Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1416119
Workflows using public cloud services have been gaining traction across many industries as an effective solution to outsource technology support costs, open a new channel to solution providers in the cloud ecosystem and gain more agility and flexibility. M&E organizations around the world are looking at the best way to leverage the benefits of public cloud. Some parts of the media workflow have already moved to public cloud – for example, OTT content delivery is a cloud-first workflow, with viewers consuming streaming content distributed via CDNs connected to public cloud regions. Some broadcasters are also adopting services hosted on public cloud infrastructure for non-reac- tive linear channel playout. Predictable and highly automated processes can be successfully outsourced, and the technology costs can be accurately budgeted into the overall operational cost overhead. However, cloud-only models do have potential downsides, especially in more dynamic workflows like content creation and live reactive broadcasting, where success hinges on dynamic intervention and innovation across multiple collaborative teams. Cloud-only models can lead to increased cost over time due in part to egress data charges and other hidden fees, relatively expensive yet lower performance media storage and vendor-specific applications (risk of lock-in). Public cloud is favoured by many because you "only pay for what you use". Having a direct and open pricing model is attractive, and costs appear low on the surface. Beneath that surface are a myriad of hidden charges and com- plexity (such as adding redundancy, security and DevOps). Taking broadcast engineering and IT support headcounts off the payroll is attractive to the CFO, but in their place, you need to hire cloud architects and software developers (they are scarce and expensive resources). Public cloud is beneficial for those applications that are itinerant in nature where the TCO is clear. But one cloud resource that you can NEVER stop paying for is storage. Inside your storage are your crown jewels. Your content is king. It must be continuously available, protected from failure, AND protected from ransomware attack! So how do you take advantage of the benefits of public cloud while limiting negative impact on long-term budgeting and innovation potential? The answer lies in hosted multi-cloud infrastructure. Technology solutions spanning on-premises and public cloud infrastructure offer the best of both worlds – enabling workload bursting in the cloud when needed, while reducing the impact of long-term committed spend contracts. In fact, according to recent research released by IABM (in partnership with Dell Technologies, available at https://dell.to/mediacloud), there is a strong preference for hybrid cloud and multi-cloud models among respondents from the media industry. However, the same research indicates a hesitancy around hybrid cloud models due to adoption complexity. This is where colocation service providers can help bridge the gap between on-premises and cloud with cloud adjacent infrastructure that simplifies adoption, reduces costs, and improves performance. In media workflows, milliseconds matter. Latency is critical. It's vital to reduce any bottlenecks or slowdowns whenever possible. In the past this might have meant better IT gear. While better gear on-premises is still important, fully leveraging the cloud relies on cloud adjacency — getting your media files and applications as close as possible to public cloud datacenters with high-bandwidth, low latency connections like DirectConnect and ExpressRoute. To achieve this outcome it's necessary to work with best-of- breed colocation providers that provide more than just hosting. They offer sophisticated multi-port network integration and proven application solutions. Dell Technologies partners with leading colocation providers to offer our customers fully integrated and reliable storage solutions that connect seam- lessly to public cloud. For example, we have partnered with Equinix to deliver Dell Technologies APEX, making it simple to scale high performance media storage like PowerScale (Isilon) as-a-service via the APEX console to Equinix colocation facilities, where it can then be cross-connected directly to a range of cloud providers. We also partner with Faction to offer Multi-cloud Data Services, a fully managed service that allows you to make data stored on PowerScale available to multiple cloud providers and services simultaneously. Our global media team with years of industry experience provide application and technology solutions that help media companies around the world innovate. We help our customers, from the smallest VFX shops to the largest multi-national broadcasters, to identify and address their unique challenges and aspirations at the edge, at the core and in the cloud. Visit https://dell.to/media to explore our industry solutions and services and to get in touch with us about the future of your workflows. THE IMPORTANCE OF CLOUD ADJACENCY IN MODERN MEDIA WORKFLOWS By Charles Sevior, CTO, Media & Entertainment, APJ & GC, Dell Technologies SPONSORED CONTENT