Budgets are tight, headlines keep announcing RIFs, and every roadmap is suddenly “AI-powered.” This session is a practical buyer’s guide for selecting UC/AV gear and partners that will still be delivering fixes, parts and support when the hype cycles turn. We translate observable vendor behaviors – workforce reductions and executive churn, patch/firmware cadence, public EOL policies, channel stability, how companies treat their own people, and whether “AI” shows up as outcomes or only slogans – into a simple risk rubric you can apply before you sign a PO. You’ll leave with red-flag/green-flag checklists, TCO questions that surface hidden support risk, and copy-paste RFP clauses that address workforce reductions and surprise sunsets, so your estates remain operable and supportable through the next round of market gyrations. This is selection advice for odd times – grounded in real-world signals, not slideware.