Christian Financial Credit Union
INTRODUCTION
Based in Sterling Heights, Michigan, the thriving Christian Financial Credit Union (CFCU) has provided its members with premium financial services for 70 years, while also helping local organizations and charities reach their financial goals.
THE CHALLENGE
Introduce a consistent, modern experience in all meeting and collaboration spaces across its modern brand-new 40,000-square-foot headquarters, which features a hybrid of traditional offices and cubicles with several collaborative spaces.
THE SOLUTION
To meet the challenge, it was imperative for CFCU to standardize on a reliable, flexible, and scalable AV and Unified Communications platform that could deliver a consistent experience in every space. Garrett Naschak, Core Systems Coordinator, and Lisa Comiska, IT Coordinator at CFCU, reached out to systems integrator Innovative Environments. Together they decided that Crestron would offer the best platform for the project.
THE TECHNOLOGY
“We selected Crestron DM NVX to serve as the AV-over-IT backbone of our facility because it’s dependable, secure, and leverages our existing 1 gigabit network, so it had no impact on our new building’s trendy aesthetic or our daily operations. There were no new wires to run, no disruptions,” explains Naschak. DM NVX® technology flawlessly distributes content such as live television and corporate communications to more than 50 displays throughout the facility. Using the enterprise-grade DM NVX Director™ AV-over-IP management appliance, the CFCU IT staff is able to centrally and remotely configure, deploy, and manage every DM NVX endpoint over the network. Inside the huddle spaces and meeting rooms, CFCU staff utilize the sleek Crestron Flex tabletop UC consoles with built-in AirMedia® 2.0 wireless presentation technology to conference, collaborate, and share content. “With the open UC functionality of Crestron Flex, our people can use whichever video conferencing platform works best for them,” says Naschak. The Crestron Flex product line was also chosen because it can be centrally deployed, monitored, and managed via the Crestron XiO Cloud™ IoT-based platform.
For its larger meeting spaces, CFCU uses the Crestron Flex UC Smart Soundbar with built-in high-resolution Huddly® camera. “These spaces required a solution that would ensure every meeting participant in every corner of the room would be clearly heard and seen at all times, so no one would ever miss anything.” To help staff book meetings with ease, CFCU standardized on the open Crestron room scheduling platform. Seamless integration with Microsoft® Outlook® software enables them to locate and book meeting spaces in advance from their laptops or mobile devices, or on the spot using the Crestron touch screen mounted just outside each room. The integrated illuminated room availability signs outside each room make it easy to determine availability; red for occupied, green for available. By leveraging occupancy sensors, the Crestron scheduling system also has the intelligence to return rooms back to inventory in the event of no-shows, thereby freeing them up for other meetings.
RESULTS
CFCU staff now enjoy a modern, intelligent workplace that enables everyone to get right down to business, thanks to the consistent user experience in every meeting space. No more wasted time trying to get the technology in the rooms to work. “The scalability and flexibility afforded by Crestron technology enabled my team and I to easily design and deploy complete workspaces in a variety of sizes, and with the dynamic experience CFCU management was looking for,” said Russell Wolfe, Chief Operations Officer at Innovative Environments.