SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The past 12 months challenged the AV industry in new ways, particularly when it came to sustaining and supporting partners and customers. LEA Professional, manufacturer of innovative, high-quality, pro-audio amplifiers with cloud- and IoT-based technologies, saw the difficulties faced by system integrators and worked to connect with them and support their business through the use of cloud technology. Now, with the benefits of the cloud firmly embedded in the minds of industry stakeholders, LEA Professional expects there is no going back.
“Integrators have been able to navigate the ever-changing environment by capitalizing on proven, robust cloud technology from global leaders, such as Amazon Web Services, to provide continued support for customers and partners. It’s made it easy for integrators to help customers through various work-from-home situations and to navigate social distancing and other health protocols,” said Blake Augsburger, Founder and CEO LEA Professional. “The advantages of cloud technology have been reinforced in the minds of system integrators over the course of the last few months, and now we’re at this critical moment where cloud technology has gone from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a ‘must-have’ for the future of the industry — the next generation of system integrators won’t know life without the cloud.”
LEA Professional is one of the first in the industry to create a Cloud Platform that allows complete control and monitoring functionality. This provides systems integrators with powerful, reliable and secure remote monitoring and control capabilities across their entire lineup of IoT-enabled amplifiers. The cloud platform has supported integrators not only by allowing them to work remotely, but also helping ensure they are provided a steady, stable income in the form of recurring revenue.
Remote Monitoring: Over the past 12 months, with stay-at-home orders in effect, system integrators could not easily travel to adjust systems or troubleshoot issues, so they relied heavily on the LEA Professional Cloud Platform. This platform has made it possible for integrators to remotely access critical operational data points that are integral to maintaining system health. While travel intentions and activity are beginning to rise, consumers are still somewhat cautious and travel plans may not fully return to pre-pandemic levels, according to a survey from Deloitte. Post-pandemic, 37% of consumers said they will fly less often than before the onset of the pandemic. Consumers also indicated that they expect to continue to work from home at a level six times higher than pre-pandemic levels (30% versus 5% in 2019). Cloud technology allows global teams to respond to the needs of their customers from home without missing a beat. No longer will integrators need to roll a truck to fix a minor issue, ensuring customers are given immediate, around-the-clock support.
Recurring Revenue: The LEA Professional Cloud Platform allows individual amplifiers or entire systems to be accessed and controlled securely from anywhere in the world without the need to VPN into a Local Area Network. The capability delivers greater visibility and response time which enhances preventative maintenance, simplifies troubleshooting, and cuts down or even eliminates on-site maintenance requirements. Integrators can create an LEA Cloud account for free by visiting leaprofessional.cloud. All of this together provides a unique opportunity for new recurring revenue streams for integrators to add to their service contracts, a major benefit to those who may have lost income in 2020. To learn more about developing recurring business models by leveraging the Cloud, download the LEA Professional whitepaper here.
