Local Heroes: Solutions for LAN- and WAN-based Streaming (Part 2)

Choosing a VOD Solution for LAN and WAN Delivery
Every organization’s content delivery needs are different, and all the available solutions for WAN and LAN delivery present different strengths. The first step in choosing a service provider is assessing your own capabilities, limitations, and requirements. Only then can you evaluate what solution will best help you achieve your streaming goals. Here’s a list of questions to ask yourself as you get started.

1. What types of content do we need help with?
a. Do we want to deliver most of our content on demand or via live multicast?
b. How does the system help with interactive multicast; i.e. training and conferences?
c. Can the system cache general-purpose content (general Web site or application data)?
d. What are the expansion options and storage limits of the caching device (where applicable)?

2. Who do we need the content to reach (and how)?
a. Are most of the users internal or on remote LAN?
b. Do we need to reach mployees who work at home or on the road?
c. Do we want to reach partners, dealers, and other third parties?
d.Do we want any of these recipients to be able to view the file without being online?

3. What are our security concerns?
a. The ability to limit how many times a video is viewed?
c. The ability to restrict playback to a specific computer?
d. The ability to prevent content from being downloaded?
e. How does the system interact with our current user authentication scheme?
f. Can the system provide functions like virus scanning on incoming files or content filtering?
g. Do we care that all files are stored locally on each user’s hard drive?

4. What types of reports do we want?
a. The ability to see who has played the video and for how long?
b. The ability to see how many times an individual has played the video?
c. The ability to assess content popularity?

5. Administrative/setup issues
a. How transparent is the technology to Web site development? Is any special coding necessary? What do I have to do to service local requests locally?
b. How transparent is the technology to users? Are any downloads necessary?
c. How long will it take to set up each system deployed in a remote office? Do IT personnel have to be present?
d. Can I maintain the devices remotely?
e. Is there a one-to-many maintenance paradigm that lets me service multiple locations at once?
f. How easy is it to import user data from existing sources, like users from Active Directory?

6. Performance and efficiency
a. Is there load-balancing between devices?
b. If so, can I control this to avoid traffic on expensive links and push to cheaper links?