MULTIPOINT VIDEO CALLING

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1 1 A Publication of

2 2 VIDEO CONFERENCING MADE SIMPLE. TELEMERGE S ALL-IN-ONE VIDEO COLLABORATION Everything you need to enable adoption, right here. Request A Demo Learn More THE FOUR PILLARS Telemerge Support Real time help when you need it Proper Equipment Recommendations Easy to use solution that works every time Telemerge Cloud Offering Simplified device scheduling Complete Bridging capabilities Connect to any device Global Network Offering & Guidance Consistent high quality experience

3 3 CONTENTS. Features to support multipoint calling Voice activated switching vs. continuous presence layout vs. lecturer mode 04 Transcoding of video and audio codecs 05 Content Sharing modes 06 Gateway service 07 Firewall Traversal 08 Spam and Fraud prevention 09 Explore and compare alternative deployment architectures Embedded video bridging 10 Stand-alone video bridging 11 Cloud-based multipoint bridging 12

4 4 VIDEO IS THE NEW VOICE With increasing adoption of videoconferencing, SMBs and enterprises are actively looking to provide their workforce with adequate and cost effective options for multipoint video calling. While some organizations are satisfied with basic multipoint video calling many others are looking for a solution which will take care of transcoding and interoperability in secure multi vendor environments. In order to support multipoint videoconferencing a bridge of some sort is needed. But before we discuss the differences between conferences hosted in the cloud, using on-premise multipoint control units or the use of multisite and mulitpoint options embedded in some videoconferencing endpoints, let s understand the basics involved in multipoint videoconferencing. Features To Be Supported In Multipoint Calling When company is looking for a multipoint bridging solution it has to decide first on which use cases have to be supported. There are several very useful features that are must haves in the current videoconferencing realm: Voice activated switching versus continuous presence layouts versus lecturer mode Transcoding of different video and audio codecs Presentation or content sharing mode Gateway switching service Software bridge based on H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC) protocol Firewall traversal capabilities that enable endpoints to participate in the same videoconference no matter where they come from i.e. private or public networks Prevention of SIP spam and toll fraud attacks

5 5 Voice Activated Switching Vs. Continuous Presence Layouts Versus Lecturer Mode Based on its use cases, a company can chose to have its multipoint bridging service support either voice activated or continuous presence layouts. In the voice activated switching mode all participants see the video image of the current speaker. The speaker sees the video image of the previous speaker. When a new speaker begins talking, the video switches to the new speaker. In the continuous presence mode the multipoint bridge creates a picture consisting of the video from multiple sites participating in the conference. This feature allows participants to see up to 16 or even more sites at one time. In the lecturer mode one location s video, audio and data are viewed by all the other endpoints. The lecturer views the other locations one after another for a fixed duration of time. Transcoding of Different Video and Audio Codecs Over the last few years, the number of video and audio codec standards in the market has grown significantly. Different endpoints can use a variety of video and audio codecs to encode and decode their video and audio streams. When various endpoints using different codecs engage in a video collaboration session there is a need for transcoding between them. Without transcoding capabilities these endpoints will not be able to communicate each with other. Generally the more sophisticated the multipoint system, the more successful it will be in allowing these disparate systems to connect. For example, an on-premise or cloudbased MCU will be best able to handle transcoding duties, whereas a multisite or multipoint function embedded in a video endpoint is limited in the way it supports transcoding.

6 6 Presentation or Content Sharing Mode Presentation or content sharing mode allows the speaker to share a presentation with the other endpoints. This feature is very important in today s video communication world as it allows for more effective collaboration and helps to streamline many internal processes. Gateway Service A gateway service enables endpoints with varying protocols, networks and audio and video formats to communicate in the same conference. There are many different communication protocols, such as, H.323, SIP and H.320 (sometimes called a legacy protocol), and standards for video conferencing. As well, there can be different underlying networks supporting the traffic from video endpoints that are connected into one video conference. Historicaly video conferencing was first used and deployed over ISDN networks. After a while, video conferencing started to slowly migrate to TCP based networks. However, the reality is that there are plenty of companies and endpoints that still leverage ISDN networks for their video communication. There are some pros and cons for each network. Both H.323 and SIP use the more common TCP based networks, whereas H.320 uses ISDN based networks. Video endpoints located in these networks can t communicate with each other and require a special gateway for interconnection. In order to support such interconnection, the company has to deploy a dedicated gateway in their core network or subscribe to such a service.

7 7 Software Bridge Based on H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC) Protocol Software based bridges - or routers, that use H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC) protocol are drawing a lot of attention these days. A couple of the biggest advantages of deploying H.264 SVC routers are lower cost hardware and higher resiliency against packet loss. While there are a number of pros and cons for using software bridging based on the H.264 SVC protocol, one of the main disadvantages is that of the manufacturers that have chosen to implement H.264 SVC in their products, none of them can natively interoperate with each other. That stated, this solution can still provide some organizations with an adequate video quality and experience but has to be carefully tested and tried in their specific use cases and network. Firewall Traversal Capabilities A major problems with IP based videoconferencing relates to traversing the corporate firewall. Firewalls are designed to keep certain types of traffic out of a network and are usually deployed in strategic points in the network infrastructure, primarily between the public Internet and the corporate network, between branch offices and the corporate network or even between segments of the corporate network. Neither H.323 nor SIP protocols were designed with security in mind and require a large number of ports to be opened in the corporate firewall in order to function properly. Since this presents a security risk that no security administrator will accept, some sort of firewall traversal solution must be used. This allows the organization to leverage video conferencing not only inside their local LAN but with other branches and third-party customers that use the Internet for video collaboration. Unfortunately, multisite or multipoint capabilities embedded in video endpoints do not support firewall traversal.

8 8 Prevention of SIP Spam and Toll Fraud Attacks Video conferencing devices reside within a corporate infrastructure and typically rely on Internet protocol. The first question you should ask yourself is this: Is my videoconferencing infrastructure exposed to a public Internet? If the answer is yes, and your infrastructure isn t protected by a firewall, a spammer can drive a huge volume of SIP spam calls to you and relay their messages in real-time media. Multisite or multipoint capabilities embedded in video endpoints have no way to filter or block SIP spam and toll fraud attacks.

9 9 Explore And Compare Alternative Deployment Architectures There are three options when it comes to deployment architectures for multipoint conferencing. Each has advantages and disadvantages so you ll want to choose the one that right for your needs now as well as in the future. 1. EMBEDDED VIDEO BRIDGING Embedded video bridges (a.k.a. multisite or multipoint option keys) are available as a software feature (often optional for an additional fee) within many videoconferencing endpoints. Advantage: Often the most cost-effective choice Disadvantage: Only basic functionality No transcoding of different video and audio codecs Limited number of participants (usually 4 or 6 with no support for lecturer mode) Bandwidth requirements aggregate to increase demand on the organizer s network No gateway service support Firewall traversal capabilities not supported No capabilities to block/reject SIP spam and toll fraud attacks

10 10 2. STAND-ALONE VIDEO BRIDGING Stand-alone video bridges involve the use of bridging platforms owned by the customer, and managed and hosted by either the customer or a service provider. Advantage: More than just basic functionality Disadvantage: Burden on resources High cost of ownership Significant burden on the organization s IT department to manage and support systems that are typically out of their scope of expertise Limited scalability, i.e. the organization can t expand a limited bridge capacity to host many multipoint events and then shrink this capacity back to support their day-to-day activities Very limited firewall traversal capabilities No support to block / reject SIP spam and toll fraud attacks

11 11 3. CLOUD-BASED MULTIPOINT BRIDGING Cloud-based multipoint bridging involves the use of bridging platforms owned, managed, and hosted by an external service provider. Cloud-based video conferencing is usually procured on a subscription basis without the need to own and deploy hardware with the commensurate savings in costs. It can also be designed to flexibly satisfy the customer s unique use cases. The other advantage is a substantial reduction or even elimination of the nee for the organization to manage the service. Advantages: Built in transcoding of different video and audio codecs Full continuous presence support and lecturer mode support Gateway service support Firewall traversal and TURN, STUN and ICE are all supported Built in prevention of SIP spam and toll fraud attacks Easily scalable to match business needs Eliminates technology and operational risk of an in-house solution Reduce support burden on IT resources Disadvantage: Not cost-effective for very large deployments (typically more than 25 endpoints) Clearly there is a lot to consider when evaluating a bridging solution for your organization not only for today s requirements but also for what the future could hold. CAREFULLY CHOOSE THE RIGHT MULTIPOINT BRIDGING CHOICE FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND START REALIZING THE BENEFITS OF VIDEO COLLABORATION!

12 12 WHY TELEMERGE? Face-to-face communication remains the most powerful human interaction. As wonderful as electronic devices are, they can never fully replace the intimacy and immediacy of people con versing in the same room and it has worked for millions of years. Kathleen Begley, Ed.D., author of Face-to-Face Communication, Making Human Connections in a Technology-Driven World. Telemerge offers all-in-one video collaboration that is easy to use for everyone, anywhere, at any time. Regardless of the endpoint, people can connect via the cloud without the need for expensive video conferencing infrastructure, complicated configurations, or test runs. Communication at it s simplest, where and when you need it.

13 13 BRING YOUR MCU TO THE CLOUD Avoid the costly investment of an MCU and other infrastructure by leveraging Telemerge s video conferencing cloud. Talk to one of our video collaboration specialists today to receive a free consultation on how your organization can benefit from an Allin-One Video Collaboration Solution. TALK TO US TODAY