The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Online Video Platforms with Category Access Rights in 2024

Not so surprisingly – around 52% of Internet users watch videos, TV shows, or movies, according to the recent Digital 2024: Global Overview Report. With the surge of video content and its demand, the need for online video platforms arises.

Online video platforms have made the organization of video content and digital media hassle-free, thanks to a wide range of capabilities that help mitigate the challenges relevant to videos – from management to security and creating engagement.

No wonder the importance of online video solutions is rising rapidly due to the increasing number of video-related use cases. Be it training and onboarding employees, connecting with the target audience, or maintaining transparent yet secure communication with stakeholders, videos do it all.

This blog serves as a comprehensive guide to choosing the best online video platforms with category access rights, complete with features to consider when choosing the enterprise video hosting solution and a list of vendors with a granular analysis of their offerings with pros and cons.

Before we dive right into exploring the key features to look for when choosing a corporate video platform, it would be wise to scratch the surface of what an online video platform is.

Online Video Platforms: A Brief Introduction

Online video platforms are dedicated solutions meant for enterprises that are looking to create, upload, host, organize, analyze, secure, and share digital media within and outside the organization with peace of mind.

Since the world has transitioned to a digital era, it has become imperative for organizations to embrace efficient ways of managing heaps of video content and digital media. Thanks to an enterprise video platform, making the transition has become smooth.

Since now we have learned what an online video platform is, it is time to dive deep into the features organizations should consider when procuring an enterprise video hosting solution.

10 Things to Look for in Online Video Platforms

Investing in the wrong kind of online video platforms can prove to be a costly decision – and we are not just talking about the financial costs. Hence, it is essential for organizations to do their homework and know what capabilities to seek in an online video solution.

The following are the critical 10 features that should be considered before purchasing an enterprise video hosting solution:

1. Format-agnostic
2. Brandable platform
3. Interactivity and engagement
4. Accessibility
5. Centralized platform
6. Audit log
7. Role-based access control
8. Secure sharing
9. Media analytics
10. Category access rights (Feature spotlight)

Format-agnostic

Videos are not the only media type found in organizations. Other than videos, organizations often find themselves engaging with a deluge of customer call recordings, financial and trade documents, and marketing collateral comprising photographs.  

Hence, organizations should look for format-agnostic online video platforms that can manage a wide variety of media types, including videos, audio recordings, images, and documents, on a unified enterprise video hosting platform. 

Brandable Platform

With the attention span of people getting shorter with the passage of time, brands are struggling to keep and maintain themselves on the top of the minds of their target audience and customers. With rapidly shifting brand loyalties, the challenge increases exponentially.

This is why organizations should not miss out on the opportunity to leverage white-label enterprise online video platforms that allow them to add their logo, colors, font, thesaurus, and custom URL, brand the video player, and apply custom CSS to reinforce their brand identity in the audience’s mind.

Interactivity and Engagement

Various studies have shown that people tend to engage with videos more than any other form of media. However, with the rise of short-form content like TikTok videos, Instagram reels, and YouTube shorts, Internet users tend to lose interest after reaching a certain point in the video.

This gives rise to the pressing challenge of keeping the audience hooked to the video. To mitigate this issue, enterprises need to look for a corporate video platform that offers interactivity features like in-video quizzes, forms, handouts, and annotations to boost user engagement.

Accessibility

The world has become increasingly diverse today. Immigrants constitute a fair share of the population of several countries. People of different ethnicities and nationalities can be found next to each other in the modern world.

To cater to this diversity, making media accessible for all is crucial for organizations to gain wider acceptance among the audience. With features like transcription, translation, and closed captions (CC) in online video platforms, companies can comply with Section 508, ADA, and WCAG.

Centralized Platform

Don’t you feel an itch when you see an untidy room that is a complete mess, with various objects lying scattered around? Now, imagine what it really feels like for people in the organization with their media lying all over the place.

From an organizational lens, scattered media translates to incurring huge file search costs along with the personnel losing their precious time. Hence, organizations should seek a centralized business video platform that allows them to organize content in playlists and collections.

Refer to this blog to learn why you need to organize your video library.

Audit Log

Data security is of paramount importance to organizations. Enterprises across the globe are faced with stringent information privacy regulations and compliances, like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), etc.

To protect the integrity of information and detect any malicious activity inside the enterprise video hosting solution, the audit log records every single activity that occurred in the platform, complete with the date and timestamp, username, IP address, activity type, and more.

Role-Based Access Control

Not all users need the same level of access to the media stored in online video platforms. This is why granular access to videos and digital media is essential to ensure that while everyone has access to the media, they cannot perform certain actions as defined by the role.

Organizations should consider online video platforms that offer a granular role-based access control mechanism with access-level permissions. This way, the threat of information leakages can be curbed.

Read this blog to learn why a secure online video library is vital for your organization.

Secure Sharing

Sharing files poses a significant data privacy threat. This is especially true for organizations sharing their media with external users. What if the user spreads the media to other individuals who were not meant to access the content?

This is where the secure sharing capability of online video platforms comes in. By creating temporary sharable links with URL tokenization that expire over time and by the number of views, organizations can prevent the chances of their data falling into the wrong hands.

Media Analytics

There are more bits of data than the number of stars in the entire universe. By 2026, more than 220,000 exabytes of data will be created, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). Doesn’t making sense of this much amount of data make sense to you in today’s data-driven business environment? It does, right?

Hence, enterprises should consider online video solutions that offer granular, in-depth insights into various kinds of data, that too in real time. By leveraging analytics, organizations can:

• See whether their videos are performing and gaining the desired traction. 
• Determine whether to repurpose their content to hook the audience better. 
• See which videos appeal more to a particular audience hailing from a specific geography. 

Category Access Rights

Organizing and securing media has become increasingly important for enterprises, especially with the rise of video content and digital media. The good news is that both media management and security purposes can be achieved using category access rights in online video platforms.

Category access rights comprise granular permissions regarding the sharing of content available within categories (folders) and subcategories (subfolders) that range in terms of how deep one can create the subcategories.

Category access rights in enterprise video hosting solutions enable the secure sharing of content stored within a specific category or subcategory by allowing specific users to access video content and digital media. Moreover, users can transfer granular permissions to other categories.

Since we have explored the key features enterprises need to bear in mind when choosing the best online video platforms that fit their organizational needs and business goals, it is now time to scan the market landscape by analyzing the competitors.

Learn how to simplify organizing your video library with category access rights by clicking here.

Top Online Video Platforms with Category Access Rights 

Choosing the best online video platforms is a critical decision, given the skyrocketing popularity of videos among the masses. Online video solutions are emerging every now and then especially since the COVID-19 pandemic that gave rise to the use of enterprise video hosting platforms.

Although the abundance of online video platforms offers a diversity of choices to customers, this also leads to a situation of analysis paralysis wherein decision-makers in the organization find it difficult to pick the right business video platform that aligns perfectly with their enterprise needs.

This is why we at VIDIZMO have done legwork for you to streamline your buying decision process. The following paragraphs comprise the top 8 players in the corporate video platform market, along with their pros and cons.

The following are the brands covered by us that offer category access rights capabilities to their enterprise users:

1. EnterpriseTube (VIDIZMO)
2. Vimeo
3. Kaltura
4. Panopto
5. Brightcove
6. Wistia
7. YuJa
8. Vidyard

Without any further ado, let us delve deep into the capabilities offered by each enterprise video hosting solution.

EnterpriseTube (VIDIZMO)

VIDIZMO EnterpriseTube is among the few AI-powered online video platforms for enterprises. Recognized by Gartner, EnterpriseTube is the ideal choice for training and learning, corporate communications, video marketing, virtual events, and remote workforce management.

EnterpriseTube boasts a host of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities that streamline the media search process with faceted search, search through tags, spoken words, and more. Moreover, organizations can leverage AI in EnterpriseTube for multilingual transcription and translation.

Apart from AI, EnterpriseTube comes with a wide range of data security features, such as role-based access control, URL tokenization, military-grade data encryption, multifactor authentication, single sign-on (SSO), the ability to enforce the organization’s security policy, etc.

EnterpriseTube in the Light of Category Access Rights

As far as category access rights are concerned, EnterpriseTube offers robust category access rights management. This allows enterprise users to specify granular permissions for sharing the videos, audio recordings, images, and documents placed within categories and subcategories.

In EnterpriseTube, users can define who can access the category and how one can access it. Moreover, EnterpriseTube users can share tokenized URLs (temporary shareable links) limited by the number of views and the access duration.

Read this: How to Better Organize Video Content: 10 Best Practices for Organizing Your Corporate Video Library.

To learn more about how category access rights work in VIDIZMO EnterpriseTube, read the blog on a deep dive into VIDIZMO’s Category Access Rights Feature for organizing your video library.

Pros

Among the many benefits of EnterpriseTube, some are listed below:

• Granular Media Analytics: EnterpriseTube offers granular media analytics showing real-time engagement trends, user-level analytics, drop-off rate, top media, users, locations, devices, browsers, etc.
• Flexible Deployment Options: EnterpriseTube comes with flexible deployment options to meet the varying needs of organizations. The deployment options include cloud, on-premises, hybrid (cloud + on-premises), and software-as-a-service (SaaS).
• Category Access Rights: Not all enterprise video platforms offer this but, in VIDIZMO EnterpriseTube, you can create subcategories as many levels deep as you want within the category.

Cons

• EnterpriseTube does not currently offer an AI-powered tool for automatically generating content for your live event or webinar.

Vimeo

Vimeo’s corporate video platform is more focused on content creation, offering a variety of tools such as video creator, editor, and screen recorder, to name a few. Other features include media analytics, player branding, AI script generator, category access rights (folder permissions), etc.

Vimeo leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to generate automatic scripts for streamlined content creation and hosting webinars and live streams. Moreover, users can create automated closed captions (CC) by harnessing the power of AI.

Vimeo offers single sign-on (SSO) support, multifactor authentication, secure media embedding with allowed/restricted domains, password-protected videos, data retention controls, and other security features to protect the integrity of video content.

Vimeo in the Light of Category Access Rights

Vimeo offers private team folders and subfolders (subcategories) with specific permissions to manage, edit, and view video content. Users can share videos with specific departments or groups within the team.

Pros

Some of the pros of Vimeo are as follows:

• Tailored for Content Creation: Vimeo is best suited for independent content creators who do not want to go through the hassle of complex content creation. Vimeo offers preset templates and editing capabilities to create engaging content.
• OTT: Vimeo offers an extensive library of over-the-top (OTT) content with more than 6,500 channels to choose from.

Cons

Vimeo’s limitations include:

• Category Access Rights Limitations: Vimeo offers limited category access rights management since users can only create subcategories up to 10 levels deep within the main parent folder.
• Only Video Support: Vimeo does not offer a format-agnostic enterprise video solution and is only confined to video content.

Kaltura

Kaltura’s enterprise video hosting solution boasts itself as one of the consolidated online video platforms for marketing, customer and partner enablement, corporate communications, learning and development, and more.

Kaltura’s AI-infused technology allows users to auto-generate closed captions (CC), create agendas and content for virtual events and webinars, monitor audience interaction in real time with an AI assistant, and increase user engagement by suggesting tips.

Kaltura’s data security features include access control profiles with configurable permissions regarding content ingestion, management, moderation, distribution, and more. Moreover, users can define authorized domains, countries, and IP addresses for enhanced content protection.

Kaltura in the Light of Category Access Rights

Other than that, Kaltura offers a variety of capabilities regarding category access rights management. Users can set the category listing and category contribution policies to private. Additionally, predefined permissions can be set for categories.

Pros

The following are the strengths of the Kaltura enterprise video platform:

• Media Analytics: Kaltura comprises granular media analytics, including engagement analytics, content interactions, audience analytics, technology analytics, geolocation analytics, and contributors.
• Syndication: Kaltura offers content syndication features, including the distribution of video content and digital media on Google, Yahoo, iTunes, and more.

Cons

• In Kaltura, users cannot add a particular media to more than 32 categories.

Panopto

Panopto’s enterprise video hosting solution is geared towards training and development. From lecture capture to analytics, Panopto offers a host of features tailored to the particular use case.

With Panopto’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology, users can leverage the smart search feature to expedite their media search process by locating spoken words, words appearing on the screen, and more.

Panopto offers data security through single sign-on (SSO) support integrated with Azure Active Directory (AD) and other systems. Plus, users can set specific content permissions.

Panopto in the Light of Category Access Rights

Panopto’s category access rights allow users to control what to do with the media present inside the category and the subcategories within. Content can be made available at a specific date and time or remain forever hidden from the public eye. Finally, you can also set an expiration date.

Pros

• Panopto offers multiple deployment options, thereby giving enterprises the flexibility to meet their organizational goals.

Cons

• Panopto is laser-focused on the learning and development (L&D) landscape, thereby limiting it to other video-related use cases.

Brightcove

Brightcove’s business video platform is more inclined toward the marketing use case, as observed from its official website.

Brightcove’s security capabilities include AES encryption, single sign-on (SSO), IP restriction, URL tokenization, and role-based access control.

Brightcove in the Light of Category Access Rights

Brightcove also offers category access rights. However, there are several limitations to it, some of which are discussed later in the Cons section.

Pros

• Brightcove offers a variety of features essential to boost user engagement levels.

Cons

• In Brightcove, users cannot create nested folders (subcategories). Also, each account is limited to a maximum of 1,000 folders.

Wistia

Like Brightcove, Wistia markets itself as a video marketing platform for business. It offers a consolidated solution to create and manage video content, generate leads, and measure the performance of video.

Wistia’s AI capabilities include but are not limited to AI-powered video highlights that identify the most engaging moments from webinars and other forms of videos. Moreover, users can leverage automatically generated transcripts, closed captions (CC), and event descriptions.

Wistia secures video content by password-protecting media, sharing a private video link, email-gating videos to limit access to verified users, and other features.

Wistia in the Light of Category Access Rights

Wistia’s category access rights management features include the ability to lock folder and specify permissions to upload, download, share, and view analytics of the media stored inside the category.

Pros

• Wistia offers a white-label solution for enterprises to brand their player and use customizable galleries to boost their video marketing efforts.

Cons

• As per customer reviews on a third-party platform, Wistia’s media analytics are not entirely accurate.

YuJa

YuJa’s corporate video platform offers a variety of features regarding video content management, from video search to auto-captioning and video analytics. However, it is focused on the education sector.

YuJa’s AI capabilities include automatic closed captioning (CC) and transcription, the ability to search inside videos and search through automatically generated metadata that includes on-screen text, tags, in-video comments, and more.

YuJa protects the integrity of video content with SSO authentication, role-based permissions, and several other capabilities.

YuJa in the Light of Category Access Rights

Users in YuJa can allow full access, edit access, and read-only access to folders, thereby restricting access to the content present within the category.

Pros

• YuJa allows users to ingest media in multiple file formats.

Cons

• YuJa is only cloud-based and does not offer flexible deployment options.

Vidyard

Vidyard is a sales-focused enterprise video platform enabling users to unlock new revenues through a variety of features.

For instance, Vidyard assists users in recording videos using artificial intelligence (AI) and automates outbound selling with AI-powered prospecting.

Vidyard in the Light of Category Access Rights

Vidyard offers category access rights management by enabling users to set specific permissions related to downloading, editing, and viewing videos.

Pros

• Vidyard offers a variety of features well-suited for video marketing.

Cons

• In Vidyard, users can create nested folders only eight levels deep.

Why is EnterpriseTube Among the Best Online Video Platforms?

VIDIZMO EnterpriseTube is the leading AI-powered enterprise video hosting solution that allows users to manage media through a host of features, including category access rights. Users can set granular permissions and can create unlimited categories and subcategories of content within the Gartner-recognized enterprise video platform.

Other than that, EnterpriseTube offers a wide range of video content and digital media management capabilities such as:

• A centralized media library that offers increased accessibility to the content inside an easy-to-use, intuitive platform. 
• The ability to organize content in playlists and collections.
• Search for the specific content through faces, tags, objects appearing inside the video, spoken words, and more.
• Transcribe and translate content in 40+ languages and automatically create multilingual closed captions (CC).
• Granular media analytics that offer insights into top media, users, devices, and locations, and data regarding audience interaction, content engagement, achievement analytics, user-level analytics, player buffer rate, drop-off rate, cache hit ratio, and more.
• Comprehensive role-based access control to ensure limited content access to internal users of the organization.
• URL tokenization for creating temporary shareable links that can be limited by time and the number of views.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a 7-day free trial of the AI-powered enterprise video platform today or contact us to know more.