Off the Rails Episode 134: AV Network Security (There's no such thing as an island)

Mar 26

Written By AVSF

Recorded March 20, 2026

In this episode, the panel tackles one of the most overdue conversations in higher ed: AV network security. The regular panel is joined by the founding members of AV Trust, Doug Schaefer, Colin Birney, and Frank Padikkala.

The news segment focuses on cybersecurity education pipelines, exploring how earlier hands-on exposure and employer partnerships could help build a more prepared workforce for technical fields.

The main segment discusses the newly launched AV Trust initiative and the broader challenge of securing AV systems that increasingly live on shared enterprise networks. The conversation covers everything from outdated firmware practices, rebadged hardware, and weak manufacturer documentation, to IoT risk, cloud-connected devices, and the need for AV professionals to better understand the language of IT and cybersecurity. Rather than treating security as a niche or optional concern, the panel argues that AV must mature into a more transparent, standards-driven, and collaborative part of the larger technology ecosystem.

By the end, the episode lands on a clear takeaway: AV is no longer separate from the network, and security can no longer be someone else’s problem. With AV Trust aiming to bridge gaps through education, standards work, and community participation, this episode is a candid, funny, and timely look at where the industry needs to go next.

News article: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2026-03-18-what-happens-when-employers-co-design-the-cybersecurity-classroom

Connect with our guests:

Colin Birney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-birney/

Doug Schaefer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-schaefer/

Frank Padikkala: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankpadikkala/

AV Trust:

https://www.avtrust.org

https://www.linkedin.com/company/av-trust

Educause HECVAT: https://www.educause.edu/higher-education-community-vendor-assessment-toolkit

ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC): https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/CC

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