I. Company Profile
SeaChange International is a technology company engaged in the business of providing digital-content delivery solutions and services to media, cable and telecommunications companies world-wide. Among its customers are blue-chip U.S. companies such as Virgin Media, AT&T, Verizon and Cox. Traditionally, the bulk of its business involved providing its customers with various types of high performance media/computer servers bundled with software systems as value-add. However, a little more than 2 years ago, it has started a transformation into a company that derives most of its revenue from its software systems; that is, its software systems are no longer just an added selling point but the primary selling point i.e. it has transformed into software company. Today, it is not only the global leader in multi-screen video but also one of the largest software companies in the world. Within the media, cable and telecommunications industry, it is known for its innovative, Emmy award-winning solutions and services for back office, advertising, content, in-home devices and broadcast.
II. Company Philosophy on Technology
The phrase "sea change" is an idiom that means dramatic or broad transformation. As a technology company adapting this phrase as its name, SeaChange hints not only at its understanding and appreciation of the critical role technological change plays in its business but also of its belief in the importance of being at the fore-front of technological change. For SeaChange, it is not enough to merely keep pace with or embrace technological change. Rather, it is necessary to be its driver. Therefore, it believes that it must not only be able to adapt external innovations but generate innovations internally as well.
III. Impact on Company as a Technological System, its Markets and Interaction with Institutions and Stakeholders
The company's transformation into a software company is a reflection of the company's philosophy on technology, technological change and innovation. The strategic decision to transform the company into a software company was made because of its belief that it is imperative to be a source of innovations. SeaChange believes that it can be at its most innovative by becoming a software company and as such influence the direction and evolution of the the emerging digital content delivery industry. To facilitate this transformation, SeaChange has re-organized its organizational structure, hired hundreds of software engineers and IT professional, and established several software engineering centers across the globe. Furthermore, it has acquired several smaller software companies to fortify its existing software portfolio. It has also established new processes and policies to guide the interaction among and within its numerous and equally new software engineering teams.
As well as being a driver of its internal transformation, the company's philosophy towards technology, technological change and innovation is also both a response and a driver of its immediate external market reality. By the nature of the industry where the it operates in, SeaChange serves what can be considered a niche market i.e. its products are highly specialized to the needs of a specific segment of the industry and majority of its revenue comes from a few large customers. As such, despite its current leadership position, it cannot afford to be complacent and fall behind its competitors technologically since losing even a single customer has a significant negative impact to its bottom-line. This reveals why SeaChange believes that it is necessary to be a source of innovations; to be a driver, rather than just a follower or adapter of technological change. For SeaChange, its survival depends on its ability to innovate and drive the direction and evolution of the industry. Because of this attitude, it is provoking the same attitude in its competitors which collectively fuel the dynamic and rapid development new digital content delivery technologies and their adoption by media, cable and telecommunications customers. This competition and the dynamic and rapid technological change in digital content delivery have given birth and are shaping the evolution of a new and distinct industry – the digital content delivery industry. It is within the context of the digital content delivery industry that we talk of video-on-demand, multi-screen video, personalized TV, mobile advertising and mobile commerce. With these technologies come new policies and regulations that govern how these technologies are commercialized, delivered and utilized. As these technologies and the industry as a whole mature, we will see the establishment of new dynamics and relationships among operators, content-providers and end-users.
IV. Conclusion
In conclusion, the discussion in the previous sections show how SeaChange's philosophy on technology has a concrete impact and shapes not only its internal structures, policies and relationships but also its external actions and relationships to its competitors, customers and to the industry as a whole.
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