Released to Microsoft’s Web site in February 2008 as a free downloadable component for Windows Server 2008, Windows Media Services 2008 represents a significant update to the previous edition of the company’s streaming platform, Windows Media Services 9. While Windows Media is already one of the leading technology sets in the space, key performance enhancements and new deployment options make the 2008 edition a more robust streaming media platform for Microsoft-based IT organizations.
Growth Potential for Enterprise Streaming Media
As competitive pressures push more enterprises to recruit talent situated beyond their locale, many are taking on more remote workers connected from branch sites or home offices. However, ensuring that remote staff resources are properly engaged by business leadership and able to receive ongoing corporate communications and training is a common challenge.
The use of streaming media technologies to deliver live or on-demand audio, video, and other rich corporate content to end users over the existing IP network is a practical approach to addressing remote staff communications issues. Given ongoing network capacity and performance improvements and the progression of platform technologies, enterprise media streaming is an area poised for growth.
Key Improvements in Windows Media Services 2008
Microsoft’s Windows Media has become established over the years as one of the industry’s leading streaming platforms, on the strengths of the technology as well as its bundling within the company’s near-ubiquitous server and desktop operating systems. Windows Media Services 2008, its streaming media server component, builds on previous functionality. Key changes include the following areas:
- Performance and scalability. By taking advantage of native 64-bit processing capabilities and new network enhancements under Windows Server 2008, Microsoft claims that Windows Media Services 2008 offers up to twice the scalability of Windows Media Services 9. Essentially, these optimizations allow each server instance to better leverage current generation hardware and ultimately serve more client connections.
- Cache and proxy management. Windows Media Services 2008 includes built-in cache and proxy capabilities that can allow a streaming server to function either as a caching proxy server (locally storing and serving copies of frequently accessed resources) or as a reverse proxy (load-balancing incoming requests across a pooled set of media servers). Both tasks can help reduce the lag that users experience and the overall bandwidth consumption.
- Installation options. The Server Core minimal installation option and Streaming Media Services role under Windows Server 2008 allow enterprises to deploy a dedicated Windows Media Services 2008 server with a very limited set of additional capabilities. The stripped-down Server Core option does not include the standard Windows GUI, instead relying on a command-line interface. This installation type is intended to reduce the scope of potential vulnerabilities and maintenance issues that may otherwise affect availability.
Enterprise Considerations
Given that Windows Media Services 2008 is available as a free component for all versions of Windows Server 2008, with no additional Client Access License (CAL) requirements, the barrier of entry for enterprises already standardized on Microsoft client and server platforms is low. Similarly, organizations that are exploring media streaming and have existing expertise in Microsoft development environments will likely have the greatest interest in this platform.
However, a lack of standards support and interoperability, in terms of both video codecs and platforms, remains a potential shortcoming for prospective Windows Media adopters:
- Codecs. Windows Media does not utilize the industry-standard H.264 codec, instead employing Microsoft’s own proprietary standard and High Definition (HD) codecs that have also evolved out of the MPEG-4 suite of standards. While performance differences between the two are mostly negligible, continued growth in H.264-based HD content may cause Microsoft to alter this position.
- Platforms. Microsoft’s Windows Media Player client is currently supported only under Windows XP and Vista (Mac OS X support requires the Apple QuickTime Player and the Flip4Mac plug-in). In contrast, Adobe Flash, a leading competitor in the enterprise space, touts cross-platform accessibility and is supported on a wide range of client (Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris) and mobile operating systems – including Microsoft’s own Windows Mobile, through a licensing arrangement announced in March 2008.
While the above limitations are notable, given that most enterprises have standardized on Microsoft Windows client platforms and are primarily investigating internal streaming applications, they may not be chief concerns.
Key Takeaways
- Windows Media Services 2008 brings substantive improvements. The changes Microsoft has made to Windows Media Services make it a more accessible and complete streaming media platform. It stands as a sound upgrade for enterprises already utilizing the Windows Media platform. Organizations exploring deployment or migration should refer to the relevant Microsoft documentation:
- Enterprise content streaming is poised for greater growth. Solutions that allow remote users to access corporate communications and content are in greater demand. Given the range of streaming media platforms and technologies available, an organization’s application development strategy and expertise will ultimately have the greatest bearing on the direction to go.
Bottom Line
Windows Media Services 2008, the optional streaming media component of the newly launched Windows Server 2008, offers several significant enhancements over its previous edition. Given its broad accessibility and rich functionality, the new platform is suitable for many enterprises that are exploring streaming media content internally.
