Crestron announces virtual in-room control software streamlining the deployment of enterprise spaces

Crestron Electronics, a leader in workplace room control and automation,  announces the expansion of their room control portfolio with key enhancements to Crestron® VC-4 Virtual Control. A software-based control solution, VC-4 complements the industry-leading Crestron hardware-based control systems by offering a more scalable alternative with the same powerful functionality.

VC-4 expands the range of choices enterprise IT managers have for their in-room control platform, providing a scalable software control platform while maintaining support for existing hardware-based solutions. Capable of supporting up to 500 spaces on a single server, VC-4 enables mass deployment of customized or standardized configurations with the press of a button, delivering significant savings of time and labor costs while dramatically increasing the overall control platform lifecycle.

The explosion of hybrid work and the proliferating need for additional collaboration spaces has forced enterprise IT teams to configure more rooms than ever before. The purpose-built VC-4 software-based solution will accelerate deployment for this ever-expanding array of rooms. Crestron VC-4 enables IT specialists to design and configure a room’s UC, AV, and control solutions, save those configurations, and then automate them in a fraction of the time. This significantly cuts down on labor costs for common applications as VC-4 streamlines the custom configuration experience. Since it is integrated with standard programming languages, including C# for IT and SIMPL for AV professionals, it won’t require any new training to execute.

Native SIMPL integration brings complete parity to the thousands of certified Crestron programmers. The standards-based design unlocks reliability and scalability essential in today’s increasingly digital business environment and works seamlessly in conjunction with broader Crestron ecosystems like Flex Digital Workplace Technology and DigitalMedia™ Content Distribution to provide an integrated user experience with advanced functionality. VC-4 also comes equipped with the XiO Cloud® Technology Operations Management platform, providing device lifecycles management, control, and remote support to maintain operational standards and maximize room uptime efficiently at scale, while providing enhanced data insights from a single dashboard.

The standards-based, service-oriented architecture of VC-4 also enables IT teams to leverage existing IT infrastructure for redundancy and fault tolerance and as an on-premises solution, it supports enterprise-grade security protocols. All functionality on VC-4 is executed from the server and not in the public cloud, which enables local data storage and greater control over security patches and server maintenance with cloud-based firmware updates as well.

“The VC-4 software solution provides users a comprehensive range of enterprise room control solutions that will deliver immense value at scale,” said Toine C. Leerentveld, Senior Group Product Manager, Control Solutions for Crestron. “No matter what preferences an enterprise IT team has, the addition of VC-4 to our room control portfolio means that Crestron will have a solution to suit every need.”