Doug Schaefer

hey hope you’re having a good day // he/him // Chief Technology Officer at American Sound // #AVTweeps #AVoIP #UnifiedCommunications

[Karthik Kalyan @karthikkalyan90]

@martin_casado Just spent an hour debugging a dependency issue only to later realize I had a python file with the same name as that dependency locally.

[vx-underground @vxunderground]

The individual who compromised the SEC Twitter account has been apprehended by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

Additionally, if you've commited a felony, do not use your personal computer to Google if you're being investigated.

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

No one:
Me: In this essay, I will explain why filibustering is actually a type of Denial of Service attack

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@Warcop @chris_neto Funny but also correct answer

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@WrittenByMurphy @TheAVNetworkGuy @chris_neto Multicast is a very niche part of network engineering, and up until recently was barely even addressed in the CCNP/CCIE exams because of how rarely it shows up in a production environment outside of AV. Good media networking people are hard to find #AVintheAM

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@chris_neto you can acoustically treat all of those environments! An old adage is “garbage in, garbage out” - if you don’t do your design work to make the environment suitable for spoken word, there’s only so much you can do later to improve performance with software. #AVintheAM

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@JosiahWay @chris_neto literally just this. AI won’t do all the work for you but it will help. The skill expression is going to be

1. Being efficient at knocking out the last 5% over and over again
2. Using AI properly to get the 95% done

#AVintheAM

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@chris_neto Multicast:
- scales better with large systems
- more bandwidth efficient
- harder for network engineers to manage if not experienced

Unicast:
- less efficient
- simpler learning curve

Pick your solutions based on system size, end user environment, and day 2 management strategy

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@chris_neto I think the main job for integrators is to understand the “why” behind the RTO for whoever they’re deploying solutions for. Some companies maintain a strong remote/hybrid workforce and do RTO only for certain roles or departments, which impacts technology selection #AVintheAM

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@chris_neto Lack of open standards for API and software development for AV is forever going to be a barrier for the “single pane of glass” approach to managing your environment. #AVintheAM

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

the fact that this even has to be said is insane to me

[Jake Williams @MalwareJake]

What cybersecurity opinions do you have that you absolutely won't compromise on?

I'll start: there shouldn't be entry level cybersecurity positions on incident response teams any more than there should be entry level surgery positions on heart transplant teams.

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@chris_neto The biggest differences between Commercial and Residential are the project management workflows and the sales cycle. Resi favors agility and efficiency, commercial/enterprise favors attention to detail, due diligence, and documentation #AVintheAM

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@chris_neto Honestly I feel like the best case scenario is to be a little bit of all 3! Certs are helpful but are not a replacement for practical experience, you really want both and the versatility to apply those concepts in the field #AvInTheAM

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@chris_neto Those are kind of intangibles unless you’re in a role where they’re strictly required (i.e Partner Channel Manager, etc). Sometimes it helps, but it’s difficult to assign a monetary value to notoriety #AvintheAm

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@chris_neto I’ve seen absolute superstars from both sides. Attitude and the hunger for knowledge is the most important trait, your background is almost irrelevant. One of my most talented employees was a religion major in college. #avintheam

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

AT&T broke BGP with Azure again this morning lol. That’s a fun problem to wake up to

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@ilyabu Hey, at least they’re using an antivirus! I’ve seen some questionable cyber posture from K-12 over the years

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@chris_neto Focusing more on the employee well-being side of the house, we’re probably going to do an intranet rollout over the next year or so to try and help remote workers and separate offices feel more interconnected. Small culture investment, I’m hopeful that it’ll pay dividends

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@JosiahWay @chris_neto for cases where skilled field labor is still required, I think the required skillsets for those individuals is changing as well. We’ve been pushing field/commissioning engineers towards networking and infra studying a lot over the past year to try and stay ahead of the curve

[Doug Schaefer @dougschaef]

@chris_neto We pay for training. Benefits the individual and benefits our org, win-win honestly. Manufacturer training vs general training is a case-by-case thing usually, not all training is created equal #AVintheAM