The YouTube statistic combined with a recent Nielsen report confirms that users, at home or at work, are using the Internet to entertain themselves. The Nielsen report shows that the hours of Internet video watched, at home and at work, is up 53.2% to just about 3 hours per month.

The one thing that neither of these statistics looked at specifically was the use of video/photo applications within the enterprise. During our own analysis summarized in the Application Usage and Risk Report, guess which application consumed the highest amount of bandwidth? You guessed it. YouTube gobbled up nearly gig of bandwidth.

Delving more deeply into the video application findings within the report shows the following:
* A sizable 4.4 terabytes of bandwidth was consumed by video applications alone, nearly double the amount observed in the previous report (2.3 terabytes).
* There were 44 different photo/video applications found – up from 30 detected in the previous report.
* The underlying technology used is primarily browser-based (24) with p2p and client/server powering 10 applications each.

To a certain extent, these enterprise specific statistics support the findings mentioned earlier in this post – video use and the corresponding bandwidth consumption is up.

Before the naysayers jump on me and say employees should be allowed to do what they want, let’s be perfectly clear here – no one is saying we should block these applications. The decision on what to do with these applications is left entirely to the corporations. In nearly every case, our customers felt their bandwidth was being consumed by non-business applications but were unsure which ones. Now they know which are the heaviest consumers – both in terms of applications and users. Some customers are hardnosed about it, blocking the use, others are merely collecting data while others are re-writing their policies, allowing the use but scanning for threats. In one case, the applications were blocked and user backlash was such that management bought a bigger pipe, allowing use but adding control elements around it.

The bottom line is that now the customers know that a big chunk of that sucking sound is video oriented.

Thx for reading.

Both the normal and HQ streaming options make use of Silverlight and asf streaming – which is a new technique for the 2009 tourney.

Most enterprises are familiar with this time of year and the tourney’s impact on their networks. Many organizations will again implement URL filtering policies limiting or banning http://mmod.ncaa.com – which will block traffic to the March Madness on Demand streaming site. The problem that organizations face this year is that users are more savvy than ever, and options to circumvent simple URL filtering policies are legion.

Assuming a simple URL filtering policy to block the http://mmod.ncaa.com URL, users can still watch NCAA tournament games at work using a number of applications that easily bypass enterprise controls:

• Public proxies (e.g., Hopster, Kproxy)

• Private proxies (e.g., CGIproxy set up on a broadband connection at home)
• Tunneling or circumvention applications (e.g., UltraSurf, TOR)
• Slingbox (connected to the television at home)

If enterprises really do want to get control of this potentially damaging use of bandwidth, in addition to a simple URL filtering block, they should also look at getting control over Silverlight, proxies (both public and private), circumvention applications, and Slingbox traffic. The problem is that enterprises can’t do this with traditional security infrastructure.

Palo Alto Networks, with its innovative App-ID technology, can see and control all of the above-mentioned applications and techniques for getting around URL filtering – including proxies, circumvention applications, Slingbox, and Silverlight – by user and or group. Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls also provide URL filtering, integrated into the same application- and user-based policies.

These are just a few of the applications that are streaming high definition video nowadays. And other services like YouTube are not far behind. And we all know what that means – the threat community will quickly figure out how to deliver the clearest, sharpest highest quality malware to your network, complete with penetrating Dolby 6.1 surround sound. Are you ready for it?

Click here to view the TechCrunch article.

To their credit, the P2P vendors are trying to go legit by entering the licensed streaming media markets, but currently, the bulk of the 400% increase is most likely going to come from filesharing usage. And buried deep inside that 400% increase will be illegally copied music and video and the associated letters from the RIAA, countless personal and confidential documents, social security numbers, credit card numbers, and maybe even a few tax returns — yet another reason, and possibly the worst one yet, as to why 400% growth is not a good thing.

Click here to view the ZeroPaid article.

This Olympics comes at an unprecedented time in the electronic age – never before have there been so many ways to view media events online – websites, streaming via P2P, normal definition and high definition – and therein lies the challenge for security teams.

A daunting challenge if there ever was one, given the nature of today’s firewalls and their plethora of helpers. Many of the media applications listed in the article, particularly those based on P2P, can easily bypass firewalls and penetrate corporate networks, bringing with them a myriad of business and security risks including productivity loss, bandwidth consumption, appropriate application usage policy violations and threat propagation.

Palo Alto Networks customers can keep a closer rein on the employee viewing time while protecting the network from the hackers that will no doubt prey on the unsuspecting fan, by implementing a security policy to block many of the 35 streaming media applications, of which 12 use P2P as their underlying technology.

To view all of the applications identified by Palo Alto Networks as well as their underlying technology and behavioral characteristics, check out the Applipedia.

Administrators need to be aware that Joost is designed to evade detection from corporate firewalls and usage within their organizations can potentially consume large amounts of bandwidth and productivity. In April 2007 when the private beta started, Palo Alto Networks released an App-ID that gives customers visibility and control over Joost traffic – allowing it to be blocked or simply marked with a QoS tag for prioritization at the WAN gateway.

For more information about Joost click here.

However, corporate administrators should understand that Skinkers can still consume large amounts of bandwidth similar to that of other video and P2P applications. Unlike other P2P video applications like Joost, BabelGum, and Veoh, Skinkers is providing live television content. Palo Alto Networks will continue to monitor the development of Skinkers and an App-ID for this application will be available soon.


Click here to view a video demonstration of the LiveStation technology.

Click here to view the Ars Technica article.

Unlike Joost and other video applications that use P2P networks to distribute controlled content, VeohTV is a video browsing application designed to simplify the task of accessing a wide range of generally available Internet content, including CBS, NBC, Youtube, and others. Palo Alto Networks will soon add an App-ID for this application.

Bablegum joins a rash of new companies that are showcasing their P2P-based video networks, with the most attention going to Joost. These up and coming network video providers promise to allow users to download and view full-length TV and video content over the Internet. As with the other video network providers, Babelgum uses a distributed P2P network that relies on end-users to help distribute the content to other viewers. While very efficient for Babelgum, it can wreak havoc on a corporate network. Babelgum’s open beta started on June 5th with no date given for general availability. Palo Alto Networks will soon add an App-ID for this application.