eCDNs — Enterprise Content Delivery Networks — are becoming an important tool for organizations of all types. They allow you to securely and efficiently deliver video content to large numbers of locations and viewers simultaneously.
The use of video has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic, with 96% of people saying they have increased their video consumption in this time.
Government agencies and departments of all kinds are no exception to this trend and are increasingly relying on video streaming as a medium for communicating with the public and their own teams. Security is a key concern.
Since the start of the pandemic, ransomware attacks have increased by 300%. Many of these attacks target government departments, who according to some recent reports, are extremely vulnerable to cybercrime.
But what factors should government bodies consider when choosing an eCDN? In this article, we’ll break down some of the main considerations government departments should take into account.
Why do Government Agencies Need an eCDN?
Video’s importance as an effective tool for the government to leverage is constantly increasing for several reasons:
- Live streams can communicate essential information to a large audience at the same time (eg. PR announcements and crisis broadcasts)
- Video allows for live Q&A sessions and other interactive events
- Video is highly engaging and makes it easier to share critical information with the public in an accessible manner
- Internally, video enables interdepartmental connections and staff education can help provide updates and promotes remote collaboration
An eCDN can allow government departments to access all these features in a highly efficient and reliable way. eCDNs also brings a myriad of security features to the table.
When initiating a video meeting, 60% of the workforce say a top concern is defending against unauthorized access and protecting user privacy. According to Steve Vonder Haar, Senior Analyst at Wainhouse Research, “the benefits of implementing video are nullified if they put an organization at unnecessary risk.”
In addition, 68% of IT executives describe the ability to maintain network security as a “very important” factor influencing streaming technology investment decisions.
These concerns are amplified for governments, who stand to lose even more in the event of a breach or other attack.
How eCDNs Help Government Stay Secure When Streaming Video
A robust eCDN comes with a range of security features aimed at ensuring its users can share video and enjoy all the benefits of streaming without having to worry about various security risks.
Here are some of the main security issues to consider when choosing an eCDN:
Securing Transport Networks
Streaming video can consume a lot of network capacity, which can cause disruptions and affect other parts of your network. For government entities, it’s crucial to avoid this kind of downtime.
A good eCDN can manage this distribution at the network layer and prevent problems — protecting enterprise networks. You must be able to both send and receive video content securely. Make sure your chosen eCDN can handle both.
Protecting Content
When streaming video, you must ensure the content of the video itself is properly encrypted. Which means it cannot be accessed by any malicious external intruders. This is particularly essential for government agencies, which often share highly sensitive and confidential information in their internal videos.
Your eCDN should use rigorous authorization methods to control who can access your video content. Users should be authenticated and authorized according to their chosen streaming or content management solutions, and should otherwise not be allowed access to live or on-demand videos.
It’s also important to consider temporary files. Any cached files written to disk during the transmissions should also be encrypted, with keys generated uniquely as needed.
Securing user data and compliance
Today, with regulations like Europe’s GDPR and California’s CCPA, it’s more important than ever to keep sensitive user data safe. As a government, this is especially critical. Allowing your citizen’s personal data to be stolen in a hack could lead to enormous reputational and legal damage.
The best approach is to avoid collecting or storing any personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), or payment card information (PCI), unless strictly necessary. The best eCDNs, however, contain features to protect your users’ information.
Securing Application Code
It’s crucial for government departments to protect their application code, information systems, and all related data. This protection should comply with ISO 27K information security standards. While all open-source code should be scanned for vulnerabilities and subjected to code reviews before any software releases.
Ramp eCDN is built to help governments and their agencies access all the benefits of video streaming while preserving security and reliability. Unlike our competitors, who typically focus on P2P, we offer all three eCDN technologies, including multicast and video caching.
We also offer on-premise deployment in addition to cloud deployment. This is the option of choice when it comes to organizations that have high security requirements. as it keeps all communications within the firewall and avoids exposing any additional surface area for attack.
Contact us to learn more about how Ramp can help you access the benefits of an eCDN.
