After cancellations, pandemics and travel issues (maybe not an end to all travel issues for anyone flying out of Schiphol) it was a welcome return to IBC in Amsterdam for team Sea Eagle. Our finance sector security specialists cut their broadcasting teeth at the event, and were finally introduced to so many of the businesses they have only heard of.
This unique view of the broadcasting event with a ‘fresh set of eyes’ was a great tool to see what’s new and what stands out to those outside of the industry. Our seasoned broadcast professionals also let us know what they made of the show too.
Security is becoming the most active topic in the minds of broadcasters, facilities and manufacturers, and that was evident at the show. “People are thinking about security, but they’re not sure what to do” Sea Eagle security expert Gerry Magennis said. “By engaging with real people at IBC we learned that products as a service (PAAS) are everywhere now, so it is impossible to truly isolate a broadcast network from the outside world”.
Dave Duvall, Chief Information Officer at Warner Bros. Discovery, gave us our favourite quote of the show:
“You do not want that programme leaking in a way that undercuts the big moment that it’s been building to for years… For me it’s the cyber and content protection lens that is the trickiest.”1
He was speaking of the multi-million dollar investment made in their new series House of the Dragon, but his point is valid across all types of broadcasters, including live sport and news.
Prominent figures like Dave Duvall speaking of their concerns with cybersecurity are only going to benefit the industry by keeping security at the forefront of innovation discussions. The acceleration of remote working during the pandemic to keep the industry going also opened the door to risks that in a non-pandemic world would not have been considered acceptable. Technology has evolved rapidly and security must not only keep up, but work hand-in-hand to protect and elevate.
“People are starting to see the value in protecting their kit before a cyberattack event rather than factoring in the cost to solve one once it happens. It’s not if but when” said Callum Wilson, cybersecurity expert at Sea Eagle. “However the collision between IT and broadcast still presents a security pitfall. If broadcast kit has a typical lifecycle of 5 years, it is unlikely the IT infrastructure is being addressed more regularly than that despite having a much shorter lifecycle of 1-3 years”
Hardware security is just one area we address at Sea Eagle, and with our SOC monitoring solution you will detect problems before they are exploited by outside parties, thereby enhancing your monitoring to avoid costly blanket replacement of infrastructure.
“Security was the one common element on everyone's minds at IBC this year, rather than the latest tech innovation or gimmick which is a great example of how the industry has changed in the last decade” said Angus Blackwood, Sea Eagle broadcast expert. “We are at a turning point for how the fundamentals of television are achieved and we understand how that can leave some vulnerable”.
Sea Eagle is the first security company dedicated to solving broadcaster's network security problems. With a focus on broadcast equipment and networks, the broadcast engineers and security specialists at Sea Eagle have the security solutions to protect broadcasters' infrastructure and your shows on air.