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Streaming Video andYour Network

CMMA Blog

Technology at Work

It’s a fact. Technology is making life easier. At the same time, technology can sometimes be frustrating. And technology in the workplace is no different.

Streaming video is one technology that’s making work life easier. It’s being used for everything from onboarding and executive communications to training and digital signage. It saves time, money and it’s way more interesting than reading an email or instruction manual.

Although some organizations are just dipping their toes in the (streaming video) water, others have embraced it and are searching for new ways to use video within their organizations.

No matter how you’re using video, here’s a hot tip. Your videos are meaningless if people can’t watch them. It takes more than just creating a great video and sending it to people. You need to consider how that video will impact your enterprise network.  

Wainhouse Research’s Steve Vonder Haar talks about the role networking plays in a successful enterprise video strategy. Watch “Strategies for Streaming Success: Enterprise Video Requires Smart Networks” by clicking on the image below.

Video
Distribution

As Steve said, “If no one
sees a video, does it really make an impact on day-to-day business?”

Networking is the foundation for creating the best experience for everyone watching your videos. If you don’t take the steps to protect your network, your viewers could experience buffering or delays. Poor quality makes your video frustrating to watch and the message and/or training hard to absorb. As a result, you’ve missed the opportunity to reach everyone in your organization.

Wainhouse network importance
Influence of “Distribute Video without Harming Corporate Network” on the streaming technology purchase decision.1

But the impact on
day-to-day business goes beyond viewer experience. It can also have a negative
impact on business-critical operations.

IT executives recognize the risk video has on their network. According to Wainhouse Research, four out of five IT professionals say that it is “very important” or “somewhat important” to “distribute video without harming the corporate network.”1

So how can you protect your network from live and on-demand video? You could buy more bandwidth, or tell people, “No more videos.” But those aren’t great options for solving your problem. Instead, you could consider an enterprise content delivery network (eCDN).

Choosing the Right eCDN

An eCDN adds software or hardware to the network to help manage and optimize the distribution of bandwidth-intensive video. By routing the flow of video traffic with an eCDN, you can improve performance and reduce or eliminate congestion.

Your audience will enjoy less latency and buffering, faster video start times, and an overall better viewing experience.

What kind of eCDN is right for your enterprise depends on a variety of factors, including the network topology, the type of video(s) you stream, budget and IT policies. The different types of eCDNs are not mutually exclusive and can be deployed in combination with one another.

The three most common eCDN solutions are multicasting, video caching and peer-to-peer distribution. 

Multicast

Multicast solutions
distribute a single video stream across the enterprise network to be watched by
hundreds or thousands of viewers simultaneously.

  • Highly-predictable
    network
  • Reliable
    over WAN links and Wi-Fi networks
  • Requires
    multicast-enabled network
  • Requires
    client software on viewing devices

Caching

Video caching solutions
store and distribute video from strategic locations around the network,
typically  close to concentrations of
viewers near the edge of the enterprise WAN.

  • Single
    solution for live and VOD
  • Supports
    mobile devices
  • No
    client software required
  • Low
    cost of entry and scales easily

Peer-to-Peer (P2P)

P2P solutions decentralize
video distribution by utilizing resources available in connected personal
devices already on the network. Peers in the network host and distribute
segments  of the video to one another.

  • Scales
    based on demand and device availability
  • Requires
    firewall access to cloud controller to operate
  • Requires
    client software on viewing devices
  • Potential
    security risk transmitting data among 
    connected devices

If you want a deeper dive into the different types of eCDNs, read our whitepaper Approaches for Deploying an Enterprise Content Delivery Network .

Ramp
and Enterprise Video Distribution

At Ramp, our sole focus is video distribution behind the firewall. We help organizations of every size deliver unlimited, high-quality video streaming to everyone in their organization. Using multicasting, video caching, or a combination of both, Ramp significantly minimizes the bandwidth required to distribute video.

Our software deploys
entirely behind your firewall for maximum security, scales easily as demand for
video grows, and works with virtually any modern video platform, including industry-leaders
such as Brightcove, Kaltura and Microsoft Stream.

With centralized management, monitoring and analytics, you get unprecedented visibility into and control over network performance to deliver the highest-quality viewer experience.

Learn more about our
solutions:

>> Multicast+

>> OmniCache

Making Video Work Better in Your Workplace

Beyond choosing the right eCDN, there are a number of factors that make streaming video work better in your workplace. Read Wainhouse Research’s Building a Scalable Strategy for Enterprise Streaming . Learn how using the right technology can help you make the most out of video and deliver business impact.

Wainhouse Scalable Strategy Social 1024x576 1

1Survey Insight: Enterprise Streaming Viewership and Adoption Trends – North America Q4 2019

The post Streaming Video and
Your Network appeared first on Ramp .

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7 Tips for Successful Workplace Meetings in 2020

AV Everywhere

A new year presents the motivation for resolutions that we hope will improve our lives. Since so much of our time is devoted to our careers, I’m going to focus on a strategy that can lead to a better workplace experience and business success in 2020.

During a 2019 AVI-SPL webinar , Lieven Bertier of Barco explained the ingredients to a perfect workplace meeting and how collaboration technology supports these meetings. Bertier is the director of go-to-market strategy and services for Barco’s meeting experience business.

He noted that Barco’s own research indicates millennials and Gen Z will make up 59% of the workforce this year (a figure not too far off from the 50% figure I found in this source ). This matters because they are natural collaborators who embrace digital technology. As I frequently mention in this blog , companies that want to attract and keep the best talent need to give them the tools to succeed.

During the webinar, Bertier touched on stats and findings that illustrate the connection between meetings and meeting-room technology, including:  

  • 30% of organizations in 2020 will find their greatest competitive asset in their workforce’s ability to creatively use digital technologies.
  • 72% of employees say their companies need to invest in better meeting technology (most say it needs to be intuitive and plug-and-play).
  • Most millennials (78%) and everyone else (75%) want a fixed place for their meetings.

That last point should matter to anyone involved in business, because millennials are already the largest segment of the U.S. workforce . (As an aside, be skeptical about reports that claim millennials will make up 75% of the workforce in 2025. Recent research shows that’s an inflated number that keeps getting circulated without fact-checking .)

But of all the statistics that Bertier shared, the number that struck me and inspired this post is this one: 51% of employees attend meetings that they say are irrelevant to them. 

Let’s give this the context Bertier provided: The average meeting length in the U.S. is 48 minutes. So if you attend 10 meetings a week, that accounts for a full day of work each week. No one who cares about their career and responsibilities wants to be part of a day’s worth of being unproductive. Now consider that there are about 3 billion meetings in the U.S. every year and that the Fortune 500 wastes $75 million a year on meetings. As Bertier notes, it’s no wonder that nearly 60% of employees think meetings should be shorter.

Meetings Aren’t the Problem

The problem is poorly conceived meetings. Meetings should be where people formulate their strategy and tactics, brainstorm ideas, make decisions, work with one another, and make progress on their shared projects. Where time is at a premium, meetings can’t be interrupted by digressions, small talk, and technology that hinders rather than helps. With that in mind, here are Bertier’s list of seven tips for better meetings:

    1. Add the technology and rooms that will empower people to have better, more productive meetings.
      • So what does better technology look like? It’s simple and intuitive. That means it works at the touch of a button, is wireless, compatible with any device, and is easy to set up. 
    2. Reduce the number of meetings. Don’t mistake this for less collaboration. Empowered by meeting spaces with collaboration technology, you may find your employees getting together frequently in quick huddles to review plans of action, answer lingering questions, and map out strategies.
    3. Assign clear roles and responsibilities: A meeting that has a chairperson, note taker, facilitator, and timekeeper can keep it focused and productive.
    4. No interruptions or distractions. Most participants are offended by someone who uses a phone or computer during a meeting. This can be impractical to eliminate, since we rely on our personal devices to take notes and contribute to the discussion. It may be better to encourage attendees to use their devices only for purposes related to the task at hand.
    5. Use multimedia. 72% of survey respondents feel more engaged with multimedia presentations.
    6. Embrace huddle spaces. Huddle spaces with ready-to-use collaboration technology benefit those who want to work together in small groups and do so at a moment’s notice.
    7. Aim for the 17-minute meeting. In countries around the world, most employees want their meetings to be shorter. By setting a time limit on meetings, you encourage organizers and participants to focus on the agenda.

With these tips in mind, you have a good foundation from which to empower staff with the type of meetings that improve productivity, reduce stress, and create a collaborative environment that leads to better business outcomes. For help with putting these recommendations into action, work with a services provider who has deep experience in workplace collaboration. AVI-SPL has that experience, so reach out with your questions and requests .

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