Synamedia

Achieving Compliance for a Competitive Edge

Synamedia, a video syndication technology provider, needed SOC2 compliance to win Rogers as a client, a requirement that put the deal at risk. Ollon built and sustained Synamedia's compliance program over three years, carrying it through an independent audit relationship after Synamedia split from Cisco. Synamedia closed the Rogers deal and has maintained its SOC2 certification through the ownership change.

Situation

Synamedia, formerly a division of Cisco, specializes in video syndication technology and supports major clients like Shaw, Videotron, and Cox (US), with their product X1 Syndication.

Solution

Ollon worked with Synamedia to establish robust security practices and procedures to meet SOC2 requirements. Over three years, they navigated audits, initially under Cisco's umbrella, then independently after being acquired by a private equity group.

Results

Successfully achieving SOC2 compliance enabled Synamedia to secure Rogers as a client, validating their commitment to data security and regulatory standards. The transition from Cisco to an independent entity presented challenges, but Ollon's proactive approach ensured they not only maintained but enhanced their security, paving the way for continued growth and customer trust in their syndication services.

Technologies

Java, Springboot, AWS

Our Expertise in Action

Security and compliance consulting

Landing Rogers as a customer meant Synamedia had to hold a SOC2 certification it did not yet have, and losing that deal over a compliance gap was the real business risk driving the engagement. Ollon worked directly with Synamedia's team over three years, translating what the Trust Services Criteria actually required into changes they could implement and sustain year over year. That sustained relationship with the audit process meant each annual audit built on the last instead of starting the certification effort over from scratch. Synamedia closed the Rogers deal on the strength of a compliance program that held up under repeated, independent scrutiny.

Post-acquisition transition

Synamedia earned its first SOC2 year under Cisco, then split into its own entity under new private equity ownership and had to adjust without Cisco's corporate support or the auditors from that first year. Ollon carried the certification effort through that split, adapting processes that had assumed Cisco's infrastructure and working with the new auditors Synamedia now had to manage independently. That continuity meant Synamedia did not lose certification progress or have to restart the audit relationship from zero. The compliance program that came out the other side was built for how Synamedia actually operated, not as a leftover from its time inside Cisco.

Telecommunications

Winning vendor relationships with cable and telecom operators like Rogers meant Synamedia had to meet the security bar those companies expected from every vendor touching their subscriber systems. Ollon's compliance work reflected that context, since the procedural documentation and audit practices had to satisfy telecom customers such as Shaw, Videotron, and Cox, each layering its own vendor expectations on top of SOC2. That sector specific framing meant the compliance program addressed what telecom customers actually asked about during vendor review. The result was a security posture built for the industry Synamedia actually sold into, not a one size fits all exercise.