Saving bandwidth with streaming media
 
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Streaming media may be one of the hottest topics in enterprise IT departments during the upcoming year. Faster access to Web-based content is just one reason; the other is bandwidth savings.
There are quite a few vendors jumping into the fray to meet the expected demand for streaming media. Some of those companies are going to provide just the component pieces that users will need to run streaming media, and others are looking to provide turnkey products.
Last week, for example, InfoLibria debuted a hardware/software appliance for the enterprise that will help you implement a full-blown content delivery network (CDN), but the main objective is streaming media applications. I already addressed the product specifics in Network World (www.nwfusion.com) this week, so I won't go into too many details here, but rather will delve into a little more background.
An enterprise CDN can allow network managers to reduce the amount of content that has to go across a WAN - something that can get very expensive if a company has a lot of remote offices. When a company chooses to make content and applications available to users, it can push that content out to remote locations a single time, and then distribute it locally.
The reasons for using streaming media in a corporate setting are multiple. Companies with remote offices still need to train employees from time to time, and they also need a way to communicate with them on a real-time basis. It's a lot cheaper to view a Webcast than it is to fly several hundred people to a central location. And it's a lot cheaper to push content out once than several times.
RELATED LINKS
InfoLibria touts do-it-yourself CDNs
Network World, 10/29/01
