Happy Multicast Monday! I was reviewing some of the latest enterprise streaming research and realized I haven’t dug into a topic that’s on everyone’s mind: security.

When industry analysts and reporters publish their predictions for the new year, security in some form or another is part of every list. Whether it’s technology trends, CIO priorities or IT spend, security is at or near the top of the list without fail.

So, let’s talk about the security built in to AltitudeCDN Multicast+.

100% Behind the Firewall
First off, Multicast+ (and OmniCache too!) deploys 100% on premises, behind the firewall. You don’t need to open any special ports on the firewall or make any unnecessary data exchanges to services out on the internet. You have complete control of the environment, software, updates and routing.

Even our web-based management platform, Altimeter, sits behind the firewall. Most other enterprise distribution options use a cloud controller to operate, which means you have to open a communication path through the firewall for your eCDN solution to work. Once that communication path exists, the solution has the ability to extract and compile information about your enterprise network.

Encryption
Ramp takes securing your streaming video one step further. Multicast+ adds a layer of security by encrypting the multicast packets as they travel your network, and digital signatures maintain the integrity of the exchange between senders and receivers—even if you already have HLS encryption. For HTTPS, Multicast+ includes a built-in, publicly signed PKI certificate so the receiver can establish trust with the browser. This can be replaced by your corporate certificate if required. As a result, you don’t have to worry about the type of information you share in all-hands meetings, executive video messages or online training videos.

Reduced Risk
We already touched on the fact you have complete control of your Multicast+ environment because it’s deployed and managed 100% behind your firewall—not somewhere in the cloud—which inherently reduces enterprise risk.

In addition, it doesn’t rely on any other device to deliver video streams. Multicast+ receiver clients only receive the (encrypted) video from the Multicast+ sender—not other devices on the network as is the case with peer-to-peer. Sharing and forwarding data from one device to another—especially if you have a bring your own device policy—increases the risk of transmitting viruses, spyware and other malware across your network.

Read our whitepaper to learn more about Multicast+, or contact us for a free demo.

The post Multicast Monday: Secure Streaming for the Enterprise appeared first on Ramp .

To view our Partner blog, click here

Happy
Multicast Monday! If you’ve been following my blogging journey, you know I’ve
been taking a deep dive into AltitudeCDN Multicast+ ,
but there’s more to the Ramp story. I recently introduced you to AltitudeCDN
Altimeter , our web-based management system, and today, I thought I’d
introduce you to Multicast+’s sibling.

In
addition to offering a next-generation multicast solution, we also have an intelligent
caching solution called AltitudeCDN OmniCache .
To put it simply, OmniCache brings your video closer to viewers to save
bandwidth, reduce network congestion and improve viewer experience.

How does it work?

Whether
you realize it or not, caching has been around for some time. In fact, it’s one
of the main reasons you don’t get frustrated when visiting your favorite
website. Caches are used to store data—like images and multimedia—so future
requests for that data can be served faster and with minimal delay.

We’ve taken that same
concept and enhanced it for video distribution behind the firewall. OmniCache is
purpose-built to store large media in a way that minimizes latency—because
let’s face it, latency is the enemy of a great video experience. Our software
is installed on servers in strategic locations around your network, close to
concentrations of viewers. When the first viewer requests the video, the cache
retrieves it from your video source, whether it’s Microsoft, Brightcove or
another platform, and stores a local copy at the cache. When another viewer in
the same location requests the video, they receive it from the local cache—not
the source origin.

Now fewer
video streams are travelling across the corporate internet connection and WAN
links, reserving precious bandwidth for mission-critical applications. With
less distance to travel, employees also enjoy a high-quality, glitch-free
experience with faster start times (making your CEO and your employees happy!).

Is OmniCache right for you?

Now that
you understand the OmniCache basics, you might be wondering if it will help you
up your business video game. As you start looking at eCDNs, consider the
following benefits of OmniCache:

• Single
  solution for live and video on demand (VOD)
• No
  client software or plugin required
• Supports
  any device, including mobile devices
• Supports
  any video source and any player technology (a.k.a. vendor neutral)
• Deploys
  100% behind the firewall
• End-to-end
  video encryption
• Self-discoverable
  and self-healing for exceptional resiliency
• Video
  pre-positioning to further optimize network performance
• Robust
  analytics
• Easy
  to manage and scale

But
choosing the right enterprise content delivery network (eCDN) for your
organization can feel overwhelming at first. Every approach is different, and
every eCDN has pros and cons. For a quick overview, check out our eCDN
comparison guide .

In the
end, what eCDN you choose has to do with your network, how you’re using video
as well as your organization’s unique needs—and we can help you explore your
options. Contact
us to learn more or request a demo .  

Recent blog posts:

Meet
Altimeter

6
Questions to Ask When Choosing an eCDN

Building
a Foundation for Video Success

The post Multicast Monday: Meet OmniCache appeared first on Ramp .

To view our Partner blog, click here

Happy
Multicast Monday!

When it
comes to adding an enterprise content delivery network (eCDN), you might be
thinking, “Just one more thing to manage.”

I’ve got
great news. Because Ramp is committed to making our solutions easy to deploy,
manage and scale, we created a management platform for AltitudeCDN
Multicast+ (and OmniCache ) called
Altimeter.

Altimeter
is the first and only centralized management system for enterprise-grade
multicasting and video caching. You can deploy, configure, manage and visually
monitor your entire eCDN deployment from a single, web-based interface. Sounds
pretty good, right?

Multicast Islands

Here’s
where Altimeter really shines. Some companies are lucky enough to have a fully
multicast-enabled network. However, many enterprise networks grew organically over
time or were slammed together through a series of acquisitions.

The
result is a network made up of multicast islands, where pockets of the network are
multicast-enabled but are unable to multicast between each other. In this case,
Altimeter centralizes the management of your entire multicast deployment,
regardless of the size of the network or number of multicast islands.

Altimeter
saves you time by provisioning all elements of your live events versus having
to configure each and every sender, which is especially helpful when your
network is made up of multicast islands.

Event Analytics

Altimeter
is also your microscope into network performance—before, during and after your
event. It allows you to monitor your network in real-time, identify issues and
analyze past events.  

• Monitor: Get a minute-by-minute view of KPIs such as network impact, number of viewers, and quality of experience (QoE) on a geographic map during a Multicast+ event. Circles on the map indicate concentrations of viewers along with packet loss at each location.

• Identify: Quickly assess the health of the network and identify areas of concern. The circles change in color as network performance changes, and you can hover over any circle to analyze performance by location—all the way down to the individual device.

• Analyze: View and analyze data
  as individual events or an aggregate of past events geographically and
  historically. You can also use the timeline to analyze statistics at specific
  moments in time.

Event Simulations

You can
also use Altimeter to create and schedule simulated, fully-functional video
events where Multicast+ senders and Multicast+ receivers join the event for a
specified period of time—no need to recruit colleagues to help. Altimeter does
it all. You can schedule the simulation and monitor the health of your network days
or hours before your next live event.

Learn
more about AltitudeCDN Altimeter by reading our data
sheet .

The post Multicast Monday: Meet Altimeter appeared first on Ramp .

To view our Partner blog, click here

Happy
Multicast Monday! In my last post, I talked about building
a foundation for business video success with an eCDN. To recap, video
uses a massive amount of bandwidth, and if you haven’t prepared your network with
an enterprise content delivery network (eCDN), you’re in for an epic fail.

So today,
I thought I’d go into the questions you need to ask when choosing the right
eCDN for your organization.

What impact will it have on my network?

Save
yourself the headache. Choose an eCDN that is CMS-platform source agnostic and
works with the technology investments you’ve already made. Look for an
HLS-compatible solution that overlays your existing network infrastructure and
doesn’t require proprietary media servers and/or video players.

Is it reliable?

I’ve said
it before, and I’ll say it again: If your viewers experience buffering, latency
or jitter, they won’t bother to watch it. All that work for nothing. Make sure
your eCDN is resilient and can handle packet loss. Chose one with bandwidth-smoothing
technologies , real-time monitoring and built-in failover. In
addition, think through how you will test your network in advance of live
events.

Is it
secure?

Security
is a priority. Period. Which means you need to find an eCDN that keeps your
videos “in the family.” Some solutions like peer-to-peer (P2P) use whatever
resources are available on your network, including personal devices connected
to external servers, to distribute video—which puts your network at risk. Also,
find a solution that provides a layer of encryption, an in-memory key and PKI
certifications to prevent unauthorized transmissions of your video streams.

Does it support my current—and future—video
environment?

In case
you missed it, Adobe announced it will end-of-life Flash, making HTML5 video
the new industry standard. Make sure your eCDN supports not only HTLM5 video,
but every video platform you use today. Moving to a standards-based delivery
method gives you the flexibility you need to protect your investment.

Can it scale?

Your
enterprise content delivery system needs to do more than run efficiently. It also
needs to scale and evolve with your organization. It doesn’t matter if your
webcast is flawless if only 10 people sitting in a conference room can watch it.
The number of people who watch your business videos matters (I bet internal
comms asks you, “How many viewers?”), so make sure your eCDN covers every
single employee regardless of their location.  

How will I prove ROI?

Speaking
of numbers, confirm you can derive the right kind of analytics. You’ll want to
access both real-time and archived analytics to understand every element of
your video streams. You should be able to easily access actional data, such as
viewer location/device and overall network performance.

Are you
ready to learn more how an eCDN can save your network and improve viewer
experience, drop
us a message . Ramp is 100 percent focused on helping you resolve
network congestion created by video behind the firewall.

The post Multicast Monday:
6 Questions to Ask When Choosing an eCDN appeared first on Ramp .

To view our Partner blog, click here

By Julie Basa

Happy (Multicast) Monday! It’s the start of a new week, and I’m
ready to take on the world. Translation: I’m going to do all the things this
week. But here’s the thing, if you try to do all the things, you’re bound to
fail. As a result, I’m getting back to the basics this week… and that’s what
we’re going to do today.

It might seem like a stretch to compare my personal goals
with business objectives, but they’re fundamentally the same. In both life and
business, success comes from building a strong foundation, having a plan and
putting the right tools in place. It’s not
about luck .

Improving employee engagement in one form or another is
almost always a key business objective. There are so many facets to employee
engagement, but internal communications is table stakes for capturing the
hearts and minds of employees. Speaking from experience, all-employee meetings are
an important part of the plan.

So, what do you need to be successful? A good message and a
way to deliver it. Webcasting all-employee meetings is the most efficient and
cost-effective way to reach everyone at one time—but you need to have the right
tools. An easy-to-use video player—like Microsoft Stream, Brightcove or
TalkPoint—is a no brainer. Let’s take one step back and look at the foundation:
your network.

Video uses a massive amount of bandwidth to travel your
network. If you haven’t prepared, your network will slow to a snail’s pace,
resulting in a poor viewer experience. A little buffering or latency, and
employees will drop from your live stream.

All that work for
nothing.

If this sounds familiar, you need enterprise content delivery
network (eCDN) in your toolbox. An eCDN intelligently routes video traffic to
optimize your network without sacrificing user experience. The most common
eCDNs are multicast, video caching and peer-to-peer.

• Multicast:
  Distributes a single video stream across the enterprise network to be watched
  by hundreds or thousands of viewers simultaneously.
• Video Caching:
  Stores and distributes video from strategic locations around the network,
  typically close to concentrations of viewers near the edge of the enterprise
  WAN.
• Peer-to-Peer:
  Uses available connected personal devices already on the network (peers) to host
  and distribute segments of the video.

Which eCDN will work for you depends on a variety of
factors—and it’s definitely not one-size-fits-all.

At Ramp, our sole focus is video distribution behind the
firewall, making us uniquely positioned to talk all things eCDN.  We can help you explore the options and figure
out what approach will work for you.

Drop
us a line or read our
whitepaper about the different approaches to video distribution
behind the firewall.

The post Multicast Monday: Building a Foundation for Success appeared first on Ramp .

To view our Partner blog, click here

By Julie Basa

Many IT pros we talk to are testing live events for Microsoft Stream. They know it’s a great option for streaming (and it’s free with Microsoft 365), but they’re concerned about viewer experience.

They’ve told us that during some of their tests, viewers experience buffering, glitches and jitter. The problem isn’t the video platform, usability or accessibility. It’s the impact enterprise video has on their network. High-quality video eats up a lot of bandwidth. The more you scale, the more your network becomes stressed, leading to complaints from viewers (and maybe even your CEO!).

If
you can relate, it might be time to explore an enterprise content delivery
network (eCDN). By intelligently routing the flow of video traffic around your
network, an eCDN improves network performance and ultimately viewer experience.

Meet Multicast

Multicast is the most efficient eCDN for Microsoft Stream. It sends a single video stream simultaneously to every person in your enterprise without using any more bandwidth than needed for one viewer. For instance, it takes approximately 20,000 mbps of bandwidth to webcast to 10,000 people, but only 2 mpbs if you’re using multicast.*

As the only multicast option for Microsoft Stream, Ramp AltitudeCDN Multicast+ is easy to use and manage. You just install our software and select Ramp when you configure your Stream environment. Easy peasy!

Mutlicast+
is a network overlay that uses your existing network infrastructure to deliver
high-quality, stable video to all of your viewers. Packed with robust event
analytics and bandwidth-smoothing
technologies , it’s a great option for enterprises with multicast-enabled
networks. Once deployed, Multicast+ also serves as a common distribution
infrastructure for all of your enterprise steaming platforms.

Intelligent Video Caching

Even though it’s Multicast Monday, I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention Ramp AltitudeCDN OmniCache , the only intelligent video caching solution integrated with Microsoft Stream. OmniCache dynamically retrieves live and on-demand video from any video source and stores local copies at key locations inside your firewall to drastically reduce network congestion—by 90 percent or more. As a result, viewers get their video from the local cache instead of the cloud. This means the video is only travelling short distances versus huge amounts of data travelling across your entire network.

Resources

Learn what makes Multicast+ and OmniCache the most efficient solutions for Microsoft 365 video:

Ramp/Microsoft 365 video Solution Brief >>

AltitudeCDN
Multicast+: Next-Generation Multicast in the Age of HTML5 >>

AltitudeCDN OmniCache
data sheet >>

*For this calculation, we’re assuming one video stream is
equal to 2mbps.

The post Multicast Monday:
Make the Most of
Microsoft Stream appeared first on Ramp .

To view our Partner blog, click here