- Jones Day was founded in 1893 in Ohio and is today one of the largest international law firms in the world. It employs more than 2,200 attorneys in 30 offices around the globe, and it counts 250 of the Fortune 500 among its many clients. Jones Day believes technology adoption is critical to the firm's continued success, and as an organization, it standardized on AMX® control systems for increased efficiencies across its offices.
By centralizing device operation with a variety of AMX control systems, and creating a standard, easy-to-use graphical user interface, little if any training is required to operate the system, an essential requirement for Jones Day.
- In 2005, the firm relocated its Columbus, Ohio office to a new building in the downtown Arena District to accommodate its growing staff, which includes 100 lawyers, as well as its increased need for advanced presentation and video conferencing technology.
Virtual Needs
- When designing its new office space, the firm recognized the importance of integrating videoconference capabilities. Not only had this form of "virtual" face-to-face communication become increasingly popular with clients and opposing council, it had also become more common for inter-office activities, such as employee trainings and partner meetings.
- The office's boardroom, which boasts an impressive 22 foot long marble conference table, includes extensive presentation and videoconferencing equipment from Polycom, ClearOne and Sony, as well as an AMX NI-3000 NetLinx® Integrated Controller and 12-inch Modero® Touch Panel. Meetings via videoconference can also be conducted in the firm's dedicated videoconference room, which includes two NEC 50-inch Plasma screens, along with an AMX NI-3000 NetLinx® Integrated Controller and 12-inch Modero Touch Panel.
Dividing and Conquering
- One of the more unique features of the office is a divisible room, which can be used as one conference room for large meetings, or two independent rooms for smaller meetings. While the room's layout provides Jones Day with greater flexibility, it presented significant challenges from a system design standpoint.
- To meet the room's frequent configuration changes, two AMX control systems were programmed to be used in either a combined mode, when the room is configured as one large space, or a separate mode, when the room is divided. Both of these systems include an NI-3000 NetLinx® Integrated Controller and 12-inch Modero Touch Panel and can control a variety of equipment, including 16 microphones and two independent rack-mounted audio systems.
Wireless Convenience
- To meet its varied needs, the Columbus office also includes several conference rooms that are smaller in size, while still offering high-quality presentation equipment. The AMX systems in these rooms are comprised of an NI-2000 NetLinx Integrated Controller and 8.4-inch Modero ViewPoint (MVP) Touch Panel, which provides presenters with the convenience and flexibility of wireless control. An NEC Plasma display, along with audio and video equipment from Sony and Polycom, can all be controlled by the touch panel from anywhere in the room.
Technology in Action
- AMX enables companies like Jones Day to greatly simplify complicated processes, such as operating presentation and videoconferencing equipment. By centralizing control and making the technology easy to use, AMX customers always report a high rate of technology adoption in their conference rooms, not unlike what Jones Day has experienced in Columbus.
