With all the talk of protecting your organization when working on client networks, it’s clear that the insurance landscape is changing for integrators. Did you know there’s another type of insurance you may want to consider in the future? It’s called drone insurance (or unmanned aircraft liability insurance). Because drones can be equipped with advanced Read the full article…
Non-compete agreements come up often in our industry – especially with the workforce shortages we all face. But are they worth the effort? And who should sign them? First, let’s be clear on what a non-compete agreement is: A contract between an employer and employee stating that the employee will not work for the employer’s Read the full article…
Can you maintain relationships with remote employees like you do with the employees you pass in the hallway every day? What’s the best way to communicate? How should you monitor their productivity without interfering? Whether your remote employees are road warriors making deals or homebodies writing code, your management approach has to change to accommodate Read the full article…
A friend of mine worked for a systems integrator, managing the company’s proposal-writing process. The business used a special software to track which proposals were submitted, by whom, and to what end. Ideally, the software would help the company understand where they were succeeding and how to improve their win-rate over time. The only problem? Read the full article…
Why do so many integrators spend time and resources on selling “projects”? Projects come and go, clog up the warehouse, tie up capital, and consume valuable resources. But, still, it’s easy to continue to place high value on “projects” and make them your only focus. When it comes time for project closeout, many integrators tell Read the full article…
There’s been an unprecedented level of activity on licensure bills so far this year. Many of these bills are the result of adjacent industries that use legislative influence, lobbying, and regulatory efforts to capture and control trade jurisdiction. Integrators have always relied on training, safety, performance, skills, and expertise to move this industry forward, which Read the full article…
If the 9th annual Integration Business Outlook, presented by CI and NSCA, is any indication, integrators will be focused on increasing profitability in 2019. Some of the biggest takeaways of the CI 2019 State of the Industry report are that business is good, revenues are climbing, and integration firms are growing. But what does “growing” Read the full article…
I’ve always wished that integrators could simply make an announcement like Microsoft just did with Windows 7: “Everyone, it’s time to buy something new.” (And I wish we could do so in a way that makes clients actually appreciate the heads-up.) A few days ago, Microsoft announced that, after Jan. 14, 2020, it will no Read the full article…
The Winter 2018 edition of the Electronic Systems Outlook report is now available! Looking ahead to the rest of 2019, we forecast a 3% increase in total construction spending over 2018. Primary growth segments this year are expected to include corporate offices, education, government, and lodging. All of these markets have forecasted growth rates of Read the full article…
Every year, NSCA spends an immense amount of time talking with members about strategy and planning. Success doesn’t happen by accident; the best companies in our industry have great leadership, and they execute their plans accordingly. We’ve also seen companies that have seemingly “fallen” into success. In these cases, though, time seems to be the Read the full article…
