The Myth: One Size Fits All
It’s a myth. One size does not fit all. This is also true
when it comes to streaming video solutions for the enterprise.
Video is a powerful tool. Although there’s a million statistics to prove it, common sense tells us it’s more engaging than text.
Video allows you to deliver more information to your audience in a shorter amount of time. And since the message is reinforced by visuals—whether it’s demonstrating how something works or seeing a person’s body language—it’s more believable. The reality is, video is as close as you can get to being there in person.
But like most things, there isn’t a single video solution that works for every situation and every organization. You’re probably managing multiple platforms and supporting a number of business leaders. You might need one video platform for learning and development, a different one for onboarding, one for town halls, and yet another for digital displays.
For IT, this can be extremely challenging. In this edition of Strategies for Streaming Success, Wainhouse Research analyst Steve Vonder Haar reveals strategies for managing a multi-vendor video environment.
From One to Many
In the past, using video was a special event. As a result, implementing an end-to-end streaming solution from a single vendor was the easiest way to get video up and running.
But as streaming solutions get easier to use and video becomes more common in the workplace, it’s hard to find a single solution that fits every use case. A multi-vendor approach might be the only way to meet this increasing demand for video.
According to Wainhouse Research, two-thirds of IT decision makers say they agree with the statement “Our organization prefers implementing best-of-breed video solutions from multiple vendors versus an end-to-end turnkey platform developed by a single vendor.” Almost one-quarter of respondents described themselves as “neutral” to the statement or said it is not applicable. That leaves only 11% saying they either “disagree” or “strongly disagree” with taking a multi-vendor approach.1
Best of Breed
So why is implementing best-of-breed video solutions from multiple vendors more common today? It’s unlikely one platform can serve every need in your enterprise. Video platform requirements for executive broadcasts or quarterly earnings calls may fall short of what’s needed for a global learning and development program.
In fact, 77% of organizations are using two or more streaming video platforms1. As a result, many have adopted a more modular approach when it comes to streaming. By using best-of-breed, open solutions, you can build a video ecosystem that fits your organization to a T now and well into the future.
“Rather than implementing a single solution that can become
obsolete or a single element of a platform that can become outdated, an organization
can leverage ongoing streaming investments by mixing and matching vendor
solutions,” said Steve Vonder Haar, Wainhouse Research Analyst.
For example, you gain a ton of flexibility if you separate
the network infrastructure element from the video platform itself. Using a universal
enterprise content delivery network (eCDN) that works with all your platforms, can
save you time and money (and a few headaches!).
The Universal eCDN
Because an eCDN is a network overlay, deploying and managing a unique eCDN for each streaming platform is an IT nightmare—and fortunately unnecessary. Some video platform providers offer an eCDN as part of their solution, but most of those are proprietary and work only with their platforms.
Ramp is your only choice for a truly vendor-neutral solution. Our video distribution solutions are compatible with virtually all the market-leading streaming platforms. In addition, many of our partners have chosen to integrate Ramp directly into their products for the most seamless experience possible.
Our eCDN software
supports any live and on-demand HTML5 video streaming across the corporate network. Ramp can also generate HLS from encoders supporting RTP or work with a media server such as Wowza Streaming Engine
to ensure complete coverage from a single enterprise delivery solution.
Ramp’s solutions prove an eCDN can and should be able to retrieve and redistribute video from any video source, on any network and with any device. Not only does this simplify the deployment and management of the eCDN, but it provides maximum flexibility for the future as your streaming video landscape evolves over time.
Strategies for Streaming Success
Ready to take on more streaming in 2020? You need a solid road
map to get you from where you are today to where you want to be. In this
whitepaper, Wainhouse Research’s Steve Vonder Haar reveals the top five truths
for making video work better in your workplace.
Read ‘Building a Scalable Strategy for Enterprise Streaming’ >>
1Survey Insight: Enterprise Video, ITDM Perspectives – North America Q3 2019
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