As technology matches the pace of the rest of the world to that of business, financial and economic spaces find value in cutting-edge tech tools. Professionals occupying boardrooms, analysts' offices, and trading floors can leverage AV over IP and its capabilities for richer insights, better decision making and clearer economic analysis in real time.

Here, we look at the benefits and opportunities that an AV over IP installation can provide for financial professionals — and how integrators can communicate these positives to installation decision makers. 

Fintech is no longer a niche realm; 33 percent of financial customers use multiple fintech services in their daily lives, according to Investopedia. And investment from financial firms into such technologies has exploded in recent years. An Accenture report found that businesses worldwide invested $12 billion in fintech in 2014.

Meanwhile, the AV over IP market is booming, as well. According to Robert Archer at Commercial Integrator, market sales of AV over IP products rose 130 percent in 2017 and are projected to continue increasing. The parallel rise in business's interest in fintech and a macro-level willingness to embrace AV over IP provides fertile ground for integrators to partner with executives, financial analysts, traders and other financial professionals.

Since business leaders are already familiar with the benefits of many of these tools, they're open to the idea of their continued use — but they may need an integrator's help to understand why upgrading or updating an audiovisual system to AV over IP is in their best interests. Integrators can help make their case by focusing on the following benefits and opportunities. 

Similarly, the use of existing network switches helps to lower cost and complexity for businesses and for integrators who provide ongoing customer support. And because many business venues already have Ethernet cabling in place, installation can often be carried out with minimal or no disruption of ongoing business.

The scalability of an AV over IP setup is a major selling point for businesses that plan for significant growth, but that must also anticipate occasional slowdowns. As a result, Lightware USA focuses on scalability in a handout for prospective clients, noting that while standard AV is often limited to 128 devices, AV over IP allows unlimited devices to connect — and to use existing network switches at lower costs. 

As cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) continue to appear in every corner of daily existence, businesses that make their communications and connections to these tools seamless stand a better chance of attracting and keeping customers and clients.

Consumers aren't the only ones with strong preferences, either. The Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA)'s 2017 AV Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis (IOTA) Global Summary found that seamless AV and Internet-based technological solutions were preferred throughout a wide range of businesses and industries, including by traders, financial analysts and experts, and business executives. Top growth areas included security ($14.7 billion in 2016) and AV capture and production ($22.9 billion) — two tools that help financial businesses carry out day to day tasks whether or not these directly benefit consumers. 

As Justin Kennington at AVNetwork notes, the barriers to zero-latency transmission over IP continue melting away. While AV and IT do share bandwidth, improved encoding and the advent of 10 Gb AV over IP solutions allow AV and IT functionalities to be carried out over the same or parallel networks without infringing on one another's ability to receive and transmit seamlessly.

Suddenly, holding a crystal-clear, high-resolution videoconference while sharing large quantities of data and executing perfectly-timed transactions is no longer science fiction, but business fact. 

When the company invested in the redevelopment of its Baltimore headquarters, the trading floor got an overhaul, as well. The resulting 21-story Exelon Tower houses 650 energy traders and their support staff, who gain up-to-the minute information from the trading space's three LED displays.

The largest screen measures 100 ft. by 7 ft. and includes real-time television and video feeds. Two 20 ft. by 4.5 ft. displays contribute additional statistics and information, as well as messaging and branding.