52
X-PLATFORM
May-June 2016
Common misconceptions of
in-house DRM development
by steve christian
Steve Christian is
SVP of Marketing,
Verimatrix.
Today’s video service operators are
immensely pressured to quickly roll
out online services to supplement
their current revenue streams through
apps or via Web browser distribution
channels. However, as operators
seek to emulate the over-the-top
(OTT) growth of Internet platforms,
many might develop a false sense of
confidence in their ability to maintain
their own secure distribution systems
across a diverse mix of hardware and
software platforms.
As OTT workflows are outsourced
to online video platform (OVP) ven-
dors and managed service provid-
ers, these companies are also often
underestimating the same challenges.
Research from Frost & Sullivan
reveals that the perceived high
cost of a commercial digital rights
management (DRM) system and
perceived low complexity of building
DRM in-house are misleading well
over half of video service operators
and OVPs today. However, while the
do-it-yourself approach may appear
to be more cost-effective up front,
new findings show that buy is a
smarter strategy than build.
Ongoing maintenance
and enhancement of DRM
implementations is a formidable
challenge, which requires specialised
experience if it is to be handled
effectively and in a cost-efficient
manner. At present, Frost & Sullivan
finds limited understanding of the
true levels of cost and complexity
associated with a do-it-yourself
approach to DRM.
Misguided teams often focus
on rolling out the service quickly,
failing to fully anticipate the effort
or difficulty of maintaining security
on an ongoing basis in the face
of growing pressure from well-
resourced service piracy.
Outlined b