Medianet Reference Guide - Cisco

Solution
Chapter 1
Medianet Architecture Overview
Second, many media applications will require common sets of functions, such as transcoding, recording,
and content management. To avoid duplication of resources and higher implementation costs, common
media services need to be integrated into the IP network so they can be leveraged by multiple media
applications.
Securing Media Applications
Because of the effectiveness of multimedia communication and collaboration, the security of media
endpoints and communication streams becomes an important part of the media-ready strategy. Access
controls for endpoints and users, encryption of streams, and securing content files stored in the data
center are all part of a required comprehensive media application security strategy.
Other specialized media applications, such as IP video surveillance and digital signage, may warrant
additional security measures due to their sensitivity and more restricted user group. Placing such media
applications within private logical networks within the IP network can offer an additional layer of
security to keep their endpoints and streams confidential.
Finally, as the level of corporate intellectual property migrates into stored and interactive media, it is
critical to have a strategy to manage the media content, setting and enforcing clear policies, and having
the ability to protect intellectual property in secure and managed systems. Just as companies have
policies and processes for handling intellectual property in document form, they also must develop and
update these policies and procedures for intellectual property in media formats.
Solution
The Need for a Comprehensive Media Network Strategy
It is possible to pursue several different strategies for readying the IP network for media applications.
One strategy is to embrace media applications entirely, seeing these technologies as driving the next
wave of productivity for businesses. Another strategy is to adopt a stance to manage and protect select
media applications on the network. Still another strategy would be to not manage media applications at
all. Which strategy should you pursue?
If we have learned anything from past technology waves which enable productivity, it is this: if corporate
IT does not deploy (or lags significantly in deployment) users will try to do it themselves... and usually
poorly. For example, several years ago, some IT departments were skeptical of the need to deploy
Wireless LANs (WLANS) or questioned-and rightly so-their security. As a result, many WLAN
deployments lagged. Users responded by purchasing their own consumer-grade WLAN access-points
and plugging them into corporate networks, creating huge holes in the network security strategy. Such
“rogue” access-points in the corporate network, lacking proper WLAN security, not only represented
critical security vulnerabilities to the network as a whole, but also were difficult for network
administrators to locate and shut down.
The coming media application wave will be no different and is already happening. IT departments
lacking a media application strategy may find themselves in the future trying to regain control of traffic
on the network. It is advantageous to define a comprehensive strategy now for how media applications
will be managed on the network. Key questions the strategy should answer include:
• Which are the business-critical media applications? And what service levels must be ensured for
these applications?
• Which media applications will be managed or left unmanaged?
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Medianet Reference Guide
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