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an outdated Smartboard and projector.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.