BurstPoint Networks Announces New BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node
BurstPoint Networks Extends Video Management and Distribution Capabilities to the Cloud and Announces Mobile Device Support Via Dual Delivery Models
New Virtual Delivery Node Provides Customers with Unrivaled Scale and Flexibility in a Single End-to-End Platform
BurstPoint Networks today announced the launch of its new cloud-based service that extends the content management and distribution capabilities of the BurstPoint Video Communication Platform™ (VCP™) beyond on-premise networks to cloud-based environments. The BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node™ includes a gateway appliance to the cloud service and leverages a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver on-demand video content to millions of end users simultaneously, both outside the firewall and around the world. BurstPoint is offering the CDN services through a new partnership with Highwinds, a leader in content delivery, network and IP services.
In addition, BurstPoint also announced today both on- and off-premise mobile device support through the standard BurstPoint VCP Delivery Node™ and the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node, giving organizations the ability to stream MP4 videos to mobile devices, including smartphones, iPhones, iPads, and other tablets. Through these offerings, BurstPoint VCP customers can greatly and cost-effectively expand their capabilities to use video for remote and mobile purposes, all through a single end-to-end platform that offers unrivaled scale and flexibility.
Cloud-Based Offering
Until now, video management and distribution systems have typically been deployed in one of two ways: on-premise through an appliance or in the cloud using a CDN. With the launch of the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node, customers now have the option to choose a hybrid solution that efficiently and cost-effectively accommodates their specific needs when managing video assets, while providing unprecedented scale and flexibility to simplify future plans and growth. Companies can distribute rich media content internally, seamlessly add content to the cloud for large-scale outreach to audiences outside of company walls, or select a combination of both delivery methods. Regardless of whether customers choose to manage video content on- or off-premise, they can easily adjust or expand their selections at any time.
Using the BurstPoint VCP Manager™, administrators can “map” end users to either a BurstPoint VCP Delivery Node or the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node and choose and control which content to keep on the internal network and which to push to the cloud. For example, organizations can “map” employees working at company headquarters to the primary BurstPoint VCP Delivery Node and direct them to video assets on the internal network, while “mapping” remote workers and other constituents outside the firewall to the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node, where they can view the same content via the cloud.
“What differentiates BurstPoint’s cloud-based solution from competitor offerings is the fact that the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node is not a standalone service. Rather, it is an extension of our existing end-to-end BurstPoint VCP solution, which allows customers to create, manage, distribute and consume video content – whether on-premise or in the cloud,” said Tom Racca, president & CEO, BurstPoint Networks. “The launch of the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node further emphasizes our mission to provide customers with unrivaled flexibility and scale for content management and distribution.”
With the addition of the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node, the BurstPoint VCP truly gives customers one end-to-end platform to manage all of their video assets – regardless of where they want to manage content or how many end users they are trying to reach. Additionally, the BurstPoint VCP enables customers to leverage their previous investments in video conferencing (VC) systems and digital signage technology by providing the ability to push on-demand video captured from VC systems to the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node for wide distribution.
“Our CDN was built to support partners that deliver valuable IT services to enterprises and organizations across a variety of industries,” said Steve Liddell, president of Content Delivery and Network Services, Highwinds. “The combination of the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node and Highwinds’ CDN provides customers with a powerful way to reach millions of end users anytime, anywhere. And because Highwinds’ CDN runs over a reliable, high-performance network, customers can be confident that all video communications will reach their intended audiences with high quality and low latency.”
“Enterprises around the world are leveraging rich media content in new and exciting ways,” said Ira M. Weinstein, senior analyst and partner, Wainhouse Research. “Along with this increased use of video comes the need to distribute this content to partners, peers and clients inside the enterprise and outside the company’s local area network. BurstPoint’s hybrid content distribution approach enables organizations to stream rich media content to both internal and external users without sacrificing efficiency and security.”
Mobile Device Support
The BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node and the BurstPoint VCP Delivery Node also now support MP4 videos, providing customers with the ability to distribute video content to a variety of mobile and tablet devices, whether on- or off-premise. This mobile capability provides companies with yet another way to instantaneously reach constituents outside the firewall with mission-critical messages and vital communications through the most popular mobile devices today.
“Market demand for video-to-mobile technology is growing fast, especially as a means to reach large scale audiences,” commented Racca. “We’ve taken a giant step forward by offering our customers an easy-to-use and cost-effective platform that allows them to stream MP4 videos to mobile devices and tablets.”
Additional Features of the Virtual Delivery Node
The BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node also includes the following key features:
- Video as a Service – The BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node allows channel partners and service providers to offer video as a very cost-effective managed service.
- Cost-Efficiency – Because cloud services are “pay services” based on monthly storage and data transfers, customers can easily determine when it’s most cost-effective to manage video in the cloud through the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node and when to have it reside on the internal network via the BurstPoint VCP Delivery Node.
- Network Reliability – BurstPoint’s hierarchical, distributed architecture provides users with a fault-tolerant and redundant network – regardless of whether the video is deployed on- or off-premise.
- Network Protection – Companies can deploy an on-site, local BurstPoint VCP Delivery Node to cache all video content and reduce bandwidth on the wide area network, while leveraging the BurstPoint VCP Virtual Delivery Node to effectively stream video outside of the organization or to remote workers seamlessly and securely.
- Detailed Reporting – Detailed and flexible reporting helps companies gain insight into how content is being consumed, where, how often and by whom – thereby simplifying asset management and improving compliance.
BurstPoint at InfoComm 2011
BurstPoint Networks’ executives will be at InfoComm 2011 (booth #1688) this week. In addition to this product news, BurstPoint Networks will be announcing the results of its recent enterprise video survey and showing off the very latest in video communications.
About BurstPoint Networks
Headquartered in Westborough, Mass., BurstPoint Networks is transforming the way organizations use video to communicate with employees, customers, partners, and other key constituents. Designed for high performance, reliability and scalability, the company’s fully integrated, enterprise-class software platform brings together the capture, distribution, reporting, and management capabilities required to meet the complex anywhere and anytime viewing demands of a highly distributed audience while providing cost savings and ease of use. For more information about BurstPoint Networks, please visit www.burstpoint.com.
