137: Reliable as F*** with Philipp Gude

In this episode of The AV/IT Amplifier Podcast, Ryan Gray sits down with Philipp Gude of GUDE Systems during the final run up to InfoComm 2026. Philipp shares the story of GUDE as a family company, founded by his father more than 35 years ago, and explains how that structure shapes the company’s approach to decision making, long term investment, and customer relationships. The conversation quickly moves beyond power distribution as a product category and into the operational realities of higher education AV, where reliability, remote rebooting, standardization, and human support all become part of the same equation. GUDE will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas at booth C1706, where the company plans to showcase smart IP power solutions for AV and IT infrastructures.    Ryan and Philipp also talk about the reputational nature of the AV industry, the value of HETMA Approved testing, and why feedback from actual higher education colleagues often matters more than a logo, spec sheet, or certification alone. Philipp previews smaller NEMA 5 15 PDUs, smart UPS products, vertical PDUs, remote reboot tools, open REST API support, plug and play drivers for platforms like Crestron, Q SYS, and Extron, and self healing watchdog functionality. The episode closes with a wider conversation about GUDE’s global reach, German manufacturing, US availability, international power standards, and how HETMA can build European presence by partnering with existing regional communities rather than trying to force a duplicate model into a place where strong networks already exist.Topics DiscussedInfoComm 2026 preparation and why the show matters to the AV industryPhilipp Gude’s role with GUDE SystemsGUDE as a family company founded more than 35 years agoSmart PDUs, power management, and power protection for AV environmentsWhy family company decision making can move faster than large corporate processesPeople first supplier relationships and the importance of access to real humansThe reputational nature of the AV industryHETMA Approved testing and real campus feedbackReliability, remote rebooting, and reducing unnecessary campus truck rollsInfoComm previews including compact NEMA 5 15 PDUs, smart UPS products, and vertical PDUsCampus standardization and AV systems becoming more like enterprise IT deploymentsOpen REST API support and integration with control and monitoring platformsSelf healing watchdog functionality and reducing trouble tickets before users notice issuesWorking across 120 volt and 230 volt power environmentsGUDE’s US presence, US stock, and NEMA 5 15 and NEMA 5 20 productsHETMA’s European growth opportunitiesPartnering with existing higher education technology organizationsUsing university case studies and presentations to create value across regionsThe human side of AV technology partnershipsThe upcoming deeper dive into GUDE gear and InfoComm coveragePhilipp's Post as discussed:https://www.linkedin.com/posts/philipp-gude-pdu_proav-avtweeps-activity-7463223348601290752-ni3nConnect with Philipp Gudehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-gude-pdu/https://gude-systems.comConnect with Ryanhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/[email protected] by Chris DechterHave feedback or guest ideas? Let us know!This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for fresh content every day!