platform.
EVALUATING THE NEED
Anthony Wilder, Facilities/IT Manager at TechnologyOne utilizes one of the many AMX Varia touch panels throughout the facility.
Anthony Wilder, Facilities/IT Manager at TechnologyOne highlighted the importance of reliability and efficiency in their operations. With their existing control system aging, the need for a robust, future-proof solution became evident:
“Our customers are generally local government, federal government, and higher education… Whatever we build and deliver needs to be reliable, needs to work the first time. The space that we’re in now is about 8 or 9 years old. It was overdue for the back end to be replaced.”
PARTNERING TOWARDS THE GOAL
When asked about the longstanding relationship between TechnologyOne and B&H Australia. Craig Langton, General Manager at B&H Australia, underscored how their partnership laid a solid foundation for identifying the next solution to meet their needs:
“B&H Australia has been working with TechnologyOne for approximately 10 years and working with AMX products throughout that time. We’ve done offices for them across Australia and New Zealand and assisted with their overseas offices.”
Explore this in-depth discussion of the possibilities of the AMX MUSE automation and control platform.
POSSIBILITIES OF OPEN CONTROL
MadisonAV Field Service Engineer, Jim Maciejewski, shared more insight into TechnologyOne’s needs:
“TechOne was looking at different control systems, and we were excited by the opportunities of the open control system that (AMX) MUSE provides.”
SHIFT TO STANDARD PROGRAMMING
Sharing his thoughts on control system potential, Graham Barrett, Head of Strategic Partnerships at HARMAN, talked about the importance of standard programming languages in modern control systems:
“So (AMX) MUSE is our next-generation control platform. What’s different is, rather than using proprietary tools, proprietary languages, and requiring special training, programmers from many different walks of life with experiences outside of AV can participate in programming and delivering simple, right up to very complex, control solutions.”
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE & INTEROPERABILITY GOALS
Anthony Wilder emphasized future possibilities of the AMX MUSE platform and aligning with the company’s interoperability goals:
“Our customers are generally local government, federal government, and higher education… Whatever we build and deliver needs to be reliable, needs to work the first time,” said Anthony Wilder, Facilities/IT Manager at TechnologyOne.
“For me, it was more about future potential to tap into other systems and services. So as more and more companies are headed on that ESG route and talk about smart buildings and smart offices and elements like that, this has the potential to unlock a lot of those capabilities.
I can read the booking system, so the air con’s going to go on in the room 20 minutes before people walk in, or all the lights are going to adjust based on brightness outside.
And all of those little elements help on that ESG front, but also help on that user experience front. The scalability and the cost entry compared to the outgoing AMX product set, all made it very appealing.”
INITIAL DEPLOYMENT
In their first implementation, TechnologyOne successfully deployed the AMX MUSE platform in two training rooms, showcasing its versatility and effectiveness. Anthony Wilder added:
“This space here is the first space that we did with AMX MUSE. So it’s essentially two training rooms that can run in joined or combined mode.”
“B&H Australia has been working with TechnologyOne for approximately 10 years and working with AMX products throughout that time,” said Craig Langton, General Manager at B&H Australia.
ADVANCED FEATURES & USABILITY
Jim Maciejewski shared TechnologyOne’s previous history with AMX SVSI networked AV solutions as well as AMX Varia UX:
“In this space, we have (AMX SVSI) N2600 encoders and decoders, which are used for moving video around the room. We have (AMX) Varia touch panels that allow you to control and interact with the system, so you can turn things on and off.
We also have the (AMX) MUSE controller, which is the brains behind the whole thing running everything from the rack.”
SUPPORT & TRAINING RESOURCES
Craig Langton and Jim Maciejewski highlighted the support and training resources that eased the technical learning curve in this project:
HARMAN Professional Training offers in-person and on-demand training around the world for AMX MUSE and a wide range of other audio, video, control, and lighting integration technologies.
Craig Langton:
“The (AMX) MUSE platform, particularly with the Node-RED environment, was something that was new to me, but I found it very easy to pick up given the support structure that exists across other platforms.”
Jim Maciejewski:
“There are large public repositories of information and different projects that other people have done, and they’ve left examples. Because it’s open source, there are a lot of things that are available on the web.
We are always available for support with any of our products, and we’re happy to help people out on the phone, and sometimes we’ll do remote sessions if we need to. We have a lot of experience with programming AV systems, so we can help out quite in-depth that way.”
SEAMLESS DEPLOYMENT
Anthony Wilder expressed TechnologyOne’s satisfaction with the project that propelled further implementation in their larger Sydney operations:
“So after doing this space and vetting it in for a few weeks, we’ve deployed (AMX) MUSE to Sydney, which is a full site.
Some of the elements in there include boardrooms, training rooms, simple meeting rooms, as well as what we call a village green space.
I guess it’s been rather invisible to the end users and to the team members and staff so no one’s called us to say, ‘We’ve got this new thing, how do I use it?’, so everything has just worked.”
Check out all the AMX MUSE video resources available to illustrate how to use and get the most out of the platform.
Graham Barrett highlighted the seamless integration of the AMX MUSE platform in providing immediate benefits for TechnologyOne:
“Adopting any new technology can be a leap of faith for both the end user and the integrator. But in this project, we saw immediate benefit for both B&H in terms of very rapid development using Node-RED and for TechnologyOne in a future-proofed environment where they can integrate their AV as a first-class citizen with their other enterprise systems and environments.”
PROJECT OUTCOME & CLIENT SATISFACTION
Craig Langton reflected on the success of the project and expressed excitement for future integration and advancements with the AMX MUSE platform:
“Certainly, we found that with this project, all of the items we’re hoping to achieve out of it, in the core concept of getting two functional training rooms with ease of use for the client, have been achieved well by the AMX MUSE product.
What we’re looking forward to is the next steps and where we go to with that, and that’s what we’re excited about—the further integration across platforms into the IT and into the security and building management systems.”
WRAPPING UP
TechnologyOne’s transition to the AMX MUSE platform exemplifies the power of innovative technology in enhancing efficiency, reliability, and future potential.
As TechnologyOne continues to explore new possibilities, their journey serves as an inspiration for embracing next-level, open system solutions, to elevate the enterprise.
EXPLORE FURTHER
Dive into all of our additional details, specifications, videos, training, and more:
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- AMX MUSE Automation & Control Platform
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