Satellite systems have another drawback. There isn't much to be done right now about the propagation speed of electromagnetic transmissions. But one satellite negative that's rapidly being addressed is the previously proprietary nature of the systems and a lack of interoperability standards. Ron Clifton, president and CEO of International Datacasting Corp., a supplier of satellite multicasting systems, says the typical enterprise sale today is to an IS executive rather than a satellite specialist. The key is to make sure the IS person is comfortable with the equipment, and that it's easy to manage.
Software compatibility is another essential standard for enterprise satellite use.
Latency plays a role here as well, since the delay inherent in the use of GEO satellites is long enough to disrupt the acknowledgement handshaking that is at the core of the packet transmission system. That way, delays in accessing that data will be lessened. Both Media DVX and Rite Aid run IP data over satellite links using DVB, an emerging standard that embeds IP packets in MPEG2-encoded data. Rite Aid transmits its company data over Gilat's SkySurfer system, which supports intranet access as well as video and training broadcasting. In addition, the company is exploring using the system to push documents out to the store, cutting down on paper documentation.