Rethinking Edit Environments Tim Burton October 27, 2023
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The media and broadcast industry has changed almost beyond recognition from what it was a decade or two ago. Remote working and virtual editing environments have become the norm rather than the exception, and workflows must be efficient and scalable to the nth degree. To enable effective remote working and meet the demand for super-efficiency and scalability, media companies are naturally turning to cloud-based technology and services.
Yet, simply lifting and shifting existing edit workflows to the cloud is not the path to success. Cloud workflows need to be designed for the cloud. Additionally, for efficiency, cost-effectiveness and to ensure widespread usability, user-friendly interfaces, and simplified management of cloud-based editing environments are essential.
Cloud Design
A smooth transition to the cloud takes careful planning and execution. This involves analysing existing infrastructure and pipelines, then redesigning, implementing, testing, and iterating. While there are certainly some genuine instances where a hybrid approach to cloud transition may make the most sense, media companies need to be careful not to travel down the hybrid road purely out of conservatism. This will likely result in hugely complicated and unproven pipelines where all the nuances of everything on-prem must be managed alongside nuances of everything in the cloud. It's far better to keep it simple and move one team entirely to the cloud rather than move one crosscutting element of the business to the cloud.
When designing cloud edit workflows, it's important to factor in visibility. One challenge that comes with remote editing in the cloud is that you don't have that same visibility over users and resources that you have with on-prem infrastructure. Unlike a traditional on-prem editing facility, in a cloud editing environment, you can't wander the floor and see what editors and creatives are working on, to easily understand how they're using the system, or get a feel for issues they may be having. This is why it's more important than ever that editing interfaces are user-friendly and intuitive so that editors and creatives working remotely can easily access and use cloud-based editing tools.
Variability of internet connectivity and bandwidth have been a longstanding thorn in the side of remote editors, but this is no longer such an issue as it once was. Next-generation remote editing technology has been designed to operate with minimal bandwidth requirements, making it feasible for use with regular consumer broadband connections. Additionally, with the right monitoring tools in place, it's possible for teams to assess and monitor users' internet connections in real-time.
Efficient Resource Management
Monitoring and resource management mechanisms help to ensure cost-effectiveness and streamlined operations. Easy deployment and removal of virtual workstations are crucial for flexibility and efficiency, making it possible to adapt quickly to changing demands. It's important that cloud environments are set to automatically spin up and down during specified hours, so that resource usage can be optimised, reducing costs during idle times. Identifying inactive workstations and shutting them down when not in use can significantly lower operational expenses. Resource pooling is another valuable tool in the editing team's toolbox because it allows teams to track active users and closely monitor usage patterns for each pool over a set time period.
Ultimately, media companies want to keep the AWS taxi meter spinning as slowly as possible. This comes down to only having instances on that are actively being used. If an automated scheduler is allowed to pre-fetch instances only when needed, much higher rates of efficiency can be achieved. Get this right, and it's possible for every remote edit workstation to be providing value almost the entire time it's active.
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System Integration
Media workflows are innately complex, and to operate smoothly, all the components need to work together cohesively. Content needs to be able to flow seamlessly along the pipeline between different systems and teams. Successful system integration requires careful planning, a deep understanding of the systems and users involved, and attention to factors like data security and scalability. While system integration is nothing new and is required even for a traditional on-premises infrastructure, cloud system integration requires a different skillset. For a smooth transition to next-gen cloud workflows, the right expertise, experience, and specialised knowledge is vital.
Media and broadcast organisations need efficient and scalable workflows, and systems that are globally accessible. The cloud stands out as the obvious solution, and is undoubtedly able to deliver what is needed, but it must be coupled with careful planning, user-friendly interfaces, and efficient resource management.
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