Signiant, Cisco Team Up for Media Data Center

Signiant and Cisco Systems are joining forces to enable the Cisco Media Data Center (MDC), an open, scalable platform that enables media enterprises to leverage IP networks for secure, digital content exchanges both within and beyond the organization.

To present the new concept, Signiant and Cisco will host two thought leadership forums entitled “File-Based Workflows for the Digital Age.” The first forum will be held on Thursday, March 24 at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York, and the second on Thursday, March 31 at the W Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. Both sessions will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

“For broadcasting, media, and entertainment companies, ‘going digital’ and ‘content everywhere’ initiatives are forcing a transition from linear content distribution to an exciting new world of electronic sell-through, video on demand, and multiplatform delivery,” says Tom Ohanian, business development, digital media strategy, Cisco. “To truly capitalize on the new and evolving opportunities in the market, media companies will need to depend on global collaboration and partnerships that enable the seamless exchange of content outside the enterprise. All of the related challenges — and associated opportunities — will be addressed at these forums.”

The Cisco-Signiant thought leadership forums will gather media leaders and industry experts to examine best practices for enabling an essential digital media transformation, based on distributed content supply chains that can help media companies gain control of their digital assets and capture new distribution opportunities. Tom Ohanian will lead the discussion, which will include experts from leading media organizations.

“A decade ago, Cisco pioneered the convergence of Internet and telephony technologies by offering some of the industry’s first voice-over-IP, or VoIP, solutions. With the MDC, they are now doing the same with video content — with a solution that helps media companies leverage IT best practices to transport digital assets securely and efficiently over IP networks,” says Tony Lapolito, Signiant VP, product management and marketing. “We are pleased that Cisco has chosen to partner with Signiant’s content supply chain management system, which provides the orchestration layer for companies to accelerate file transport, automatically process content, and seamlessly connect with business partners.”