The Automation Paradox Part 2

In my recent post The Automation Paradox I highlighted the risks associated with developing a workflow orchestration platform in-house'. Cloud based services are very easy to get started with - intoxicatingly so but building and supporting an enterprise class workflow orchestration platform is a resource hungry undertaking.

As a business which provides a cloud-based production and content supply chain platform as a service we would take that view wouldn't we? nonetheless BLAM has been built to fulfil a burgeoning operational and business need. Our industry has suffered with some high-profile media management projects having suboptimal outcome. BLAM was developed in response to these so that media operators could benefit from the cloud quickly and without risk.

RAD BLAM provides a low-code / no-code approach to workflow development through a self-service drag and drop' workflow builder. It enables media operations professionals to quickly access the benefits of cloud-based services without needing to directly write any software. The BLAM user interface provides a workflow blueprint development tool that removes the need for a software development function between the cloud services and the operational business.

Connecting the workflow orchestration capability directly with the operational expertise shortens the capability development cycle and delivers focused outcomes, quickly. This is a code free Rapid Application Development (RAD).

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Experienced Based Platform BLAM is the product of six years of development, including a full ground-up release and 20 years of building and implementing automation and media management systems with tier one broadcasters and distributors. The platform is trusted by media operators ranging from independents producing a few hundred hours a year to a company like Banijay, the largest international producer and distributor in the world. We believe there is genuinely no need to embark on a self-build project no matter how big or complex your current operation.

Extensible A case for the self-build is often made on the basis that a workflow or operating model is specific to a given media organisation and as such no off-the-shelf platform will meet our business needs . Indeed, many of the functions and workflows may be particular to a given business model but these tend to be nuances which represent a fraction of the overall workflow.

It is also the case that some development work may be needed for a specific integration such as to a legacy system which holds useful data.

In situations where there is no alternative but to develop additional functionality, BLAM supports hybrid models through a fully featured SDK - Blue Lucy can also provide the professional services directly or through partners to develop the software. Our SDK is for the development of BLidgets so any new software that is developed will run in the BLAM workflow runner alongside our own component. This is significantly more powerful than simply calling an API - it is effectively extending the capability of the core platform in a safe and supportable manner.

So, even in cases where development is necessary, BLAM will get you to 80 % functional coverage off the shelf and close the gap with bespoke code that runs in a warrantied framework. Truly the best of both worlds.

Financial Context A small self-build project can rapidly grow into a significant operational cost in the DevOp (Development Operation). Whether this cost is placed above or below the COGS (cost of goods sold) line is immaterial, the cost is fixed and difficult to meaningfully reduce. As such build or buy is a conundrum for many operators and includes questions as to whether a media organisation should become, even in part, a technology organisation. Ultimately it comes down to a question of money, so to wrap up here is some financial context based on BLAM:

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