by KMB Communications | Jun 9, 2021 | D-Tools
D-Tools expands its award-winning SaaS platform with valuable new features for project managers and field technicians, providing a simple, yet powerful end-to-end workflow for AV integrators
CONCORD, CA — June 9, 2021 — D-Tools, Inc., the worldwide leader in data-driven system integration software, today announced that it has added valuable new project management capabilities to its award-winning D-Tools Cloud platform, providing an end-to-end solution for electronic system integrators.
“After months of behind the scenes development, today D-Tools simultaneously releases a slew of new features geared towards project managers and technicians,” said Randy Stearns, CEO of D-Tools. “This powerful, yet easy-to-use suite of features bridges the gap from project estimation to project completion by adding functionality that is essential to all system integrators.”
D-Tools Cloud is a powerful, yet easy-to-implement multi-OS, web-based SaaS solution accessible from any web-enabled device. Until now, D-Tools’ next-generation platform has offered sales pipeline management, on-the-fly estimating from any mobile device, intelligent visual quoting, interactive system design presentations, change orders, and product procurement using supplier-authorized dealer-specific pricing.
To extend the value of D-Tools Cloud from the sales team to project managers and field technicians, D-Tools Cloud’s new project management suite adds project planning, resource management, scheduling, task assignments, item tracking, time tracking, and more.
The D-Tools Cloud Project Management Suite provides an easy-to-use set of tools to help project managers plan and manage project installations while enabling field technicians to receive and report on project-related tasks. Key features include:
- Project and Resource planning – a simplified and collaborative way to organize and manage projects.
- Prioritize and manage project-specific tasks
- Assign resources and tasks to open time slots
- Avoid double-booking by seeing all project assignments and resource availability
- Attach requisite pick lists and project documentation
- Scheduling – get the right people to the right place, at the right time.
- Schedule resources by project, location and phase
- Assign jobs to field technicians for viewing on mobile device
- Time tracking – improve accountability and track project completion status.
- Field technicians can clock in and out of projects via mobile device
- Track project hours by user, project, and labor type
- Item tracking – track when project-related items have been ordered and received.
- Order items and track item status through the ordering process from requested and ordered, to received
- Stay on top of items through installation with staged, picked, and installed item statuses
- Mobile view for Field Technicians – keeps teams informed, on-time, and on-track.
- Access to project details
- View assigned tasks with associated information and attachments
- Clock in and out of projects
- View personal notifications
- Project Status Reporting – measure performance and control project costs.
- View budgeting vs. actual labor hours
- Review labor hours by labor type
- Review completed project-specific tasks
- View project completion percentage
The latest capabilities of D-Tools Cloud help guide AV system integrators from sales lead through proposal and now project completion with an easy-to-use set of tools that streamlines the business process, and leads to healthier bottom-line results.
To demonstrate the new D-Tools Cloud Project Management Suite of features, D-Tools will host a free webinar taking place Tuesday, June 15, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Pacific. Those interested in experiencing live demonstrations are invited to register via the link here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1250636617721376272
For additional information and pricing on D-Tools Cloud, and to sign up for a free trial, visit www.d-tools.com/cloud.
About D-Tools, Inc.
D-Tools, Inc. is a worldwide leader in accessible, highly accurate business software that caters to the unique and diverse needs of systems design and installation firms. The company’s on-premises software, System Integrator™ (SI), and new cloud-based platform, D-Tools Cloud, are robust solutions that help manage all aspects of an integrator’s business, including sales, comprehensive system design, project documentation, procurement, and installation and service management. Today, nearly 7,000 companies in over 90 countries use D-Tools’ award-winning software to streamline business processes, leading to improved operational efficiencies and increased profitability.
Find product updates and related information by following D-Tools on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
by KMB Communications | Jun 2, 2021 | AtlasIED
PHOENIX, AZ (June 2, 2021) – AtlasIED announced today that its “Atmosphere™ System Reveal Video” has been named a Silver Winner for Branded Content in the 42nd Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, production companies and including Netflix, Dow Jones, Duplass Brothers Productions, Complex Networks, A&E Networks, Hearst Media, Nickelodeon, ESPN Films, RYOT, Partizan and Vimeo.
The winning AtlasIED video highlights through creative production and filming the innovative components and features of the company’s new Atmosphere™ digital audio platform. Interesting camera angles and lighting effects convey the advanced technology behind the modern, industrial design of Atmosphere™ processors, controllers, and other equipment. Dynamic, engaging, and set to an energetic selection of music, the video effectively inspires audio professionals to capitalize on the benefits delivered by Atmosphere as a technologically advanced yet simple-to-use digital audio system in hospitality, educational, and retail, and other commercial environments and portrays AtlasIED as a leader and pioneer in the digital audio industry.
“In the face of a year like no other, AtlasIED has continued to defy the limitations of our new world, in continuing to create compelling and engaging work”, says Telly Awards Executive Director Sabrina Dridje. “This year’s submissions doubled down on what we already know about the industry. Creativity cannot be stopped. Collaboration will always prevail. New ideas and stories will always find a way to break through to an audience.”
Adds AtlasIED VP of Marketing & Corporate Communications Gina Sansivero, “Video is a wonderful platform on which to express our enthusiasm for this groundbreaking line of digital audio products and demonstrate our commitment to fostering new opportunities for professional integrators serving the commercial audio industry. We are particularly proud of this effort, as it was produced entirely in-house where we pushed the limits of our capabilities to develop a new, exciting way to draw attention to AtlasIED’s engineering, product development, and marketing talents. The entire team came together to create something special and conveys the dynamic personality of our company and our mission to be a leader in product development.”
The following individuals from AtlasIED were intricately involved in the conception, production, and delivery of the silver-winning Atmosphere™ Reveal Video: Tim Ivey, video producer; Kevin Sykes, 3D artist/designer; Jesse Stamm, digital campaign manager; Brad Horn, designer; and Gina Sansivero, VP of Marketing & Corporate Communications.
Today’s announcement of the Telly winners caps a year-long celebration of creators defying the limitations by embracing platforms to increase awareness about injustices and promote solidarity for movements, as well as geographical, like developing fully remote pipelines for dispersed teams. This year also saw the continued expansion of new categories to reflect and celebrate new forms of producing work in light of the past month’s restrictions and limitations. New categories included Remote Production, Virtual Events & Experiences and an increase in animation categories.
Last year, The Telly Awards attracted more than 12,000 entries from top video content producers including Adobe, Adult Swim, the BBC, Condé Nast, J. Paul Getty Museum, PBS, Playstation, RadicalMedia, T Brand Studio, Ogilvy & Mather and The Walt Disney Company.
The full list of the 42nd Annual Telly Awards winners can be found at www.tellyawards.com/winners.
Find The Telly Awards Online:
Website: www.TellyAwards.com
Facebook: /TellyAwards
Twitter: @TellyAwards
Instagram: @TellyAwards
YouTube: /TellyAwards
About AtlasIED
AtlasIED has been a recognized leader in the pro-audio industry for over 85 years, developing innovative audio solutions for a wide variety of commercial environments. The company’s diverse, comprehensive, and ever evolving solutions cater to the high-quality audio and communication technology needs of markets globally, including transportation, healthcare, corporate, industrial, government, hospitality, education, and house of worship. Technologically advanced, expertly engineered, and highly marketable, AtlasIED’s products and systems deliver mass communication, high intelligibility announcements, IP-based visual and audio communications, distributed audio, background music, paging, and sound masking solutions to commercial projects of every size and scope, including those which are mission critical. Family-owned, the company’s nine locations and a well-established network of experienced manufacturer representatives and distributors throughout the world ensure exceptional customer support and service to drive continued growth and advancement of the commercial audio industry.
For more information please visit www.atlasied.com, and follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About The Telly Awards
The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council—an industry body of over 200 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks, reflective of the multiscreen industry The Telly Awards celebrates. Partners of The Telly Awards include Ghetto Film School, We Are Parable, LAPPG, NAB, Stash, Storyhunter, NYWIFT, Production Hub, IFP and Social Media Week.
by KMB Communications | May 25, 2021 | Home Technology Association
The Home Technology Association (HTA) and Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA) collaborate to bring mutual benefits to members and bridge the gap between industry groups.
SANTA MONICA, CA (May 25, 2021) – The Home Technology Association (HTA), the first and only third-party certification for home technology installation companies, announced today that Tom Doherty, Director, New Technology Initiatives at Home Technology Specialists of America
(HTSA), has joined HTA’s Board of Advisors, kicking off a strategic, mutually beneficial collaboration between the two groups.
Through this new arrangement, HTA will provide HTSA members access to HTA’s robust library of articles, webinars, videos, and custom programming that has proven beneficial in educating, inspiring, and engaging architects, designers, and specifiers. In return, HTSA will promote to its members the value and virtue of HTA Certification, with Doherty serving in an advisory capacity to HTA at the highest level.
HTSA is a member-driven community industry consortium that delivers education, technologies, vendors, marketing programs, and events to some of the top integrators in the country. This new collaboration is in addition to one HTA already formed with Azione Unlimited and just one of many announcements that HTA will make over the coming months as it aligns more deeply with associations and organizations from both the home technology industry and adjacent trades.
“We believe a gap exists between the disparate associations in the home technology industry and the specifier community and are actively pursuing alliances to address that,” says Josh Christian, CEO of HTA. “HTA helps some of the finest integrators in the country increase their closing ratios and build stronger, more profitable businesses. HTSA shares similar goals in helping these integrators succeed. This common interest allows us to be strategic in maximizing our educational resources by sharing and collaborating. It is an ideal time to launch this initiative as the world recovers from the pandemic and integrators need to maximize their sales efficiency. We welcome Tom to our Board of Advisors.”
“I am pleased to accept the invitation from the Home Technology Association to become a member of its Board of Advisors. I look forward to working with HTA CEO, Josh Christian and the other distinguished and talented Board of Advisors, many I have known for decades. It is my hope that my perspective as an integrator, manufacturer, trade association leader and now also a buying group representative will bring value in progressing HTA’s important mission,” says Doherty.
“HTA has done a good job of promoting the value of high-quality integration services to the specifier community,” says Jon Robbins, Executive Director of Home Technology Specialists of America. “HTSA is pleased to collaborate on this mission with HTA.”
“I see a strong synergy between what the HTSA and the Home Technology Association are doing. They both help the best integration firms grow stronger. Whereas HTSA’s educational and growth programs help an already distinguished group of integration firms improve their businesses, the HTA helps homeowners, architects, interior designers, and builders find the best integrators, many of which are HTSA members. This is a win for the homeowner, the HTSA, and the industry’s reputation,” says Navot Shoresh, Founder and CVO of HTA Certified firm Spire Integrated Systems.
“As an HTSA member, Audio Command Systems is thrilled that this combined relationship with HTA offers yet another opportunity to provide HTSA members a resource to share proven, industry best practices, which I am confident will only strengthen our channel as a whole,” says Thomas Clancy, Executive Vice President of HTA Certified firm Audio Command Systems.
Visit htacertified.org/HTA-industry-relationships to learn more.
About the Home Technology Association
The Home Technology Association (HTA) created the first and only standard of excellence for home technology integration firms. The HTA gives the best qualified technology integrators a prestigious certification and endorsement developed to differentiate these exceptional firms. HTA Certification is a badge of quality, designed to help homeowners get consistently first-rate technology experiences. Homeowners, builders, architects, and interior designers that hire HTA Certified integrators have peace of mind knowing they are working with truly professional firms that have passed the HTA’s rigorous, 60-point HTA certification process, which focuses on technical competency, first-rate customer service, aftercare support, and a positive business reputation. These stringent criteria were developed by industry veterans and HTA’s Board of Advisors, including top executives from Lutron, Crestron, Control4, Savant, and others. Additionally, HTA’s Supporting Brands program enables expanded outreach to architects, designers, builders, and related trade associations from leading manufacturers and service providers who support HTA’s mission of delivering exemplary technology experiences. Learn more by visiting HTACertified.org and by following the Home Technology Association (HTA) on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube & Pinterest.
About Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA)
Home Technology Specialists of America, Inc. (HTSA) is an international trade consortium of the finest residential technology retail and custom integration specialists across the U.S. and Canada. HTSA members design, specify, install and service the finest premium, high-performance 
technology solutions for the residential and commercial channels. Today’s sophisticated networked systems demand a highly-trained, professional installation specialist. Whether it’s smart home automation, dedicated media rooms & theaters, lighting fixtures & systems, or high-res whole-house audio/video networks – HTSA members will professionally interface products and integrate sub-systems with compelling designs for the home, at the office, or on the go.
Based in Chicago, IL, HTSA is proudly member-owned and offers industry-best programs with the leading technology brands. With a renowned team of brilliant educators on staff who create unparalleled proprietary educational programs, HTSA is instrumental in driving the success of all consortium members.
To learn more about HTSA, see: www.htsa.com; or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
by KMB Communications | May 18, 2021 | Wall-Smart
Downloadable Wall-Smart files are easily incorporated into drawings, renderings, and blueprints to streamline the modeling process for architects, designers, and construction engineers.
BUFFALO, NY (May 18, 2021) – Wall-Smart, the leading manufacturer of innovative mounting hardware that conceals common household devices and electronics within wall and ceiling surfaces, now provides easy access to its all-new Revit files through digital building design
platform BIMobject. The downloadable Wall-Smart Revit files are easily incorporated into drawings, renderings, and blueprints, significantly streamlining the modeling process for architects, designers, and construction engineers. These Revit files also provide a comprehensive overview of Wall-Smart solutions with thorough product descriptions, technical data, and installation recommendations.
Wall-Smart leads off its BIMobject offerings with Revit files for keypads, touchscreens, outlets, and loudspeakers from Crestron, as well as keypads, thermostats, and outlets from Lutron and iPad tablets from Apple. Complemented by mounting hardware from Wall-Smart, these technologies become a seamless part of wall and ceiling surfaces. Architects and designers can offer their clients discrete interfaces for controlling their home environments.
“Technology plays an important role in the comfort, convenience, and safety of homes, but the products that enable an enhanced lifestyle needn’t be an eyesore,” says Wall-Smart Co-CEO and Founder Galia Ben-Dor. “Wall-Smart products enable the seamless, discrete installation of 
technology, providing architects and designers with an eye-pleasing installation option. Having our Revit files available to these professionals on BIMobject streamlines the design and installation process significantly, making the integration of technology simple and aesthetically pleasing.”
The popular Autodesk Revit building design software enables architectural, design, and engineering firms to collaborate on projects using Building Information Modeling (BIM). To ensure Wall-Smart products are accurately integrated into architectural drawings throughout all phases of design and construction, BIMobject provides Revit and PDF files for active design sessions in Revit software.
System designers and architects can find Revit files for Wall-Smart products at the BIMobject website. Go to wall-smart.com for more information about the company’s extensive lineup of flush mount products for new construction, retrofit, and solid-surfaces and instructional installation videos, the company itself, or its partnerships.
About Wall-Smart Ltd.
Wall-Smart is the leading designer and manufacturer of custom flush ceiling and wall mounts for high-end home electronic devices, including tablets, touchscreens, Wi-Fi access points, security cameras, voice assistants, and more. Dedicated to providing cutting-edge, creative, and cost-effective concealment solutions for technology in new and existing homes, Wall-Smart inspires homes that are both technically advanced and exceptionally beautiful. A wide range of products, combined with simple installation, and fast, hassle-free worldwide shipping, poises Wall-Smart as a valuable smart home resource for home systems integrators, home builders and contractors, architects, and designers.
For more information about Wall-Smart, please find and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
by KMB Communications | May 14, 2021 | Access Networks
ARCC, a cloud-based wireless controller solution by Access Networks, is now available as an unmanaged service that can be added to any access point purchase.
LOS ANGELES, CA (May 14, 2021) – Access Networks is making it even easier for integrators to monitor and manage clients’ enterprise-grade home networks. Adding to its recently released cloud-based solution ARCC (Advanced, Resilient Cloud Controller), Access Networks now offers ARCC as an unmanaged service that can be added to any access point purchase.
ARCC delivers a new level of simplicity during deployment, a higher level of control with more tools to customize each job, and a lower cost of entry for industry-leading capabilities. Additionally, it offers a solid source of recurring revenue. From a single pane
of glass, each clients’ network is easily monitored and managed remotely from anywhere. Quick and easy remediation and configuration changes can help boost integrators’ bottom line and improve customer satisfaction.
Along with offering a new level of simplicity to the home network, ARCC provides a solution to integrators and their clients that keeps them ahead of the technological curve. ARCC enables real-time control of the access points and is constantly adapting RF energy to the ever-changing environment of today’s complex wireless world. Updates introducing new features and capabilities download to ARCC remotely via the cloud, providing an easy, dependable, affordable way of keeping clients’ networks as current and capable as possible.
“Historically, wireless residential networks have required an on-premise controller for visibility, configuration, and control,” says Access Networks VP of Sales Ben Jurow. “Now, with the introduction of ARCC, which can be added to any Access Networks Core system or access point purchase, integrators can deliver an exceptional level of service and support remotely via the cloud without having to install any additional hardware. ARCC provides efficiency and the most complete Wi-Fi service for clients including deployment, diagnostics, troubleshooting, and upgrades.”
ARCC seamlessly integrates with any Access Networks-enabled network, unmanaged as well as custom Core network solutions. Once the access points, routers, and switches have been installed, the 
access points will connect to the Internet and self-configure. Then, from a computer or mobile device, the integrator can button up the system, administering security protocols and setting up passwords, for example. The entire process is seamless and transparent to the customer, and repeatable with custom-made templates when possible, saving integrators time and manpower. This gives integrators interested in utilizing the cloud for remote network management more design flexibility, faster system deployment, greater workflow efficiency, and less equipment to install and service.
Existing Access Networks integration partners can find more details about ARCC in their MyAccess partner portal. Others who are interested in learning more about ARCC are invited to contact clientservices@accessnetworks.com.
About Access Networks
Access Networks is the leading provider of enterprise-grade networking solutions for the modern smart home. Focused on designing and supporting reliable and secure networks, we help people stay connected to what matters most. Our solutions are customized to satisfy the bandwidth requirements of any household, and through our network of highly qualified technology integration firms, are configured and installed to deliver an exceptional experience, every time. No matter how your home evolves, you’ll always stay connected, as our team of knowledgeable and experienced designers and engineers continually refine our innovative product and service offerings. To learn more, visit Access Networks online at www.accessnetworks.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
