Item: IBM Video Streaming
Rating: 8
Author: Erik Woodard

Overall Satisfaction with IBM Watson Media's Video Streaming

Implementation Rating

Implementation was very easy - practically turn-key. There are two hurdles that need to be planned for: many IT departments block video usage on the network, so permission must be given for Ustream use; each time a user wishes to watch content they must re-submit their email and use a new key, which can be confusing if not communicated.

Usability

Using and managing the system is fairly simple. Most of the customization is readily accessible, and the only things you can't adjust on-the-fly are channel limits, total seats, etc.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We implement video e-learning systems and creating educational content for corporate entities, and use IBM's Ustream Align when security and viewership reporting/analytics are required. Once deployed, multiple departments take advantage of the system as we create department-level educational content - M&A onboards new groups, HR trains new employees, Compliance keeps staff up-to-date on regulatory and education requirements, and senior leadership and executives communicate quarterly meetings.

Clients save tremendous time and money by reducing education, onboarding, and compliance costs, while freeing up management's time to focus on more strategic decisions. Ultimately, the organization is able to grow faster and more efficiently, especially during M&A or new-hire pushes.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Reliable Platform - there is no down-time, so your employees are always free to train, managers to manage, etc.
Desktop and Mobile - your teams can use this platform in office, at home, or during travel, so e-learning is convenient and easy.
Reporting and Analytics - managers and senior leadership can see who's progressing, how many are watching, and what questions are asked.
Live Q&A - during a video stream, viewers can message questions right in the player and get prompt answers, keeping everyone engaged and learning.
Watch Anytime - all videos are hosted in the cloud and can be watched at any time, and still have the option of asking questions to moderators

Cons

Report Exports - reports are exported as csv/excel, which is helpful, but the data needs to be massaged to be useful
Back-end Admin Limits - there are only a few users that can have admin and moderator privileges, which at times can make things difficult when creating educational content for multiple departments/subjects
First-time User issue - for some less tech savvy individuals, first time use can be difficult as you're required to validate your email and enter a provided code.

Likelihood to Recommend

Ustream Align is excellent when security and reporting is needed. If you don't need these features, we recommend other Ustream products.

Evaluating IBM Watson Media's Video Streaming and Competitors

Products Replaced

Yes - We've used Livestream, Youtube, Justin.tv, just to name a few, but we needed a streaming service that included enterprise features. IBM's video streaming platform offered secure portal sign-in with individual user tracking - very important when conducting internal training for CE, as you need data on who watched what, and for how long. It also had live, secure chat with moderator features. This allowed viewers to engage live with educational content and speakers, but in an orderly, guided structure with moderators vetting pertinent questions. And with the live chat, users could upvote questions or conversations, which became helpful feedback to refine or develop new content.

Alternatives Considered

Livestream

IBM just had more features than Livestream, Youtube Live, etc, particularly security and reporting. There was no other vendor we could trust with our clients' sensitive data. This was most important when creating internal educational, onboarding, or training content where company financials, policies, or procedures were covered.
The reporting gave not only needed data for CE credits, but it worked as a proof point to our clients - yes, your attendance improved, people stayed engaged, they asked questions.

Key Differentiators

Product Features
Vendor Reputation

Features were the most important differentiator, as no other vendors had the secure sign-in, viewer tracking data, live chat with moderator, and video hosting all in one. We could cobble together technologies at the time, but that just wasn't sensible and posed to many risks. With IBM, we had an end-to-end solution from video team to viewer, and back from viewers to speakers with feedback.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

Unless another vendor has all the features of IBM, I wouldn't bother sourcing a new vendor. It just takes too much time to find all the feature sets, test and prove them in dynamic situations, and get users accustomed. Its just really easy to turn-on IBM, deploy to client, and start streaming the content.

Comments

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Bob Lee
commented 8 years ago
Hi Erik. I'm Bob from the Voice of the Customer team here at Ustream, an IBM Company. Thanks very much for your review. As a long-time practitioner of using video for learning, I was thrilled to see what you're doing with our platform. And your examples of the business value of such solutions is something that can help any L&D professional when they're struggling to explain the impact of video on learning and the bottom line. I'd love to connect with you to learn more about what you're doing and see how we can help.

Use video e-learning, save time and money on M&As

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