The Importance of Bringing Video and Audio Distribution to your Network Weapons System: Sponsored Content

Did you know, in 2020, there were a staggering 36 billion records exposed as a result of data breaches, according to a recent report from Risk Based Security? COVID-19 was of course the catalyst for these infringements, as the pandemic gravely impacted industries all over the globe and opened the door for cyber criminals to attack.

In the government, military and federal industry spaces, it has become increasingly critical to ensure that all technology deployed is certified and secure enough to handle sensitive proprietary data. It has also been common practice to look at the network as a weapons system. Whether you’re reviewing data in a meeting space or actively engaged in a command-and-control center, your network must function as a “warfighting” platform in order to protect private information. Regardless of the scenario, all data must be safe and protected, as it is mission critical.

The Most Certified AV-over-IP Technology on the Market

Crestron’s most award-winning solution, DM NVX, is the only 1Gb AV-over-IP technology in the world to achieve the highest level of security certification from the U.S. Department of Defense—from FIPS to JITC security certifications. DM NVX is a standards-based solution that works with every network, and serves as one platform that delivers flawless video, audio, USB and control. The ecosystem of endpoints is designed to work with all network and security protocols across an array of global enterprises, government facilities, military operations, command and control centers, universities and more.
And even better, Crestron DM NVX is not only JITC certified; it is now in NIAP (National Information Assurance Partnership) evaluation. The NIAP certification verifies that certain commercial technology or products will be used to handle sensitive data, as mandated by federal procurement. AV-over-IP delivers a fast, agile, compact and extremely scalable way to distribute AV signals over IT networks, and DM NVX is the hardened, mission-critical technology any organization can trust for safe deployment on the most secure of networks. Whether receiving data and intel by land, sea, air or space, the compact nature of DM NVX formats makes it the ideal solution for the masses.

So, the question on everyone’s mind might be: Why is it so important to bring video and audio to your network weapons system? The innovators at Crestron have broken down key highlights of the DM NVX AV-over-IP solution and how the technology is designed to function in the most secure environments.

Superior Performance and Speed of Deployment

Crestron DM NVX technology transports high definition 4K60 4:4:4 video over standard Gigabit Ethernet with no perceptible latency or loss of quality. Using standard network switches and CAT5e UTP wiring, a DM NVX system delivers a high-performance virtual matrix routing solution that is economically advantageous and infinitely scalable for any government or military-wide 4K content distribution application.

“Within high-visibility mission-critical rooms, having a solution that delivers no latency and visually lossless quality is essential,” says Jeremy Button, director of Federal Sales at Crestron. “When mission-critical teams have to get real-time information based on feeds that are coming in, you absolutely cannot have latency or visual loss, and the resolution has to be perfect. If it’s not, commanders will have to make time sensitive decisions based on less than real-time information.”

DM NVX also features a rapid speed of deployment when transporting video and audio content. Button continues, “If something were to go down in a military operation, it is important to ensure that the network can be configured and ready to go, and that AV can be routed within minutes. As long as they have a network drop, they know they’re minutes away from connectivity.” In a broader sense, the same goes for any type of government or military agency, command center, etc.

“Since the DM NVX platform is based on network standards, you can ensure that it will work on any enterprise network that is designed for the application it is being deployed,” says Alex Peras, manager, Product Management, Digital Media at Crestron.

Equipment that Features a Smaller Footprint

When compared to other competitive products that feature racks and a large amount of gear, DM NVX has a much smaller footprint, and the equipment is essentially a fraction of the size of most. Many organizations do not have the space allocated to house a wide array of gear, which leads to issues surrounding available space.

DM NVX systems can mount conveniently onto a flat surface or rack rail, and fit easily behind a flat panel display, above a ceiling-mounted projector, beneath a tabletop, or inside an AV cart or equipment cabinet. Regardless of physical size or how much space is offered, DM NVX makes it easy to store equipment and actually saves space for missions. “The form factor is huge in that you no longer have to use these huge black boxes and stack them up everywhere,” says Button.

Unprecedented Scalability

It’s no surprise that DM NVX systems feature unprecedented scalability. And at times, the scalability lends to a customer’s budget. Customer’s spending cycles go up and down based on their administration and how budgets are allocated. The way to get the most value for the money is going with DM NVX because of its scalability.

“Since DM NVX is an endpoint or device that can connect to a network switch, whether your endpoint is right behind the display or in a small chassis in the rack, you’ve basically condensed your footprint,” says Peras. “In addition, if a customer wants to grow the inputs or outputs of their video distribution network, they can put a source or a destination display wherever they have an existing network drop.”

DM NVX is also compatible with Crestron’s XiO Cloud service, which is a platform for remotely provisioning, monitoring and managing Crestron devices across an entire client base. Built on the Microsoft Azure software platform, XiO Cloud enables installers and IT managers to deploy and manage thousands of devices in the amount of time it previously took to manage a single device. Unlike other virtual machine-based cloud solutions, Azure services provide unlimited scalability to suit the ever-growing needs of an organization.

Multi-Class Security Deployments and Other Variations

Designed to function in the most secure environments, and JITC Certified by the U.S. Department of Defense with NIAP in the near horizon, DM NVX ships with a full range of enterprise security features providing peace of mind to IT. DM NVX can be safely and securely deployed without compromise, meeting the most rigorous AV and IT design and quality standards. The system is deployed is many different government facilities and serves as an agile, sustainable and scalable infrastructure that can handle all types of networks and classifications.

With NIAP evaluation currently underway, the certification will verify that DM NVX will be used to handle sensitive data. “Having this certification really changes the game for the DM NVX portfolio,” says Button. “No other company has ever offered the government this level of advanced technology.”

With all of the deployments of unified communications (UC) solutions, like Crestron’s Flex video conferencing portfolio, as well as the fact that there are now hybrid spaces and employees working in different locations, multi-class security enhances those capabilities by saving time and money. There is the ability to now leave them in multi-class use as opposed to setting aside a certain number of rooms. Thanks to DM NVX, rooms can be easily switched from one to the other.  

Signal Types

DM NVX can encode or decode a video signal to achieve imperceptible end-to-end latency of less than one frame. The image quality of the source is maintained across a 1-Gigabit network at any resolution up to 4K60 4:4:4. DM NVX can handle any type of signal, including video, audio, USB, KVM and more.

Conclusion

DM NVX is an evolving platform that continues to get new features and capabilities over time, as well as offering an unprecedented level of flexibility, scalability, security, ease of use and superior quality. The NIAP certification makes it the most trusted network AV solution on the market. DM NVX is the gold standard for content distribution and Crestron looks forward to delivering the next generation of groundbreaking solutions and innovations in the years to come.

For more information, go to crestron.com/nvx