Executive Interview: Mike Cronk, Chairman of the Board – AIMS and VP Core Technology, Grass Valley

Mike Cronk, Chairman of the Board, AIMS and VP Core Technology, Grass Valley, discusses how and why AIMS has been so successful in such a short timescale. AIMS is completely independent, is a registered Not-for-Profit, has a separate board of directors, and is funded by all its members – not just a single company. Barely a year since it was formed, AIMS is already widely recognized and acknowledged for the role it has played in helping to make great strides towards IP interoperability. How and why has AIMS been so successful in such a short timescale? I think there are several reasons. The first I would call ‘The power of the idea’; AIMS is a simple, single concept. For our industry to continue to flourish and competition to thrive, we need a common network, and there was immediate recognition of this. Secondly, you need standards. Various standards and technical recommendations organizations such as VSF and SMPTE were very active in IP standardization, but their work didn’t have a strong voice in the marketplace. AIMS strengthened their voice and released a pent-up demand from both broadcasters and vendors. Thirdly, transparency and independence; some other organizations are 100% funded and driven by...