IT, Consumer Electronics Shake Hands At CES

There is no longer any doubt that the Consumer Electronics Show—with its influx of converged IT and AV products aimed at integrators serving the home and commercial markets—has replaced the defunct Comdex as the premier technology event of the year.

“It’s actually better because it’s a lot cooler,” says Irene Chow, a category manager at distributor Ingram Micro, Santa Ana, Calif., who focuses on home and commercial digital convergence technologies. “The new digital integrators are leveraging their full IT and networking experience and merging that with additional expertise in AV solutions. That’s the trend, and it seems to be well-represented at CES.”

A slew of new products and partner programs being unveiled at the show in in January in Las Vegas clearly supports that focus on the digital integrator. Chow and others say they will hunt down the latest in wireless networking, audio distribution, conferencing, control and automation, projection, flat-panel TVs and gaming products, as well as Media Center system and server technologies based on Intel’s new Viiv platform.

“Viiv and how it relates to all of the converged products in the home will be the central focus of our booth,” says Dan Schwab, vice president of marketing at D&H Distributing, Harrisburg, Pa., adding that more than 30 percent of D&H’s commercial IT integrators are implementing home technologies. “The show is all about the interconnectivity of CE and IT products, and we believe Viiv will be the missing ingredient that helps those solutions take off in the home.”

Along with the products, many vendors are launching integrator partner programs. Seagate, for example, is celebrating its first year on the show floor with a new program tied to its Mirra Personal Server. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Mirra division of Seagate also plans to roll out different flavors that focus on home networking and small businesses, which will only sell through the channel, says Peter Radsliff, Seagate’s senior director of category management. The program, he says, will include training, marketing programs and other incentives.“We understand the retail product didn’t really help the channel, so we’re trying to provide the channel with a higher level of value,” he says. “We’re evolving to address the system builder and reseller channel in a bigger way.”

That’s good news for integrators like Tyler Dikman, president of CoolTronics, a digital integrator in Tampa, Fla., and San Francisco that serves home and commercial clients. Dikman began selling the Mirra Personal Server several months ago to home and commercial clients and expects sales of similar storage and server products to increase throughout the year.

“We now tell our clients that backup is not an option, it’s a necessity, so we’re looking at creative ways to make it easy and more robust,” Dikman says, adding that he’ll also be searching the show for higher-end products that blend well with the home’s d?cor, such as motorized screens that cover flat-panel televisions and Media Center PCs that resemble CE products. “This is the biggest tech show of the year, so it makes sense for companies to show both their commercial and consumer products.”

Motorola is also improving its partner program to attract more digital integrators to its new SD4500 advanced cordless phone system with VoIP functionality, and its home monitoring, networking and media distribution solutions, says Bill Taylor, the company’s director of marketing.

Currently the company’s only digital integrator program revolves around its Ojo videoconferencing product. “But come CES, we will have more innovative channel strategies,” he says. “We will make more solutions available to the channel accordingly. We’re definitely looking to support it a lot more.”

The Consumer Electronics Association is taking the convergence concept one step further this year by introducing the CES Government Conference Jan. 4 to 5 during CES. Instead of focusing on products, the conference will feature top government officials, including former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, who will discuss IT management trends and strategies in such areas as homeland security, social services and health care.Scott Edwards, chief marketing officer at GTSI, one of the largest government integrators in the country, says having the government conference connected to the general show makes sense because IT integrators already attend CES to see the newest convergence products that fit their government accounts. Edwards says he will be hunting down Panasonic’s latest ruggedized notebooks and other secure mobile solutions, Samsung displays and Cisco Systems/ Linksys networking gear.

“Our efforts to keep in front of emerging technology are a very serious part of our biz,” he says. “Part of going to CES is finding out what you didn’t know about, so you’re looking for those pleasant surprises.”

CES has also expanded to the Sands Expo and Convention Center, where the Innovations Plus portion of the show will highlight emerging technologies and companies that have won this year’s CES Innovation awards. Some of those winners include Belkin, Fujitsu Computer Products, Polk Audio, Russound, Philips and Ace Computers, which will showcase its new Media Center PCs based on the Viiv platform.

“You’re seeing such a convergence of the IT and AV worlds; you have to know about the CE side if you want to get involved,” says John Samborski, vice president of Ace, Arlington Heights, Ill. Ace’s Viiv-based systems will also be featured, along with those by about 30 other system builders, at Intel’s booth. “The Viiv rollout will drive tremendous awareness for Media Center systems and other converged technologies in the home,” he adds.

Cyberlink, a Fremont, Calif., developer of PC-based recording and playback software, believes there is such a high level of interest among attendees for emerging technologies that it will showcase demo versions of future products, such as Blu-Ray and HD DVD playback software and digital TV solutions, says Mike DeMeyer, vice president.

“A few years ago, CES was much more a living room and electronics-oriented show,” he says. “But today the PC makers have shifted their market focus to participate more in the CE area and have grown their business by doing so. Both sides are moving closer to each other.”