Streaming Media - 2008 Industry Sourcebook - (Page 38) industry update bio companies that create the largest archives of on-demand content are the firms that have spent the most money and the most time implementing the technology. As more companies pour substantial resources into fostering the adoption of this technology, the importance of effective content management systems will only grow over time. The evolution in market needs is sparking a strategic evolution among key players in the enterprise online multimedia sector. Companies like Sonic Foundry and Accordent, which cut their teeth on developing content-creation platforms, continued to steadily expand their product lines to incorporate more sophisticated contentmanagement and tracking tools. And even as these companies were expanding the functionality of their comprehensive multimedia solutions, other vendors in 2007 were introducing new business models as “application service providers,” selling the technology enabling business multimedia that could be accessed online for a monthly subscription fee. Firms such as Multicast Media, IVT, and NetBriefings all rolled out these “ASP” solutions in 2007 in which companies could pay monthly fees to access selected technology offerings via the web. At Allete, the Duluth-based utility, the company launched its foray into rich media webcasting by buying a Mediasite appliance made by Sonic Foundry. The company has used the technology to produce nearly 50 online events incorporating online audio and video in its first year of webcasting. Many of the webcasts are produced to supply training and benefits information for employees working in the company’s network of power plants. Allete IT executive Opien acknowledges that most of the workers in power plants don’t care which technology—whether its DVD, online presentations, or some other format—is used to deliver information to the field. But for utility executives responsible for distributing information to the Allete workforce, the arrival of online rich media capabilities has made a significant difference. Opien explains that, for instance, single training sessions can be recorded and shared with workers whether they work during the day or through the graveyard shift. That eases the burden on trainers who are able to use online multimedia to deliver the same training message to all employee groups that need to hear it–no matter when they are on duty. “It’s convenience, actually,” she says. “It gives the same message, the same way, any time they want.” As a result, count Opien and Allete among the believers in using online multimedia to improve communications. “I would do it over in a minute,” Opien says of her company’s foray into rich media. “I wouldn’t hesitate at all.” Steven Vonder Haar (svonder@ interactivemediastrategies.com) is research director of Interactive Media Strategies. Comments? Contact us at letters@ streamingmedia.com, or check the masthead for other ways to contact us. 38 STREAMING MEDIA INDUSTRY SOURCEBOOK 2008
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.