IN THIS ARTICLE
The IP Bottleneck in the AV World
The AV and broadcast industries face a critical skills crisis. Job openings sit unfilled for months. Projects get delayed because teams lack proper IP-infrastructure knowledge. Deployments go sideways due to misconfigured switches or improperly segmented networks.
Today, NETGEAR is announcing a major step toward solving this problem: NETGEAR Academy has evolved into the industry’s most comprehensive source for AV-over-IP professional education, featuring training content from industry leaders AVB Academy, Crestron, Dante by Audinate, Lightware, Powersoft, Q-Sys, SDVoE Alliance, and Sennheiser, with more to come.
The shift to IP-based AV has created an urgent knowledge gap. Traditional AV technicians often lack networking expertise. IT professionals understand switches and routers but may not grasp real-time media protocols. As a result, integrators postpone deployments or call for emergency support mid-installation when projects experience problems due to improper network configuration or inadequate testing.
“We’re seeing partners struggle to find people who understand multicast, VLANs, and QoS, all the fundamentals that make AV over IP run smoothly,” explains Gus Marcondes, Global Training Manager at NETGEAR Enterprise. “That’s why we made NETGEAR Academy free and are transforming it into the industry’s definitive IP training platform.”
A Collaborative Solution
Rather than each manufacturer maintaining separate training platforms with limited reach, NETGEAR Academy creates a centralized platform where professionals can build comprehensive IP infrastructure knowledge. Manufacturing partners provide video demonstrations of real-world solutions, interactive quizzes for knowledge reinforcement, and detailed PDF materials for technical reference.
The platform addresses knowledge fragmentation across professional fields. IT teams excel at network architecture but may lack understanding of real-time AV protocols. Broadcast professionals are experts in content delivery but might miss infrastructure details. Commercial integrators know deployment but could benefit from deeper understanding of the entire IP ecosystem.
“Success in networked AV environments depends less on proprietary secrets and more on understanding how interconnected systems collaborate,” says Richard Jonker, VP of Marketing and Business Development at NETGEAR AV. “Educated customers become better customers, and shared knowledge leads to stronger solutions.”
Building Talent for the Long Term
The traditional approach of hiring people who already have all the skills isn’t scaling. Those professionals are rare and expensive. The sustainable solution is building talent internally through structured training programs.
“AV over IP is not going to slow down. Demand is growing. Projects are getting more complex,” notes Marcondes. “If we don’t invest in training and people development now, we’re going to hit a wall. We need to think long-term. Build talent. Share knowledge. Support each other.”
With over 1,000 new professionals joining monthly, NETGEAR Academy provides the platform for that long-term investment, at no cost to organizations or individuals.
NETGEAR will continue adding partner content and expanding reach across commercial AV integration, live and broadcast production, and IT professional communities.
Ready to advance your career with free professional certifications?
Visit academy.netgear.com to get started.
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