How Penn Increased Video Usage Fivefold with Panopto
When the University of Pennsylvania set out to modernize video management, it didn’t just choose a new platform—it established a collaborative, scalable model for campus-wide technology services.
Today, Panopto serves as Penn’s unified solution for video management and lecture capture, fully integrated into the university’s teaching and learning ecosystem. According to Eric Snyder, Sr. IT Manager for Unified Communications Services, the impact went beyond technology: “It’s the first and best example of a collaboratively managed service that we have on campus.”
Measurable Impact at Scale
Between 2019 and 2025, Panopto enabled Penn to more than triple views and downloads (729K to 2.7M), grow unique viewers nearly fivefold (420K to over 2 million), and nearly double minutes of video delivered—without increasing staffing or operational resources. Usage spikes before exams underscore Panopto’s role as a critical academic resource, while consistent engagement reporting shows friction-free adoption across campus.
The platform has also advanced accessibility, with some schools recording and captioning every lecture—something only possible with Panopto’s unlimited scalability.
The Challenge: Fragmented Tools, Limited Scale
Before Panopto, Penn’s schools relied on a mix of disconnected tools—RealMedia, MediaSite, Apple products, and local servers. This patchwork made it difficult to share data or expertise, strained storage and bandwidth, and placed growing demands on central IT. Penn needed a platform that could scale across a decentralized institution while integrating seamlessly with existing classroom technologies.
The Solution: A Cloud Platform Built for Collaboration
Penn selected Panopto for its cloud scalability, ease of use, and deep integrations. Moving video management to the cloud was new territory, but Panopto’s structured, partnership-driven implementation ensured a smooth transition.
Rather than a top-down mandate, one school adopted Panopto first and shared its expertise with central IT, accelerating adoption while giving schools genuine ownership. As Snyder explains, “With Panopto, we relied on our community of schools to help administer it. Folks feel real ownership across campus.”
Seamless Integration for Faculty and Students
Panopto integrates automatically with Canvas and Zoom, enabling hands-free lecture capture within familiar tools. Faculty don’t need to master multiple systems, and Panopto’s flexible, role-based permissions support Penn’s complex environment, even across separate Canvas and Zoom instances.
Looking Ahead
As Penn’s video library continues to grow, Snyder sees AI as essential for helping students navigate content and helping faculty manage and extract insights from their collections. Panopto’s continued investment in AI and its responsive vendor partnership position the platform as a long-term strategic asset.
