According to networking giant Cisco, by 2013, 90% of Internet traffic will be video and companies must have the right infrastructure in place to capitalise on this trend effectively. Video is dominating the Internet and this is a strain on the network, especially for service providers. Cisco believes that the best way to optimise the process is through the installation of a ‘medianet’ network.

To this end, Cisco is offering enterprises a type of intelligent network infrastructure that caters, in large part, to video-based utilities and services known generically as a medianet. Their medianet is designed to be aware of media transmitted, the end point device and the bandwidth available and adapts and manages accordingly. This involves reformating the video and lowering the broadcast resolution when bandwidth dips.

The solution is useful for companies that hold regular video-conference calls and those in the broadcasting industry. MTV Networks and Time Warner Cable are two large US broadcasting companies that have recently installed Cisco’s medianet.

Around 350 medianet systems have been installed for companies in the United States and other countries.

Although Cisco concedes that the effectiveness of the medianet is largely at the mercy of the availability and effectiveness of a broadband network, the company insists that as the Internet infrastructure matures in Malaysia, the medianet will become an invaluable asset.

Useful link: www.cisco.com