Insights on Deploying Video Applications in the Cloud

In this guest post, Codemill shares industry insights and their experiences of deploying video applications in the cloud. In short, don't reinvent the wheel, there are best practices out there, and make sure your system is flexible enough to handle the changes that inevitably will occur as part of the ever-faster technology innovation cycle.

According to Cisco Global IP video traffic is set to account for 82% of all internet traffic by 2020. Ericsson in their report predicts that by 2021, 70% of all video traffic will be consumed on mobile devices. This is great news for VOD services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, which have experienced strong growth. These companies born in the digital age, find it easier to adapt to technological changes than traditional broadcasters. Building VOD and OTT services for the end user at scale are possible given the broad choice of vendors and platforms. Therefore, the challenges broadcasters face are largely in connecting, managing and distributing their media assets, workflows located across different platforms and legacy systems along the media supply chain.

In the following sections, we share the collective industry wisdom and learning gained from the various projects we have executed.

Focus on the basics Defining requirements, evaluating technologies and solutions, identifying the right vendor and planning a seamless implementation are all important aspects of deploying a MAM system. Yet, time and again we hear of instances where things go awry, and companies end up with a solution that neither fits the requirement nor is accepted by end users. As a former boss of mine used to say, If you make decisions in a hurry, you will have all the time in the world to regret them afterward. While broadcasters might think they are unique, the rules for successfully implementing a technology or solution in an organization remain the same and is supported extensively by various studies [1][2]. Jeremy Bancroft shares a similar view and provides a media asset management specific context in his excellent post.

On-Prem, Cloud, or Hybrid? Cloud-based deployments are gaining traction, and many broadcasters are opting for this model. Different vendors are also offering a host of services on the cloud most notably in post-production workflows. The cloud offers benefits of collaboration, especially in the case of distributed teams and vendors. Netflix is an excellent example of how a cloud-based workflow might look like in the future. They recently released Hermes, an industry standardized test to certify subtitling professionals around the world. Hermes will allow them to work with both vendors and individuals at scale for their subtitling and localization workflows. A logical next step would be for Netflix to provide cloud-based access to all their certified vendors to work with their internal localization workflow system.

Strong arguments for moving to the cloud exist, but most broadcasters will continue to use a combination of cloud and on-prem. To decide what is right for your organization, it is best to examine best practices of other companies, instead of re-inventing the wheel. It is worth re-emphasizing - don't forget to focus on the basics before deciding what is best for your organization!

Flexibility is key In deploying a MAM solution, it is important not only to look at current needs but also acknowledge that things will change in the future. Therefore, building a solution that is flexible enough to adapt and accommodate future needs and use cases is important. However, standardization should not be sacrificed for flexibility, especially when it comes to the user experience within a workflow.

An API-based media asset management platform like Vidispine give you that flexibility. The Accurate Player, purpose-built for post-production workflows resides entirely in the browser with seamless MAM integration to give flexibility in integration, features and industry familiar standardization.

With the right solution and the right vendor, broadcasters can gear up to meet the ever-changing media landscape.

References

Finney, S., & Corbett, M. (2007). ERP implementation: a compilation and analysis of critical success factors. Business Process Management Journal, 13(3), 329-347.

Somers, T. M., & Nelson, K. (2001, January). The impact of critical success factors across the stages of enterprise resource planning implementations. In System Sciences, 2001. Proceedings of the 34th Annual Hawaii International Conference on (pp. 10-pp). IEEE.

This was a pre-NAB guest post from our partner Codemill. You can find them together with Vidispine at NAB 2017, in the AWS booth (SU2202) demoing Accurate Player and having a good time. See you there!

LINK:	https://www.vidispine.com/blog/insights-on-deploying-video-application...
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