Strata-gee.com

Strategy in TECH...

Sonance James Small Aperture Series
You are here: Home / Archives for Management

Management

iRule & OnControls Acquired by Kramer Electronics

by Leave a Comment

iRule’s CEO Ben-Gal Talks to Strata-gee About Acquisition

Kramer logoKramer Electronics, a maker of hardware-centric control solutions for the commercial audio/visual market, has acquired Detroit, MI-based iRule, a fast rising provider of software-based home control and automation solutions – including their OnControls residential line – in a private transaction that closed last Friday, December 23rd. The terms of the deal, including valuation, were not disclosed, but iRule co-founder and CEO Itai Ben-Gal told us this deal was the logical conclusion to a now multi-year relationship between the companies.

See more on this iRule acquisition by Kramer… [Read more…] about iRule & OnControls Acquired by Kramer Electronics

Is Sony Junk? Not Anymore, Says Moody’s

by Leave a Comment

Moody's InvestorMoody’s Japan announced this week that it has raised its rating on Sony’s credit to Baa3, one step up from “junk.” This is the first time that Sony’s credit has been determined to be “investment grade” in years and reflects the company’s improved financial performance.

But Moody’s had even more good news for Sony. Read on… [Read more…] about Is Sony Junk? Not Anymore, Says Moody’s

SnapAV Continues Buying Spree, Acquires Autonomic

by Leave a Comment

‘If You Can Solve a Problem, You Can Sell Some Stuff’

SnapAV logoSnapAV announced Wednesday that it has acquired Autonomic, a leading music server solutions provider. This is SnapAV’s latest in a string of acquisitions, as the company continues to seek solutions that will fulfill the needs of their extensive national network of custom integrators.

See what SnapAV’s President told us about this deal… [Read more…] about SnapAV Continues Buying Spree, Acquires Autonomic

A Tale of Two Japans – Toshiba & Japan Display

by Leave a Comment

Photo of busy intersection in JapanTwo stories out of Japan caught our attention and, to our thinking, combine to show that Japan’s tech industry is still not yet out of the woods. The first story, by the Japan Times, says that troubled Toshiba’s half-year fiscal results show that their profits have now tripled. The second story, also from the Japan Times, announced that Japan Display will be laying off thousands of employees – almost a third of their workforce.

See more on these two dramatically different stories of a still-troubled Japan… [Read more…] about A Tale of Two Japans – Toshiba & Japan Display

Savant Reorganizes Its Sales Force

by Leave a Comment

BREAKING NEWS

Savant logoWithin a span of just minutes today, we began hearing from multiple sources around the country that something was afoot at Savant Systems, LLC. Word quickly spread that the company was terminating salespeople around the country, a move that was occurring in the wake of founder Robert Madonna’s return to the company to replace former CEO William Lynch.

What’s going on at Savant? Strata-gee digs deeper… [Read more…] about Savant Reorganizes Its Sales Force

Samsung Will Destroy All 4.3 Million Galaxy Note 7s

by Leave a Comment

Company Makes Painful But Pragmatic Decision

Samsung logoSamsung Electronics is in the process of recalling their recently launched Galaxy Note 7 smartphone that came with the unusual feature of self-immolation included at no additional charge. The company’s initial production run was 2.5 million units. Then, trouble ensued and the company ceased production of that version. This was followed by the production of another 1.8 million “fixed” versions. Now…they are all recalled and the model has been cancelled.

What is Samsung going to do with 4.3 million defective smartphones? Destroy them… [Read more…] about Samsung Will Destroy All 4.3 Million Galaxy Note 7s

Access Networks Offers Access to Live Monitoring

by Leave a Comment

Access networks logoIn our wrap-up of the top stories from CEDIA 2016, #3 was “Managed Services are Growing.” One such service was OneVision Resources, which will partner with integrators to offer remote system monitoring and customer support. At CEDIA 2016, residential networking provider Access Networks also announced that they will be launching a new Live Monitoring solution.

These services look similar, but there is one very big difference… [Read more…] about Access Networks Offers Access to Live Monitoring

Gibson Brands Hires New COO, Hit With Another Credit Downgrade

by 3 Comments

Photo of Lee Cheng

Gibson Brands announced Tuesday that it has hired Lee Cheng as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and executive vice president. This appointment takes effect immediately and follows a recent additional credit downgrade by the Moody’s Investor Service.

See more on Cheng’s interesting background and the Moody’s downgrade… [Read more…] about Gibson Brands Hires New COO, Hit With Another Credit Downgrade

Are You Selling Movies, When the Client Wants Music?

by 2 Comments

An Important Look at Integrators’ Sales Process

Cover of October Residential Systems MagazineRecently, while researching the “analog renaissance” phenomenon, we spoke with an integrator who told us he had to scramble when he realized he was missing the trend for 2-channel analog and vinyl systems. But how could he miss this trend as it was clearly a result of customer demand?

“Don’t be so surprised,” a manufacturer told us. “Integrators have no idea on how to connect with customers and ‘sell.'” Is it true that integrator’s don’t know how to sell? Or is the sales process changing?

See what Strata-gee’s Ted Green discovered in his Residential Systems article… [Read more…] about Are You Selling Movies, When the Client Wants Music?

Savant CEO Changes in Unexpected – and Unexplained – Shakeup

by Leave a Comment

Savant logoLate yesterday afternoon, a strange press release came our way. This release was strange for a couple of reasons – first, for what it was announcing – Savant’s founder Robert Madonna was returning to the CEO role, replacing “outgoing” CEO William Lynch. Second, it was strange because it gave no reason for this dramatic change of CEOs; and, third, it was strange because of where it came from – a PR firm that the company hasn’t been using for a couple of years.

What’s up at Savant? See more on this unexpected turn of events… [Read more…] about Savant CEO Changes in Unexpected – and Unexplained – Shakeup