With the acquisition of Vienna-based KBC, the German IT and ProAV integrator Cancom has further expanded its market leadership in the DACH region. Since the beginning of the year, KBC subsidiaries in Austria and Eastern Europe also operate under the Cancom brand. In this interview, Steffen Ludwig from Cancom explains how the new company positions itself and which services it focuses on.
As of January 1, 2024, Cancom and KBC operate under the same branding. The consolidation is more than just a regional expansion to Austria, Eastern Europe, and Switzerland. “We complement each other perfectly in terms of expertise,” says Steffen Ludwig, Director Digital Media Solutions at Cancom, in an interview with invidis. “It’s great to see the complex projects that our new colleagues in Austria have realized. Especially in the transportation sector such as mountain railroads, train stations and DooH in general.
“At Cancom in Munich, they previously pursued a very technical consulting approach, whereas in Vienna the focus was on the customer journey. “The joint team provides a change of perspective, which is good for all of us,” says Steffen Ludwig. His specialist sales team now comprises 24 multimedia and digital signage experts. Customers are approached via Cancom sales – 300 sales staff nationwide in Germany alone. “There are few relevant companies in Germany with which Cancom does not yet have a customer relationship,” emphasizes Steffen Ludwig. In addition to the almost seamless IT team, a dedicated ProAV team within the Cancom organization is also available to him for installation and service.
Digital signage is everywhere
Steffen Ludwig and his colleagues, along with the extensive sales team, successfully incorporate Digital Signage topics in any customer discussion in the communications environment. “Digital signage is one of our core technologies, and it slips into every consultation. Whether room signage or video conferencing systems – a connection to digital signage makes sense in any scenario.”
The big digital signage trends
Cancom differentiates itself in the Digital Signage market with a focus on IT security, and in the past four years, it nearly doubled its ProAV/Digital Signage revenue. “IT security is one of Cancom’s core competencies and, if required, we host CMS solutions in accordance with the strictest IT security guidelines. We have our own fully redundant data centers in Germany and Austria.”
In terms of technology, Cancom leverages expertise in sensor technology and AI from in-house departments. “But our new KBC colleagues also have a lot of experience with sensor and AI-based intelligent digital signage concepts.”
According to Ludwig, most Cancom customers show interest in alternative financing models, from million-dollar projects to solutions in the thousands. Cancom even has its own banking license in Germany. Steffen Ludwig clarifies: “Almost everyone thinks X-as-a-Service is great, but so far many Cancom customers in the signage sector have stuck with the classic purchase model.”
Last but not least, sustainability is a key consideration in all new projects for Cancom. Green signage has influenced desicion-making, both internally and externally. “We choose hardware that is particularly energy-efficient and plan roll-outs as efficiently as possible. But sustainability at the expense of quality is not an option. A black screen is the worst thing that can happen.”
Cancom actively explores Remote Device Management to prevent system failures. Preferably, the company would like to provide customers with proactive monitoring, “but the willingness to pay for this service is currently limited”. Cancom relies on its proven IT Remote Access Tools for Digital Signage projects. However, the mostly inhomogeneous digital signage hardware landscape in comparison to IT makes it more challenging than it looks from the outside, says Steffen Ludwig. But Cancom foresees an increasing willingness among customers to invest in this aspect and will be ready to deliver.