Fusion Air offers radio stations a free IP exposure scanner
Station operators are thinking about cybersecurity, and one vendor is answering with a price of zero. Fusion Air, a software developer based in Nashville, lets stations use its flagship Air Scan tool free of charge.
What a free Air Scan run tells a station
Air Scan is a web-based utility. You open it in a browser, and it looks at the public network address that browser is connecting from. The report lists what an outsider on the internet could see there, according to the company.
The focus is open ports tied to broadcast hardware. The release says the scan never tries to log in, never cracks passwords and never sends commands to equipment on the internal network. What comes back is an assessment of the exposures found, plus remediation steps.
Three other tools in the suite
Air Codec is software that runs up to five independent codec instances on a single PC. Fusion Air says it works with hardware codecs from Comrex, Tieline, Barix and RØDE. Stations can use it as a studio interconnect, or as their main software-based STL. An STL is the studio-to-transmitter link.
Sportscaster Pro is a client for remote sports broadcasts. It runs on a laptop, with a microphone and a mobile hotspot attached. Per the company, it bundles audio processing, cart playback for commercials and music beds, and management of the remote connection. An on-screen workspace shows rosters, depth charts and live sponsor copy.
Broadcast Network Monitor is the off-air alerting system. If a carrier drops or silence is detected, it notifies people by phone call, text message or email. It also names the point in the signal chain where things broke and suggests what to try.
A first phase from a company of radio engineers
Fusion Air says the four products are only the first phase of a station software lineup that is still being built. It targets small- and mid-market stations with them.
The company describes itself as designed by radio engineers. Its chief operating officer is Tony Richards.
The announcement says nothing about pricing for the other three tools, or about release dates for the next phase.
Source: Radio World