Answered By

Theodore Tzevelekis

VP, Core Strategy

Why Did Cisco Originally Join the Streaming Video Technology Alliance?

As a worldwide leader in networking technology and solutions, Cisco was quick to see a new consumption point for streaming services and the streaming ecosystem amid the world’s mobile traffic boom. When we joined the SVTA as a founding member in 2014, the network infrastructure, policy standardization, and caching/content distribution systems of today weren’t in place to provide the end consumer experience that we now can deliver. We’ve worked closely with partners, vendors, and other organizations to lead discussions and build an appropriate strategy to support Communication Service Providers (CSPs) in developing foundations for new infrastructure. We’ve now arrived at our current consumption experience: the ability to stream content anywhere in the world without end users having to sacrifice quality or performance.

Over The Past 10 Years, How Has The SVTA Consistently Met The Needs of The Streaming Video Industry?

Since its inception, the SVTA has served as the table for industry technology vendors to gather, discuss, and collaborate on how to best resolve obstacles standing in the way of delivering outstanding streaming experiences to consumers. The SVTA helped establish industry best practices and the ratification of open standards for important innovations like Open Caching that offers broad benefits for all players in the ecosystem for streamed services, which have been critical for ongoing development and growth. We know the SVTA will continue playing a vital role in the evolution of streamed content, network, and technology standards, and in supporting industry technology partners and CSPs as we work towards providing a consistent and engaging experience to end users – no matter how or where they consume content.

What Do You Feel Are The Major Challenges Still To Be Tackled In The Streaming Industry And How Do You Feel The SVTA Can Help In The Years To Come?

The continued growth in demand for live streaming events plus the expected growth in Metaverse applications (VR and AR) will put additional strain on content networks. The SVTA can use its influence to help ensure a common set of protocols and standards are adopted and utilized throughout the industry. This will allow application developers and technology companies to move forward, working together to form a plan of action to address the latency needs, capacity plans, and hardware designs needed to ensure CSPs are ready to support these experiences.

What Has Been Your Most Memorable/Rewarding Experience As An SVTA Member?

When Cisco teams with the SVTA to reach target customers, we have successful engagements with consistently positive customer feedback. Our joint webinars have underscored the value of our solutions, allowing us to discuss market trends and their respective networking needs while also offering real-world commentary and success stories from current customers. These events have given us a platform to highlight our thought leadership and partnerships, while providing customers with a forum to provide detailed feedback on the value of our solutions.

What Advice Would You Give Someone Considering Joining The SVTA?

Companies and partners should consider joining only when they are truly ready to collaborate, even if it means iterating in unconventional ways. While everyone may have their own approach to designing solutions, being receptive to alternate viewpoints and methods will set you up for success when joining the SVTA. Advances in networking have been so rapid solely because ideas have been cyclically shared, challenged, and improved upon. Innovation happens when we are open to solving problems together, not in silos. Be prepared to have your viewpoints challenged, with the end goal being advancements that will benefit everyone.

Theodore Tzevelekis

VP, Core Strategy

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that securely connects everything to make anything possible. Our purpose is to power an inclusive future for all by helping our customers reimagine their applications, power hybrid work, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals. Discover more on The Newsroom and follow us on X at @Cisco.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco’s trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

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