1. Rapidly changing technology is leading to increased
demand for individualized IT solutions at the department,
faculty, and staff levels. Requests can range from basic
wall-mounted monitors to systems with multimedia
options, video conferencing, and wireless infrastructure.
Over the last few years IT leadership noticed an increase
in the purchase and installation of customized systems. It
became apparent that there were a wide range of costs
and reliability when individuals or departments were
responsible for coordinating with vendors and making
purchasing decisions. In some instances there were also
issues around compatibility and integration with existing IT
infrastructure.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has taken
proactive steps to reign in IT spending. We have
developed a technology purchasing process that achieves
the dual purposes of meeting the needs of the Medical
Center community and controlling costs. One driving idea
behind this program is utilizing existing IT staff to
coordinate the scoping process, ensuring that the ultimate
purchase meets all VUMC standards and is an appropriate
solution. The process has successfully streamlined
purchasing, standardized equipment, and leveraged the
buying power of the Medical Center.
ABSTRACT
High Tech, Low Budget:High Tech, Low Budget:
Reinventing AV Deployment at the Med CenterReinventing AV Deployment at the Med Center
IDENTIFYING THE ISSUES
ABOVE: The new monitor and wire taps in the primary
executive suite conference room. This system replaced
an outdated Smartboard and projector.
RIGHT: The wall mounted touch control panel for the
new monitor display. The interactive panel allows users
to select the input and adjust display and volume
settings quickly and easily.
A new way forward
Elizabeth Nix and Chris Williams
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
John Manning, John Lutz, Vanderbilt University Information
Technology (VUIT), Vanderbilt Procurement Services, Chuck
Nicholas, Vanessa Perutelli
NEXT STEPS
In the past, each department supported their AV systems
and conference rooms with existing IT or administrative
staff. The exponential increase in advanced AV technology
has made it possible to dedicate staff to supporting these
systems. The Vanderbilt Audio-Visual Support Team
(VAST) will be trained specifically to work with users,
troubleshoot software and hardware, and will serve as the
point of contact for external vendors for maintenance and
repairs. This will streamline the support model and ensure
that the Medical Center is receiving the maximum value for
its investment in these systems. An added benefit of this
support structure is the ability to retain and redeploy
system components centrally, further increasing the cost
savings over time.
the contract guidelines. The benefits to Vanderbilt from the
new agreements include increased equipment price
discounts, clearly defined specifications for service and
quality, greater consistencies in the implementation of
commercially available technologies, defined requirements
for transparency, and unambiguous right of ownership by
Vanderbilt of all codes and technical drawings. The first
phase went into effect in September of 2014 and the
second phase was finalized and implemented in January of
2015. The process continues to be refined and the re-
sponse has been favorable from both users and vendors.
It seems like every week a new piece of AV technology is
announced and with it comes promises of increased
efficiency, better displays, fewer wires — the list goes on
and on. This drive toward working smarter and increasing
connectivity helps fuel the innovation and collaboration on
which academic medical centers thrive. The question then
becomes not if it should be adopted, but how and where it
can be used to achieve the most value. Many individuals
and departments throughout VUMC were consistently
moving toward the newest technology and equipment
without guidance or input from IT or Procurement Services.
This practice created three primary issues. First, there was
no consistency between systems, requiring operators and
support staff to constantly adapt as they moved around the
campus. This also limited our ability to provide universal
training, instead requiring individualized training per
system. Second, some systems did not easily integrate with
existing enterprise systems and platforms, resulting in
significant man-hours looking for solutions or workarounds.
Finally, variable scopes for purchase and installation made
it difficult to establish a process for requesting additional
support from the in-house facilities staff.
The new process was instituted in two phases. The first
phase established immediate oversight of all AV purchases.
During this phase, purchases were routed through a
committee where they were vetted for both function and
price. The committee reserved the right to adjust the
scope, negotiate the price, and ultimately approve or reject
the request. For the second phase, Vanderbilt Procurement
Services and key stakeholders worked to source qualified
suppliers for A/V equipment, design, labor, training, instal-
lation and maintenance. Three vendors were selected and
are required to provide services and pricing consistent with
The Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) Conference Center recently received an AV system upgrade as
part of a major renovation of the facility. The bulky racks and desktop computers were replaced by wall
mounted control monitors and smaller half racks. Inputs are controlled with a wall mounted interface and
new ceiling mounted speakers make it easy to present in a variety of formats.
LEFT: The new half racks in
the VICC are hidden in a
ventilated cabinet at the
rear of the room.
BELOW: The VICC Board
Room was upgraded with a
new half rack in a ventilat-
ed cabinet, a wall mounted
display monitor, integrated
computer control system,
and touch panel interface.