Meet our expert this month, Kevin Cantu, our Business Development Manager for our Unified Communications and Pro AV business unit. Kevin works closely with partners to help them tap into new growth opportunities across collaboration, workplace technology, and audio-visual solutions.
Backed by Dicker Data’s broad portfolio of leading UC and Pro AV vendors, this business unit brings together the tools, platforms, and expertise needed to deliver seamless communication across every touchpoint. From meeting room experiences to fully integrated AV environments, Kevin and the team support partners in designing solutions that are both flexible and future-ready.
As organisations continue to invest in hybrid work and smarter spaces, Kevin is working with partners to turn these opportunities into scalable solutions.
To bring this to life, Kevin unpacks some of the common UC and AV challenges NZ partners are navigating, along with practical ways to approach them.
What’s a challenge companies face when upgrading meeting spaces?
Balancing new technology with simplicity. There are so many options now, so it’s important to build solutions that work seamlessly together and are easy for users to adopt. That’s where having the right ecosystem helps - combining strong audio, video, displays, and collaboration tools from our brands like Shure , Poly , Lenovo , Neat , LG Electronics , Samsung Electronics , Barco , and CommBox to create a simpler and more reliable meeting experience.
What’s something businesses don’t always consider when upgrading rooms?
A lot of businesses focus heavily on the visible tech like displays or cameras, but underestimate how important the full end-to-end experience is - especially audio quality, ease of use, and how well everything works together day to day.
The best outcomes usually come from thinking in terms of a complete room ecosystem. For example, pairing reliable video and room systems from Lenovo , Neat or Poly with strong audio capture from Shure, and collaboration tools like Barco or CommBox , helps ensure the room performs well in real-world use - not just on paper.
What challenges do companies face with BYOD meeting rooms?
BYOD often brings inconsistency - different laptops, different setups, and often delays just trying to connect. It can quickly turn a simple meeting start into a frustrating experience.
Solutions like Barco Clickshare help remove that friction by making wireless connection simple and reliable. With Barco ClickShare, users can walk in, connect in seconds, and share content and even connect to the room system without worrying about cables, adapters, or compatibility - keeping the focus on the meeting, not the setup.
How do organisations future-proof their AV/UC investments in a rapidly evolving landscape?
Designing for modularity and scalability is really about keeping things flexible from day one. Instead of building rooms that are hard to change later, it makes more sense to use setups where you can easily swap out pieces like cameras, compute, or audio as things evolve. It takes the pressure off getting everything perfect upfront and means you can adapt over time without ripping the whole room apart. In the long run, it’s a much more practical way to keep up with how fast AV and UC tech is moving.
For expert guidance on your next UC or Pro AV projet, connect with Kevin to explore how you can design smarter, more seamless meeting and collaboration experiences. Whether you're upgrading existing spaces or planning for future growth, Kevin is here to help you turn opportunitiy into practical, scalable solutions.
Dive into our UC and Pro AV vendor portfolio to discover the technologies, brands and solutions that can bring your next workspace to life.
