Simtrol, Inc. (OTCBB: SMRL) engages in the design and development of software that provides greater control, monitoring, and management of audio and video devices. The company’s solutions run on Windows-based PC’s or servers, and are designed to simplify the automation and integration of audiovisual and information technology (IT) equipment into an organization’s meeting and conferencing environment.
Simtrol created the Intelligent Meeting Environment (IME), which allows managers to distribute the right information to the right people at the right time. By leveraging the power and flexibility of the Windows operating system and an open hardware platform to deliver highly scaleable, feature-rich, and cost-effective solutions, Simtrol has created a system that allows managers to proactively plan and forecast how to maximize their meeting room assets.
Through Simtrol’s two primary solutions for device control and monitoring, the ONGOER and OnGuard, managers can now control virtually any device using a variety of interfaces (serial, IR, IP, contact closure, etc.). OnGuard is Simtrol’s server-based software solution that provides remote, proactive monitoring, management and diagnostic capabilities for all devices within the meeting room environment. OnGuard communicates in real-time via standard IP connections with all ONGOER-equipped meeting rooms to provide instant device and room status, control, alert notification and customizable reporting functions.
With Simtrol’s Intelligent Meeting Environment, the system itself informs the A/V staff when issues or complications arise. As a result, the majority of problems are discovered instantly and remedied without impacting the user community. Managers do not have to waste time on testing and resetting any functions, or make rooms unavailable due to the testing of user requirements.
Additionally, the self-monitoring approach means that daily or weekly system testing is no longer required, making the room more accessible to the end users and thereby increasing the return on investment for the meeting room space. Since testing is conducted remotely using the remote management tools, the need for onsite resources is substantially reduced, saving both cost and manpower.
There are three phases to setting up an Intelligent Meeting Environment. The first phase of an IME deployment involves the connection of the conference rooms and installed equipment to the corporate data network, as well as the deployment of a centralized management engine. After all equipment is secure and an established connection is in place, the conferencing management team will have remote diagnostic capabilities, remote device management capabilities, automated collection of usage data, and other benefits. The second phase involves the injection of meeting management capabilities into the conferencing environment. Once installed, the users will have ability to book multi-location video meetings through the scheduling system. The last phase is the leveraging of the management, monitoring, and scheduling systems integration to add automation and intelligence capabilities to the meeting environment.
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