Things have changed a lot in the online video space.

Just 10 years ago, YouTube was still in beta and yet to be sold to Google. Most of what was there were home movies (remember David After Dentist?), which was just as well, because businesses and universities had already found a means to save and share video files — DVDs.

But technology marches forward. Soon it would be possible to install security-style cameras in key lecture halls and conference rooms, and store recordings to physical servers on location — it wasn’t particularly easy (or affordable) to scale, but it did make things a little easier for the AV and IT teams.

Online Video Today

Today, however, the confluence of two factors have completely changed how we think of working with video.

First, video cameras have proliferated. No matter what gadget you’re using to read this, there’s likely a camera’s lens looking back at you, ready to record sharp, professional video.

And second, the cloud has rewritten the rules of file storage. While video files are still large and complex, the cloud has made virtually limitless storage capacity affordable. And thanks to the modern web’s reliance on edge servers and content delivery networks, those cloud systems also make video easy to stream on-demand anywhere, and with minimal buffering and load times.  

One of Only Two Long-Term Leaders

Yet as online video has evolved, there has been some consistency.

2016 marks the third consecutive year Gartner has recognized Panopto as a Leader in the firm’s Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Video Content Management. That’s a claim only two vendors can make — and we’re exceptionally proud to be one of those long term leaders.

The fact is, video is more complicated than some might expect. Files are comparatively huge and come in multiple codecs and containers, each with it’s own rules for processing. And unlike a document which can be downloaded in full, video files need to be played back in sequence — streaming up to 60 frames per second without skipping or snagging (in technical terms, “dropping frames” and “buffering,” respectively).

A few big names have entered the video management space this past year, and even though Microsoft and IBM have extensive experience in content management, IBM’s position as a niche player and Microsoft’s complete absence from the report speak volumes as to the difficulty of video management.

Ease of Use Puts Panopto Ahead

Gartner’s report recognizes Panopto’s video platform for three reasons: its ease of use, strong video search technology, and rich video capture capabilities.

Ease of use is the one we’re most proud of — because as Gartner notes, that recognition isn’t the result of some sterile formula. Rather, it’s something many customers over multiple Gartner surveys cited as a key reason for choosing Panopto.

Making video so easy anyone can create and share professional video right from their laptop or mobile device is our mission at Panopto. It’s why we don’t sell highly-customized systems dependent on a lot of one-off development — Panopto is designed to be ready to go, out of the box (with ready-made integrations and an open, documented API always available).

Technical features will always be table stakes in video, and we believe ours are among the industry’s best. But as YouTube has proven in the consumer market for 10 years now, it’s ease of use that makes video valuable.

Flexible Capture and Full-Featured Search

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention a few of the other unique aspects of Panopto that have helped keep our platform in the Leader square.

• Smart Search is our comprehensive video search feature, unparalleled by any other vendor. With Smart Search, you can find any word spoken or shown on-screen in any video in your entire library (even those not recorded with Panopto), and instantly fast-forward right to the moment in the recording where your term appears.

• And what Gartner called our “very rich” video capture capabilities is a whole set of interconnected features that make it possible to record an unlimited number of video streams simultaneously. Record from any video camera you can plug into a laptop. Capture one or more monitors. Include video from mobile devices. Even record from multiple devices simultaneously into the same file (we call it “Distributed Recording”). And upload video from other systems like Skype and GoToMeeting with ease.

No matter how you’re creating video, Panopto can help — and give you the tools you need to manage, stream, and share it, all in a single solution.

Video is Taking Over the Web. With Panopto, You’re in Control.

As video continues taking over more and more of the web — from helping to scale activities like events, classes, and communications, to simplifying things like social learning and knowledge management — easy to use video will play an important part in how we all capture and share information.

We’re honored Gartner’s again recognized Panopto as a Leader in the growing video content management market. And as one of the longest-standing members of that group, we’re committed to expanding video technology beyond the realm of the experts, and to building a future where everyone can use video to teach, train, and communicate.

Want to see what a Leader in video management looks like? Try Panopto in your organization free.