Latest Insights from Schneider Engineering and Technology

Phoenix, AZ – July 26, 2025 – As more industries rely on audio-visual (AV) systems to power communication, coordination, and control, Schneider Engineering and Technology is raising a critical concern: many AV systems are set up to fail—because too many organizations treat them as appliances, not infrastructure.

From command centers to medical campuses, AV systems now carry operational weight similar to power, security, or internet connectivity. But when these systems falter—whether in boardrooms or trauma units—the damage isn’t limited to a screen going black. The real loss is productivity, trust, and in some environments, safety.

Joseph Schneider, Director of AV Integration at Schneider Engineering and Technology, explains the issue:

“The most common reason AV systems fail is not hardware. It’s neglect. These systems are often deployed as one-time installations with no thought to how they’ll be used, managed, or maintained in real-world conditions.”

Schneider’s teams have seen AV failure points across sectors—including malfunctioning displays during municipal briefings, dropped connections in hybrid courtrooms, and non-responsive control systems in hospital wings. In nearly all cases, the issue wasn’t the device—it was a lack of attention during the design of structured cabling infrastructures at the planning stage.

Why These Failures Keep Happening:

In real-world installations, AV systems are often rushed into operation without:

• Proper environmental assessment (like room acoustics, ambient light, or interference zones)
• Defined maintenance schedules or escalation protocols
• Redundancy for power, networking, or device failure
• Operator training tailored to actual use cases

Schneider notes,

“In mission-critical environments, we always assume something will go wrong—so we build systems that don’t collapse under one fault. But outside of AV firms, that mindset is rare. Most organizations don’t test systems before big events, don’t simulate failure, and don’t know who to call if something stops working mid-use.”

Another overlooked factor is lifecycle planning. AV systems are not static—they involve firmware, software, networking protocols, and evolving user expectations. Without regular audits or updates, even high-end systems can degrade or conflict with newer tech.

The Industries at Greatest Risk

While every organization uses screens, speakers, and control panels today, Schneider Engineering points to specific sectors where AV failure has far-reaching impact:

• Emergency Operations Centers where real-time monitoring is vital
• Healthcare campuses using AV for paging, diagnostics, and inter-room coordination
• Courtrooms and government meetings increasingly hybridized and reliant on stable feeds
• Educational institutions running synchronized multi-classroom learning
• Large venues and corporate HQs hosting live-streamed events with public visibility

Each of these settings requires not just gear—but systems thinking.

What Needs to Change

According to Joseph Schneider, the core issue isn’t just how AV systems are installed—it’s how they’re conceptualized from the beginning. Despite tremendous advances in display technology, conferencing platforms, and automation, a large gap still remains in the way many IT and facilities teams approach audio-visual infrastructure. Schneider notes that while the AV industry has evolved with an embedded culture of redundancy and foresight, that mindset hasn’t always translated across departments responsible for broader technology integration.

“In AV, we assume things can go wrong,” Schneider explains. “And that’s where the design begins—not ends.”

That philosophy is what Schneider Engineering and Technology brings into every environment it helps design. Unlike conventional IT installations, mission-critical AV deployments must be built with failure in mind. That means more than just quality hardware. It requires pre-defined backup pathways, intelligent switching, and system architecture that anticipates what might break—and knows how to recover instantly when it does.

One major change Schneider urges across sectors is rethinking the boundary between user-facing control and backend stability. Too often, control panels and interfaces are designed for simplicity without addressing the underlying complexities that support them. When one layer fails—be it power, signal, or switching—the entire system can collapse unless designed with isolation and recovery zones.

Another overlooked area is collaboration. AV systems rarely function independently anymore. They’re now deeply intertwined with network infrastructure, access control, and even cybersecurity protocols. Yet many projects still treat them in silos. Schneider emphasizes the need for AV professionals to sit at the same table with IT and security teams from day one—not just to prevent failures, but to ensure each layer of the environment supports the others cohesively.

He draws a strong parallel: “You wouldn’t install an elevator without maintenance contracts or inspection cycles,” he says. “AV systems should be treated the same way—especially where uptime affects safety, credibility, or decision-making.”

Ultimately, the shift Schneider calls for is as cultural as it is technical. Audio-visual design can no longer be an afterthought. It must be baked into the DNA of physical and digital infrastructure planning—especially in environments where failure is not an option.

About Schneider Engineering and Technology
Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, Schneider Engineering and Technology designs and deploys custom AV and access control systems for complex environments, including emergency operations centers, hospitals, educational facilities, and enterprise spaces. The company’s approach blends technology integration with system resilience to ensure long-term performance and continuity.