Interoperability for Enterprise Video Communications Internet-2 Fall Member Meeting 2010 Bill Rippon Senior Network Engineer November 2, 2010
Contents Research Integrated Solutions Background Assumptions and Needs Initial Focus Areas and Issues The Situation is Improving Current and Future Focus Areas for Interop Standards Categories Backup Slides Example of large scale interop demo call Recent deployments General value propositions for video communications
Background IBM has been using video communication for over 30 years Basic, Standard-Definition (SD) Satellite, ISDN, TCP/IP Based There are currently hundreds of legacy video conferencing units within IBM sites around the world. Most of these are under utilized. PC soft clients for video have been available for 10+ years. IBM s own Lotus Sametime has had video capability for nearly 10 years. These PC soft client solutions have also been underutilized. Why was video not more widely deployed and used in the past? Some of the reasons include; Difficulty in coordinating and connecting meetings. No centralized services. Lack of integration between different systems (voice, video, data, etc.) Limited quality, high cost, limited interoperability, limited security, systems were not particularly user friendly, etc.
Why is Now the Right Time for Video? Major IBM initiatives identify video communication as a key component for enterprise communication and collaboration The need for video communication has grown significantly over the past few years. Driving factors include the recent economic downturn, reduction in travel and the desire to reduce carbon footprint. Organizations need to reduce cost while at the same time increase business and communicate more effectively, both internally and externally. Companies are looking to video communications. Solutions have matured significantly. Great strides have been made in the areas of quality, reliability, interoperability and ease of use. Sufficient network capacity is increasingly available at more reasonable price points. All indications point to a continued acceleration of growth in the industry and within the IBM Enterprise. Many of our customers, partners and competitors are moving forward with high quality video deployments.
Assumptions - IBM Video Communications Multi-vendor endpoints and infrastructure Two main session protocols - SIP (strategic) and H.323 Various types (levels) of VidCon solutions Handheld, PC Soft Client, Desktop Appliance, HD Room System, Simulated TelePresence (STP) and Immersive TelePresence (ITP) Calls involving all types of endpoints are valuable and desirable in order to satisfy a wide variety of use cases One Size, One Experience, One Expectation will not fit all IBM is a large and highly diverse company with a wide range of solutions requirements. The IBM enterprise will also need to communicate with the multi-vendor, multi-protocol environments of our customers, partners and suppliers
In General, What Does IBM Need? Solutions based on industry standards and best practices Widespread interoperable communication between systems and networks, with appropriate experiences Video communication offerings that provide a range of meeting experiences to match a variety of usage profiles Support for Linux, Mac and Windows client machines Seamless integration with other business applications and services such as calendaring, voice, messaging, etc. Integrated content sharing and other collaborative tools Solutions that embrace and accommodate accessibility Consolidated, integrated and globally consistent adjunct services such as directories and dial-plans Secure network border traversal solutions (i.e. SBC)
Initial Focus Areas and Issues Overall initial focus was on basic interop and security Where did most problems occur with interop calls Authentication and encryption Content sharing Aspect ratio differences TP between vendors Anything but very basic, limited communication with Cisco Number schemes, naming schemes and routing Scalability Audio-Only add-ons and DTMF Only dial out from enterprise allowed in many cases In many cases, there is still far too much time and too many people required for meeting setup and operation There are lots of separate video communication islands Big Blue Button, Skype, ichat, FaceTime, Google Talk, VSee, Etc.
Initial Focus Areas and Issues continued Almost all PC based video client solutions, require their own dedicated, vendor-specific, server infrastructure Multiple options for content sharing will often be required for the same meeting, in order to reach all participants. Locally integrated, remote integrated, web conferencing, downloadable content, etc. Border traversal solutions Mature SBC platforms, for voice, were not so mature for video Video vendor solutions often lacked enterprise border component features H.323 border traversal (H.460) more mature than the SIP traversal world Best chance for interoperability and satisfying a wide variety of meeting scenarios, is to have infrastructure available from each of the major vendors (3 to 4)
The Situation is Improving Multiple options now exist for TP Interop Such as; Cisco HD CUVC, Cisco MXE, Polycom RMX with MLA, Tandberg TPS TelePresence Interop Protocol (TIP) is gaining adoption Moving from proprietary towards open standards Standards based clients now available for Mac OS SIP continues to move toward feature parity with H.323 Increased capacity on MCUs (less cascading) Lower cost, production offerings of STP style solutions New release of IBM Lotus Sametime More standards based video/voice options, broader 3rd party integration support Video Service Provider peering arrangements expanding SBC platforms are maturing (SIP/H.323 Video) Some Islands become a little less isolated
Current and Future Focus Areas for Interop Naming, addressing, routing, directories and scheduling Advancement of SIP, TIP and H.264 (i.e. SVC) Tight integration with voice services Seamless Audio-Only connections with DTMF support Improved handling of mixed aspect ratios (4:3, 16:9) Leverage mobile computing devices (i.e. phones, tablets) Accessibility technologies Advanced collaboration environments Expanded support for Inter-Company, Inter-Exchange and Public Network(s) calling Integration of business and consumer spaces
Current and Future Focus Areas for Interop Anxiously await more bridges to the isolated islands How will solution and service providers keep pace with advancements in standards and protocols? Don t underestimate the importance of maintenance contracts for the video components in your environment Even for older systems that are outside the scope of new enterprise offerings Reasonable upgrade strategies provides a better chance of future interop As an enterprise, IBM should continue to: Push heavily for standard protocols, policies, practices, procedures Work with providers, partners and customers to drive interop
Standards Categories Registration and Call Processing Border Traversal Audio and Video Content Streaming & Recording Other In-Conference Features Calendaring Naming and Addressing Directories Video Endpoint Solutions Physical Room Design and Room Control Systems Video Communications Infrastructure Video Specific Services Networking and Communications Security Other Related Standard, Features and Services Integration with Other High Value Technologies
Backup Slides
Example of a Large Interop Demo Call - 1H2010 Demo was split into two main phases. The first phase utilized a Cisco MXE platform for Cisco TP interop. The second phase used a back2back codec setup to communicate with Cisco TP environment Summary Up to Five different MCUs, from 4 different vendors (simultaneous) Phase1-23 endpoints (37 codecs) Phase 2-24 endpoints (42 codecs) Mixture of encrypted/unencrypted and SIP/H323/ISDN Bandwidth Aggregate endpoint bandwidth was approx. 117Mb Aggregate intranet bandwidth was approximately 46Mb Aggregate Internet bandwidth was approximately 16Mb Two PC endpoints were utilizing standard enterprise VPN clients
Example of a Large Interop Demo Call - 1H2010 TP Cisco CTS-3000 Polycom RPX210 and Polycom RPX418 Tandberg T3 STP (Simulated TP) 4-screen and 2-screen based on Polycom HDX8006 1-screen based on Tandberg C20 Single Codec Systems Lifesize HD Room 200 Polycom HDX Sony PCS-XG80 Tandberg 1700, 6000, 6000MXP, C20 & C90 PC Based Soft Clients Cisco Plug-in for Lotus Sametime Polycom CMA-D Radvision Scopia Tandberg Movi
Example of a Large Interop Demo Call - 1H2010 Infrastructure Cisco CTMS Cisco CUVC Cisco CUCM and Cisco IOS GK Cisco MXE Polycom CMA - Gatekeeper, Provisioning Polycom RMX2000 Radvision Gatekeeper Radvision Scopia MCU Tandberg 8510 and Tandberg 8710 (TPS) Tandberg Content Server (TCS) - Recorder Tandberg VCS - Gatekeeper, Proxy, Border Traversal Tandberg Video Gateway (ISDN)
IBM Deployment of New Solutions (last few years) TelePresence 20+ world wide from Cisco, Polycom and Tandberg High Definition Video Room Systems 20+ world wide from Cisco, LifeSize, Polycom, Siemens, Sony and Tandberg High Definition Mobile Video Conferencing Carts 10+ world wide from LifeSize, Polycom and Tandberg High Definition Desktop Appliances 10+ world wide from Polycom and Tandberg PC Soft Clients Several thousand clients are enabled for various pilots based on solutions from; Cisco, Lotus, Polycom, Radvision, Tandberg and VSee Mobile Computing Devices - None. Prototype testing only. Introduction of bridging and recording services (pilot & limited production) A new enterprise Video as a Service offering is now being initiated First set of systems now under management
Value Propositions for Video Communications Enables Globally Integrated Enterprise Enhance Communication Increase Collaboration Improves get to know Phase Enables face to face Experience Reduces Language Barriers Bridges Cultural Gaps More Effective Distributed Teams Increases Sales Eliminates Travel Time Supports Green Initiatives Reduces Cycle Times Platform for Future Innovations Improved Competitive Advantage Supports Customer View of IBM as a Leading Edge Company