25+ years in AV and the networks it runs on.
I’ve spent more than 25 years designing, programming, installing, and supporting audio, video, and control systems, from high-end homes to enterprise spaces and live-event stages. Over that time AV moved onto the network, and so did I. Today I’m the final escalation tier for AV and network problems.
Where the 25 years went
The final escalation tier for AV and network problems on a managed services platform. I manage and monitor 150+ IPsec VPN tunnels on FortiGate and take the problems nobody else could close. I first joined in 2018 and was rehired after six months away.
Programmed Crestron control systems for a global audio-visual integrator.
Set deployment strategy, vetted new technology, and ran the cost comparisons that shaped what we recommended to customers.
Ran my own Crestron Service Provider business, and was named to the Crestron CSP Advisory Board in April 2015.
High-end residential and commercial systems covering audio, video, control, and lighting, built on Crestron, Vantage, Lutron, and LiteTouch.
The stage side of AV
AV and collaboration certifications
Industry
- AVIXA CTS
- AVIXA CTS-D
Control and video
- Crestron Certified Master Programmer, Silver
- Crestron DM 4K
- Crestron DM NVX
- Vantage Certified Installer
Audio and networked audio
- Q-SYS Level 2
- Dante Level 3
- Biamp TesiraFORTE
- Allen & Heath dLive
Collaboration
- Microsoft MS-700 (Teams administration)
AV is a network system now
Dante audio, Crestron NVX video, and Q-SYS processing all ride the same switches and firewalls as everything else in the building. Most of those devices are embedded systems that rarely get patched, which is the same problem operational technology teams face on the plant floor.
I’ve spent years making these systems work on networks I didn’t design, and troubleshooting them when they stopped. That is the experience I bring to securing them with Fortinet.