Interactive Media Manager (IMM) is an enterprise solution to help media companies, such as film studios, broadcasters, and advertising agencies, manage digital content. Announced at the 2007 National Association of Broadcasters conference in April, IMM consists primarily of Web Parts running atop SharePoint Server 2007 and is meant to be integrated with third-party solutions for functions such as digital rights management, asset management, and format transcoding. In particular, IMM will help media companies automate workflows that involve both creative and business personnel, such as acquiring and publishing video content for distribution over the Web or Internet Protocol TV systems.

The main component of IMM is SharePoint Server 2007 with five customizable Web Parts:

• Media Library is the front end of the system, and provides thumbnail views of content
• Media Import enables uploading of content from other systems and triggers workflows; it boasts out-of-the-box integration with Aspera Enterprise Server, a third-party product that enables the quick transfer of large files
• Media Viewer is a playback application that shows information such as annotations and time codes
• Media Annotator aids collaboration by letting users annotate content with video clips or text
• Media Cart offers personal storage spaces for employees to edit video or distribute it to others.

IMM also includes BizTalk Server 2007 for managing workflows, InfoPath 2007 for users to enter metadata about content, and an SDK that includes Web Part templates and sample workflows and InfoPath forms. The workflow engine can push tasks (such as "convert this piece of content to a new format") and forms directly to users' Outlook 2007 e-mail inboxes or to other client applications via RSS feeds. Microsoft claims IMM works equally well with Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, Firefox, and Safari (on the Macintosh).

Microsoft has demonstrated IMM integration with media-industry products from partners such as Anystream, Artesia Digital Media Group, Aspera, Equilibrium, K2.net, Quantum, Sanbolic, and Telestream.

IMM is the latest solution offered by Microsoft's Communications Sector group, which specializes in creating and marketing solutions to the telecommunications industry but has pitched solutions to the media industry as well. As with other solutions from this group, IMM is available only through Microsoft Consulting Services and selected systems integrators, including Avanade and Tata Systems. Pricing has not been publicly announced.

Microsoft's IMM home page is at www.microsoft.com/resources/mediaandentertainment/solutions_imm.mspx.

Background on the role and some of the solutions offered by the Communications Sector Group can be found in "The Role of the Communications Sector Group" on page 29 of the Dec. 2005 Update.