As the power of compute and orchestration allows central processing unit-intensive tasks to be handled more easily than ever before, companies responsible for the production of media content in a variety of fields have been eager to tap into the applications enabled by that functionality shift.

“The barrier to entry, to get this type of content onto an IP network and down to every single device on the internet, it’s never been so low. And so that’s where you’re seeing this high value premium content creation acquisition editing process. It’s been recognized that they’ve got to move as well; they’ve got to move to a far more flexible structure,” said Roger Sherwood (pictured, left), vice president of media and entertainment at Cisco Systems Inc.

Sherwood spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile live streaming studio, during the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. In their discussion, they covered points of interest relating to the IP transformation, the corresponding change in industry standards and Cisco’s role in the shift. (*Disclosure below.)

“The big thing for us is this transition to IP [since] we’re an IP company,” Sherwood said. “This industry is one of the last ones to go from a legacy protocol. Broadcast is broadcast; it’s been the same for 30, 35 years.”

But now there’s a strong recognition within the company that a lot is changing with content and production, increasing its relevance on “the broadcast side,” as the importance of virtualization, Cisco’s Unified Computing System, orchestration, security and more of Cisco’s focuses become important to a wider band of business interests, Sherwood explained.

“For the first time, we’re very, very relevant on the content acquisition/distribution/production side,” Sherwood said, pointing to how increases in capability now allow for easy streaming of high volumes of uncompressed video, with theCUBE’s interviews being an immediate example.

Partners and production

Cisco now finds itself partnering with huge media companies like Disney, NBC and others, as the technical improvements become a vital piece of staying modern.

“There’s very few companies that can do the IP side of things. When you add in security, compute, orchestration, professional services, training … there aren’t many companies that can offer that range of solutions and services, and we’re doing this with a real focus.”

And as Cisco deploys its updates, replacing legacy systems with modern solutions, the company is also focusing on technical interoperability as the IP transition occurs, and looking at how to market that and foster the adoption of those standards, Sherwood stated.

Continuing to focus on moving forward, he sees virtualization as the big point of interest and development for the near future as: “That hardware piece is going to disappear; it’s all going to move into software. … Twelve months from now, the main headline for Cisco is going to be how we’re helping every application vendor and their customers move truly into a virtualized data-center model.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s independent editorial coverage of the NAB Show. (*Disclosure: Western Digital is sponsoring theCUBE’s coverage at the show. Neither Western Digital nor other sponsors have editorial influence on content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE