Managing AV Across Multiple Rooms: How Extron GlobalViewer Enterprise Can Help
Managing audio visual technology can be relatively straightforward when an organisation has only a few rooms.
But what happens when a school has AV systems across dozens or hundreds of classrooms? Or when a business has meeting rooms spread across multiple floors, buildings or locations?
At that scale, simply knowing that the equipment was installed is not enough. IT and AV teams need to know where equipment is, whether systems are operating as expected, when problems occur and, where possible, whether an issue can be addressed remotely.
This is where Extron GlobalViewer Enterprise (GVE) can provide a centralised approach to AV management.
GVE is server-based AV resource management software designed to help organisations manage, monitor, control and report on connected AV systems across a network. Rather than managing individual rooms in isolation, it provides a central environment for viewing and supporting AV systems across an organisation.
Managing AV Across Multiple Rooms
For a school, AV technology can be distributed throughout classrooms, libraries, staff areas, meeting rooms, auditoriums, gymnasiums and other shared spaces.
As the number of rooms increases, so does the challenge of keeping track of the equipment in each space.
An IT or AV team may need to answer relatively simple questions:
- Is the equipment in this room online?
- Which device is experiencing an issue?
- Where is that device located?
- Can the system be checked remotely?
- Does the equipment require maintenance?
- How is the AV infrastructure being used over time?
GlobalViewer Enterprise is designed to provide a centralised view of this information.
Extron states that GVE can support environments ranging from five to 5,000 rooms, making it suitable for organisations where AV systems have grown beyond what can easily be managed room by room.
For organisations with a large AV deployment, this centralised approach can make it easier for support teams to understand what is happening across their AV environment.
Identifying AV Problems More Easily
One of the challenges of managing multiple rooms is knowing when something is wrong.
Without centralised monitoring, a problem may only become apparent when a teacher, staff member or meeting participant reports that something is not working.
GlobalViewer Enterprise can monitor connected AV equipment and provide notifications for configured events and equipment conditions. These can include situations such as devices going offline or selected equipment reaching defined thresholds. Notifications can be displayed within the GVE Help Desk interface, with email and text notifications also available for configured events.
For schools, this can provide IT teams with greater visibility across classrooms and other learning spaces.
For example, if an AV system becomes unavailable, support staff can potentially identify the affected room through the central management interface rather than waiting for the issue to be reported.
Monitoring does not mean that every problem can be resolved remotely. Physical faults and equipment failures may still require onsite attention. However, having information about the system’s status can help support teams determine the appropriate response.
Supporting Classrooms and Meeting Rooms Remotely
When an AV problem is reported, the next challenge is often determining what has actually gone wrong.
If a technician has to visit every room to diagnose an issue, even relatively simple problems can consume valuable time.
GlobalViewer Enterprise includes a Help Desk view that allows authorised support personnel to navigate through rooms and access information about connected AV systems.
For supported Extron control systems, GVE can also provide remote room control. Support staff can interact with a virtual representation of supported Extron button panels, touchpanels or controllers, allowing certain control and troubleshooting tasks to be performed remotely.
Consider a classroom where a teacher reports that the display is not showing the expected source.
Instead of immediately sending a technician to the room, an IT or AV support team may first be able to check the system remotely and determine whether the issue relates to the control system, source selection or another connected component.
This can help provide a more informed starting point for troubleshooting.
Keeping AV Equipment Under Control Outside School or Office Hours
Another practical challenge is managing equipment that is used across different schedules.
Classrooms, meeting rooms and shared spaces may have equipment that remains powered on after the space is no longer being used.
GlobalViewer Enterprise includes scheduling capabilities that allow selected actions to be scheduled according to location or device type. Extron gives the example of using a global schedule to turn off displays throughout a building at the end of the day.
For schools, schedules can potentially be configured around normal classroom operating hours while taking into account spaces such as libraries, halls or gymnasiums that may have different usage patterns.
In an office environment, scheduling can similarly be applied to meeting rooms and other shared spaces.
The important consideration is that schedules should reflect how a facility actually operates. Not every room necessarily follows the same timetable.
Knowing What AV Equipment You Have and Where It Is
As an AV deployment grows, asset management becomes increasingly important.
It can be difficult to maintain an accurate picture of which projector, display, control processor or other device is installed in each room—particularly when equipment is upgraded or moved over time.
GlobalViewer Enterprise provides a Location Tree that allows rooms and devices to be organised according to an organisation’s structure. Support teams can navigate from an overall view of locations to individual rooms and devices.
For a school, this could mean organising AV systems by:
Campus → Building → Floor → Room
For a business, the structure could instead reflect:
Organisation → Office → Floor → Meeting Room
Having this information organised centrally can make it easier for support teams to identify where equipment is located and understand which systems are associated with a particular room.
Using AV Data for Maintenance and Planning
Managing AV is not only about responding to problems when they occur.
Information collected over time can also help organisations understand their AV infrastructure and support longer-term maintenance and planning.
GlobalViewer Enterprise stores time-stamped device and room data in a SQL-based data repository. Its reporting tools can provide information relating to equipment usage, controller status, energy usage forecasts, filter and lamp forecasts, source usage and inventory.
This information can help IT and AV teams build a better understanding of their environment.
For example, usage information may contribute to decisions about maintenance or future equipment upgrades. An organisation may also be able to identify opportunities to standardise equipment across rooms or review how particular systems are being used.
The data should be considered as one source of information rather than a replacement for professional assessment and maintenance planning.
Managing AV as Your Organisation Grows
Centralised AV management can become particularly useful as an organisation expands.
A school may add new classrooms, buildings or campuses. A business may open additional offices or increase the number of meeting and collaboration spaces.
Without a structured management approach, every additional room can mean another collection of devices that IT or AV staff need to track and support.
GlobalViewer Enterprise provides a centralised environment for managing supported AV systems across multiple locations. This means organisations can establish a consistent approach to monitoring and supporting their AV infrastructure as it grows.
The benefit is not simply having more equipment under one interface. It is having a more structured way to understand where systems are located, how they are operating and what may require attention.
Integrating AV Management with Existing IT Processes
For larger organisations, AV management often needs to fit within existing IT processes rather than operate completely separately.
GlobalViewer Enterprise provides user roles and access controls, allowing administrators to determine which functions different users can access. This can be useful when multiple IT, AV or support personnel are responsible for managing systems.
The current GVE 2.11.0 release also supports Kerberos authentication when signing into GVE using Active Directory, along with support for Microsoft Server 2025.
GVE also includes reporting capabilities and a REST API that can provide access to selected GVE data for use with other applications or reporting tools.
The extent of integration required will depend on an organisation’s existing IT environment, network architecture and operational requirements.
Is Centralised AV Management Right for Your Organisation?
Not every organisation needs an enterprise AV management platform.
A small school or office with only a handful of AV systems may be able to manage its equipment without centralised monitoring and control.
However, as the number of rooms, devices and locations increases, managing AV on a room-by-room basis can become more difficult.
Centralised AV management may be worth considering when an organisation needs to:
- Monitor AV systems across multiple rooms
- Identify equipment issues remotely
- Support classrooms or meeting rooms from a central location
- Organise AV assets across multiple buildings or campuses
- Schedule selected AV equipment and systems
- Access equipment and usage information
- Support longer-term maintenance and upgrade planning
The right approach will ultimately depend on the size of the AV deployment, the organisation’s support structure and the requirements of its IT environment.
A More Manageable Approach to Multi-Room AV
AV technology plays an important role in how schools teach, how businesses collaborate and how organisations communicate.
But as the number of AV systems increases, managing that technology can become a challenge in its own right.
For organisations with larger or distributed AV deployments, Extron GlobalViewer Enterprise provides a centralised approach to monitoring, managing, supporting and reporting on connected AV systems.
Rather than viewing every classroom or meeting room as a separate AV environment, IT and AV teams can use a central platform to gain greater visibility of their technology infrastructure and support the people who rely on it.
For schools and organisations considering a larger AV deployment, centralised management is therefore worth considering as part of the overall AV strategy—not simply as an additional software feature.
Talk to D.I.B. Audio Visual About Your AV Requirements
Choosing an AV management solution should start with understanding the organisation’s existing equipment, network environment, room requirements and support processes.
D.I.B. Audio Visual works with schools and organisations across Victoria to design, supply, install and support professional AV systems.
If you are managing AV across multiple classrooms, meeting rooms or buildings and would like to explore whether a centralised AV management approach is appropriate for your organisation, contact D.I.B. Audio Visual on 03 9457 4800 or info@dibaustralia.com.au.