IP is driving a new era of innovation and efficiency within the media industry, opening up more opportunities for growth and transformation. However, despite the potential of IP’s flexibility to adapt to configuration changes and scalability, there are also inherent challenges that media companies must navigate. As the industry transitions from traditional co-axial video interfaces to open IP-based workflows, network control and network robustness are critical priorities. Media companies need to ensure that their networks and high-value content are protected against both external and internal misconfiguration and stream routing issues.
Jigsaw 24 Media – Some hard truths about remote workflow security
When we reached out to production and post houses to find out about your approach to remote workflows and end-point security, we quickly discovered that the first rule of remote workflow security seems to be that you do not talk about remote workflow security. Because there’s a chance that sharing information about how you keep your content secure could be what puts your security at risk…and some of you are worried about revealing just how vulnerable your workflows are. When we did finally manage to convince a handful of post professionals and security specialists to break the silence, what they shared were some hard truths.
Amagi – Shielding your secrets using secure local vault
Exposure of credentials has emerged as a leading cause of data breaches across organizations. Verizon’s 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report reveals that external actors were involved in 83% of data breaches, with stolen credentials being exploited in 49% of these breaches. Furthermore, such breaches have severe consequences for businesses. According to IBM’s 2023 Cost of Data Breach Report, stolen or compromised credentials contributed to approximately 15% of data breaches, resulting in losses of $4.62 million.
Net Insight – Taking control of IP: Putting security back at the heart of media
The IP media paradigm is loud and clear, changing what we used to know about producing and distributing live events and how we did business in the media world. The innovation potential is immense, bringing efficiency and agility to the media industry at an unprecedented scale. However, transformation also needs to iron out some of the changes it brings. Moving from closed and controlled to open IP-based workflows means network control and security become mission-critical capabilities as media companies need to ensure their high-value content is protected.
When it comes to premium content, any mistake or network vulnerability can prove detrimental, both financially and reputationally. There is no room for compromise — media companies need to boost their network control and security to ensure they make the most of IP without caveats.
The data domino effect
When designing a storage system for a production or post facility, it is easy to concentrate on capacity and throughput, and think that is all you need. However, a very real issue is data safety and how to guard against it. That is a particular problem in our industry of media production. Once you start considering the issues around data loss, the potential problems start to escalate: a real domino effect.
Securing broadcast synchronization against malicious attack
Synchronization is a fundamental requirement in all content generation and broadcast; used extensively both in SDI / HDI formats and in IP packet based systems. Synchronization signals are typically generated from equipment including sync pulse generators, master sync references, and for the IP format, Precision Timing Protocol (PTP) grandmaster clock generators. Most sync generators encapsulate a very accurate internal clock which is synchronised to an external reference, which for the vast majority of manufacturers is a GPS & GNSS satellite timing signal. Consequently sync generators are connected to an outside GNSS antenna via coaxial cable or fibre optic cable, like those supplied by ViaLite Communications.
Protecting Media Assets – Risk and Resilience
The sudden shift to remote working within the media industry saw an incredible turnaround, with workflows being instated quickly to ensure that quality content creation could continue. Existing media tools were adapted to enable workers from around the globe to access content and contribute to production, all whilst the industry came to terms with wider logistical challenges. A quick rollout of infrastructure saw big changes in how the industry managed their assets; suddenly, data that would have been very difficult to access needed to be available to workers from their homes.
Why Your Cybersecurity Resilience Strategy is Not Good Enough
Even with the global cost of online crime reaching $6 trillion by 2021.
Even with 50% more cyber-attacks per week on corporate networks in 2021.
Even with the world’s most influential technology leaders claiming cybercrime to be the greatest threat to every company in the world.
…the fact of the matter is most broadcasters are woefully underprepared when it comes to protecting their businesses from cyber-attacks. And this is a big problem.
Content Protection – more things to consider
The recent IABM report on content security trends in conjunction with our good friends at Axinom made for some interesting reading. As Roger Thornton mentions in his summary article, perhaps the most surprising takeaway is the discrepancy between a stated intention to invest in content, and a far lower priority in investment in content security technology to safeguard against the theft of that content, especially given the financial, operational and potentially creative resources that will be required to produce or acquire it. As Roger summarises, this seems counterintuitive, but budgets are finite and it could be argued that prioritizing content over business processes is where dutiful media providers should concentrate their majority resource.
Zero Trust; the new security paradigm for a multi-connected world
Media companies are connecting across more platforms, services, and networks all the time and securing content or broadcast/streaming data has never been more important… and more difficult.