Why the AV/IP Networking Shift Is a Growth Opportunity for Partners and Resellers

The enterprise networking landscape is entering a new phase, and Ruckus's expansion of its AV-optimised switching portfolio is a clear signal that AV traffic is no longer a specialist workload sitting at the edge of enterprise networks. It is rapidly becoming a core infrastructure priority, forcing organizations to rethink performance expectations, security posture, and long-term network design.

Across modern workplaces, hybrid collaboration, immersive conferencing, digital signage, and real-time communication are now directly tied to productivity and customer experience.

As AV/IP adoption accelerates, channel partners and infrastructure resellers have a rare opportunity to evolve beyond hardware supply and step into a strategic advisory role, helping organizations build scalable, experience-driven network environments.

The Convergence of AV and IT Networks Is Accelerating

Not long ago, AV infrastructure lived in its own world. Separate cabling, isolated device ecosystems, and specialist management platforms kept it disconnected from enterprise IT environments. That separation is disappearing faster than many expected.

Modern AV deployments generate bandwidth-intensive, latency-sensitive traffic that must operate alongside critical business data. Supporting these environments requires switching infrastructure that delivers predictable performance, advanced traffic prioritisation, and deeper network visibility.

For organizations, this convergence simplifies infrastructure by removing duplicate systems and improving overall network management. For partners, it creates an opportunity to move beyond product delivery and play a strategic role in helping customers build smarter, unified network architectures.

Recent vendor partnerships and industry consolidation discussions also underscore the seriousness with which manufacturers are investing in AV/IP infrastructure capabilities. These developments signal a wider industry shift toward integrated networking and collaboration ecosystems.

For enterprises and channel partners, this shift introduces several important infrastructure planning considerations:

• Vendor ecosystems are becoming more interconnected and partnership-driven
• Infrastructure flexibility is becoming more valuable than vendor-specific optimisation
• Multi-vendor interoperability is becoming a standard deployment requirement
• Long-term infrastructure planning must account for evolving technology alliances

Organizations that prioritize adaptable, vendor-agnostic infrastructure strategies are typically better positioned to navigate these evolving ecosystem dynamics.

New Revenue Opportunities Through Infrastructure Convergence

AV/IP networking is doing more than increasing hardware demand. It is expanding project scope and introducing entirely new service opportunities for partners and resellers.

Expanding Project Scope Across Business Functions

AV/IP deployments rarely sit within a single department anymore. Projects increasingly involve IT teams, facilities managers, and corporate operations leaders working together.

What started as a simple networking upgrade can now evolve into a full workplace transformation initiative spanning conferencing platforms, digital signage, unified communications, and smart building technologies. Partners capable of delivering end-to-end infrastructure strategy are naturally stepping into larger, higher-value projects.

Increased Demand for Lifecycle Planning Services

AV workloads introduce new performance expectations that directly influence switching refresh cycles. Many organizations ask a familiar question: can existing infrastructure support modern AV requirements, or is it time to upgrade?

Partners who help customers plan staged migrations, prioritize upgrades, and extend the lifespan of their infrastructure often build stronger long-term relationships and recurring advisory opportunities.

Growth in Multi-Vendor Integration Expertise

Few AV/IP deployments rely on a single vendor ecosystem. Networking hardware, conferencing solutions, media control platforms, and IoT devices typically come from multiple manufacturers.

This creates growing demand for partners who can validate interoperability and ensure consistent performance across diverse environments. Organizations increasingly rely on partners who can make complex ecosystems work seamlessly together.

Technical and Commercial Considerations Driving AV/IP Adoption

As AV workloads move into core enterprise infrastructure, organizations are facing new technical and commercial decision points. The success of AV/IP deployments increasingly depends on how well network design balances performance requirements, upgrade planning, and long-term cost strategy.

Infrastructure Compatibility and Upgrade Strategy

Key Insight: Many legacy switching platforms can technically transport AV traffic but lack advanced multicast optimisation, buffering intelligence, and QoS enforcement required for large-scale deployments.

Strategic Reality: Organizations must evaluate whether phased upgrades can deliver predictable performance or if a full infrastructure refresh provides better long-term operational stability.

ORMSystems Perspective: Upgrade decisions should be driven by workload behaviour rather than hardware age alone. AV/IP traffic patterns often expose hidden performance limitations in otherwise stable networks.

Performance Consistency and User Experience

Key Insight: AV traffic is highly sensitive to latency, jitter, and packet loss. Even minor performance instability can immediately disrupt conferencing, live media streaming, or real-time collaboration environments.

Operational Impact: Poor AV performance is immediately visible to users, making network reliability directly tied to employee productivity and customer engagement.

ORMSystems Perspective: Modern switching infrastructure must prioritize deterministic performance over peak-throughput metrics. Experience reliability is becoming the new benchmark for enterprise network success.

Total Cost of Ownership Optimisation

Key Insight: AV/IP convergence can reduce operational costs by consolidating infrastructure, centralising management, and simplifying network architecture.

Hidden Risk: Poorly planned deployments often introduce compatibility conflicts, emergency hardware upgrades, and operational complexity, increasing long-term costs.

ORMSystems Perspective: Lifecycle cost modelling is now critical. Organizations that align upgrade cycles with workload evolution typically achieve better ROI and infrastructure longevity.

Rethinking Channel Value in the Age of AV/IP Convergence

The AV/IP networking shift represents a defining moment for channel partners and resellers.

Where This Shift Strengthens Partner Value

Partners who build convergence expertise help organizations simplify infrastructure design, improve performance visibility, strengthen security posture, and align technology investments with business experience goals.

These capabilities naturally elevate partner relationships from transactional supply models into long-term strategic partnerships.

Where Partners Risk Falling Behind

Partners that focus solely on hardware fulfilment risk losing relevance as customers increasingly seek integration expertise and lifecycle planning support. Organizations that delay adapting to convergence trends may also face scalability limitations and rising operational costs.

Today, technical knowledge, ecosystem awareness, and infrastructure planning skills are quickly becoming critical differentiators.

How AV/IP Convergence Is Expanding Hybrid Hardware Strategies

The AV/IP transition also influences how organizations evaluate hardware value across both primary and secondary markets.

The Expanding Role of Refurbished Infrastructure

Many organizations adopt AV/IP strategies gradually rather than through complete infrastructure replacement. Refurbished and excess hardware can support capacity expansion, bridge compatibility gaps, and enable budget-conscious migration strategies.

Partners who can validate performance across mixed hardware environments create valuable cost optimisation pathways for customers.

Demand for Hybrid Infrastructure Planning

AV convergence often requires new and legacy switching platforms to operate together. Partners with experience in interoperability testing and phased deployment models gain a competitive advantage by helping organizations modernise their infrastructure without operational disruption.

Portfolio Diversification for Resellers

Forward-thinking partners are expanding beyond hardware supply to include monitoring solutions, integration services, and lifecycle advisory services. This shift positions resellers as infrastructure enablement specialists rather than equipment distributors.

What Infrastructure Leaders Should Do Next

Organizations and channel partners preparing for AV/IP networking convergence should prioritize several key actions.

Assess Network Readiness

Evaluate switching environments for multicast traffic handling, QoS policy enforcement, and performance monitoring capabilities required for AV workloads.

Break Down Departmental Silos

Successful deployments require collaboration between IT, facilities, and operations teams. Integrated planning reduces deployment risk and improves long-term support efficiency.

Implement Lifecycle-Based Infrastructure Planning

Phased refresh strategies aligned with workload growth help reduce operational disruption and improve return on infrastructure investment.

Prioritize Vendor-Agnostic Network Design

Flexible infrastructure planning reduces vendor lock-in risk and improves long-term scalability.

Partner with Advisory-Led Infrastructure Specialists

Organizations achieve stronger results when working with partners who combine hardware expertise with strategic infrastructure planning and lifecycle orchestration capabilities.

What AV/IP Networking Will Look Like In The Next 3–5 Years

Over the next three to five years, AV/IP networking will shift from a specialised deployment to a core expectation in modern workplaces. Conference rooms, campuses, and hybrid work environments will rely on networks designed to support real-time collaboration, immersive communication, and high-bandwidth media streaming without performance disruption.

Recent innovation from vendors such as Ruckus, particularly through AV-optimised switching developments and ecosystem partnerships, highlights how manufacturers are preparing infrastructure platforms specifically for media-driven enterprise workloads.

Networks will also become smarter, automatically prioritising latency-sensitive AV traffic alongside traditional business workloads to deliver consistent user experiences.

From the ORMSystems perspective, the biggest change will not be the hardware itself, but how organizations define network success. Performance will increasingly be measured by how reliably infrastructure supports human interaction and digital engagement, not just raw throughput.

Organizations that prioritize flexible, scalable switching architectures and lifecycle-focused infrastructure planning will be far better positioned to adapt as collaboration technologies continue evolving.

ORMSystems Perspective: Enabling the Next Phase of Infrastructure Evolution

The AV/IP networking shift represents a natural and positive evolution of enterprise infrastructure. As networks increasingly support collaboration, communication, and digital engagement, infrastructure decisions require deeper planning and long-term strategic thinking.

Vendor innovation, including solutions emerging from companies like Ruckus, demonstrates how the industry is aligning network design with real-time communication demands and integrated workplace technologies.

At ORMSystems, we help organizations and partners navigate these transitions through a vendor-agnostic, infrastructure-first approach. Our focus is on balancing performance, security, cost efficiency, and scalability while helping customers adapt to rapidly evolving networking demands.

AV/IP convergence is expanding the capabilities of enterprise networks. Organizations that recognize this shift as an opportunity rather than a disruption will build more resilient, flexible, and experience-driven infrastructure environments. Partners prepared to guide this transformation will play a critical role in shaping the future of enterprise networking.