This is the third in a series of excerpts from Crestron’s latest eBook,
Virtual Control Solutions for the Modern Workplace.

A Single Server Solution

With VC-4, a single on-premises (or private cloud) server is used to control up to 500 different spaces (as opposed to hardware solutions that are generally one-to-one — a single device per room — in the spaces they support).

A Hybrid Software/Hardware Solution

Virtual control can be deployed alongside existing hardware deployments, giving you the ability to utilize a mix of hardware and software. This enables an organization to leverage existing investments in technology while expanding control into new environments. Additionally, there’s parity between the two, as the programming and configuration of each solution remains consistent — as does the user experience. The only difference? One option uses a local processor, while the other delivers results from a centralized server.

Customizable and Scalable

VC-4 allows for the choice of very advanced and customized programming options for organizations as well as standardized and repeatable room designs that require very little deployment times. With VC-4, an IT department can program a room design once — and deploy that design to as many rooms as needed. The creation (and curation) of an entire library of custom rooms is simple with VC-4 — an IT department can create files for "custom" rooms, which includes source names and drivers, making it easy to modify, update, or customize room configurations.

With VC-4, an organization can add new applications, not just rooms. In addition to, say, 300 standardized spaces, it’s a simple matter to add rooms with other functions, from training and boardrooms to employee gyms. Scalability is never restricted to merely “more of the same.”

Ease of Programming and Deployment

One of the most attractive aspects of the VC-4 control platform? It’s standards-based.

VC-4’s programming language features both SIMPL and C#, and both are used in Crestron’s hardware solutions. As a result, no new training is needed for Virtual Control. As a worldwide leader in control systems, Crestron has over 20,000 certified programmers globally trained in both languages which means virtual control can be deployed and managed immediately from the industry's top programmers.

VC-4 runs on the Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® Operating System which gives a consistent, stable foundation across hybrid deployments. Along with Red Hat, VC-4 can be deployed on other trusted free operating systems, such as AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux™.

VC-4 is built on a service-oriented architecture, which allows you to leverage a powerful REST API to integrate VC-4 with many of your existing software tools to deploy and manage rooms at scale. The benefits of REST are, of course, that it’s a stateless and lightweight protocol that is easy to implement. For example, by utilizing the REST API your real-estate management system could be used to add additional rooms in VC-4, making onboarding new spaces in your enterprise easy and streamlined.

IN SUMMATION

The Crestron line of control products feature both hardware and software solutions, and both provide an identical in-room experience — your organization sacrifices nothing by choosing one over the other. Both feature the same programming and configuration processes and languages, which means no additional training or programs need to be learned, and both are market tested — in fact, Crestron’s VC-4 Virtual Control has been in-market for years and adopted by organizations that prefer software solutions. For those customers, VC-4’s benefits are broad, providing enough scalability to deploy 500 rooms on a single server — and the redundancy that software solutions of this type can bring to an organization. Meanwhile, Crestron’s appliance-based solutions have been the gold standard in control platforms for decades, used by global enterprises, universities, and governments alike.

The Crestron VC-4 software delivers an unrivaled power of choice to customers as it complements our industry-leading hardware solutions. Regardless of what version a customer chooses, the functionality, programming/configuration process, and reliability of that solution remains consistent.

Interested in learning more? Download the complete eBook.
Then experience all the benefits of Crestron’s VC-4 Virtual Control with a 90-day free trial.