As I’ve been exploring what it means to effectively utilize workflow, storage and archive in our industry, I’ve seen these concepts go far deeper than I initially imagined. A workflow for a small post house might be very similar to what a workflow for a major studio looks like in principle, but in practice those workflows come together and function in a very different way. Similarly, having a storage capacity of 30TB might be more than some content creators need, while others are getting into exabyte levels and finding that’s still not enough.
More and more, decisions are being made around workflow, storage and archive in boardrooms as opposed to machines room. Conference room photo from Shutterstock.
As I’ve been exploring what it means to effectively utilize workflow, storage and archive in our industry, I’ve seen these concepts go far deeper than I initially imagined. A workflow for a small post house might be very similar to what a workflow for a major studio looks like in principle, but in practice those workflows come together and function in a very different way. Similarly, having a storage capacity of 30TB might be more than some content creators need, while others are getting into exabyte levels and finding that’s still not enough.
But it’s not just about scale. IT professionals used to handle everything, but business users are now actively involved in many of the decisions around these processes. Part of that is due to the speed at which the industry is moving, as business users need to be involved at this level to enact change when necessary. Another key aspect is that the technology is at the point where non-IT professionals can utilize and speak intelligently about workflow, storage archive needs and shortcomings, which has empowered individuals and organizations as a whole.
“The media space is growing rapidly,” Munson explained. “So many more companies are involved in digital content in some way. It opens up the population of companies that need access to this kind of technology, which drives this need and desire for convenience. It’s been a natural evolution of several things that we’ve built and use a lot.”
Their main emphasis has been around the problems with speed and efficiency as users move large data over wide area networks, but the literal and figurative speeds that we’re dealing with are a key part of this conversation. That’s the speed that is seen from their software used throughout media and entertainment because of the dominance of transferring video file data and streamed data over IP networks, but it’s also the figurative speed of the industry, which has meant that traditionally separate aspects of the creative process are merging together.
For awhile now we’ve seen the production and post-production phases of a project come together, but the need and desire for simplicity means users want to go further than that. If delivery can be incorporated into this process in a way that saves you from an unnecessary phase of a project, why shouldn’t it?
“Let’s use an example of a typical production pipeline,” Munson said. “First of all, in the production itself you have all types of camera capture technology that generates file based content. You can store that, collect it, and review it from any global distance with any number of solutions. The capture of content, the ease of aggregating it and going through the process is much easier with the right software, and there are numerous applications that make difficult problems easy to deal with. Centralizing it via the cloud or a hybrid storage model is critical as well, so that the content itself is easy to access for people across the world”
“At the distribution point,” she continued, “if you’re going out to another provider on the chain, such as an over-the-top provider, that is an easy automatic process where content is refreshed at a high rate. Transferring out to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Comcast…it’s one operation using the same technology that’s setup to do file based movement at high speed and is setup to easily control and manage. Content that reaches places like Amazon or Comcast is ready for streaming to the consumer and can easily be turned into many formats. Small and large content creators can be part of this, regardless of where they’re located. The business user is in the drivers’ seat, and that means companies can more easily change and adapt as necessary.”
The business user having so much more influence in this process is obviously a critical development, and it’s influenced the trend around the utilization of cloud platforms in terms of distribution, transcoding, etc. People don’t want or need to use “out of the box” solutions, because it’s entirely possible for them to create their own model, which is suited for their specific use.
Previously, doing so might have been something that IT professionals pushed for, but because business users couldn’t see the need or the costs were prohibitive, these sorts of solutions weren’t always realized. Those barriers have been removed, and that’s something people like Munson have recognized and helped pioneer.
The days of IT being the only people involved with the technical details are over. Problem solving IT consultant from Shutterstock.
“We’ve already observed our customers using hybrid solutions that utilize the cloud that have grown more and more over the past few years,” Munson told us. “And as that happens the business users are taking this process over from IT. We have a large customer utilizing this as we speak, and that’s a key component in allowing them to move as fast as they need to move. What has happened is that business users are discovering the capabilities these solutions offer without compromising the location of content. They can have it on-premise or in the cloud, and it doesn’t compromise speed of access.”
“Because there is so much video content moving and so many companies want and need to have this capability, there’s been a major push to increase the convenience of ad-hoc content sharing,” she continued. “What we’ve noticed is a huge and growing demand to have complete convenience to this sort of capability. The trends around that go back to the speed at which production and distribution are expected to happen, and how much faster it gets to the consumer. Organizations also realize they can now take advantage of the cloud, and these projects grow and shrink so rapidly that elasticity is also a huge factor. The demand for convenience combined with elasticity and the recognition that you can go direct to cloud storage opens up a new paradigm that people come to expect.”
Seeing this new paradigm realized has helped organizations with their efficiency and effectiveness, but it’s also clear that we have a ways to go around certain elements. Nowhere is that more apparent than in security. With 2014 being dubbed by some as the “year of the hack,” knowing your data is secure is at the top of mind for many professionals, whether their background is on the business end or the IT end. When it comes to things like the permissioning of content, the simplicity seen in other aspects of the process simply isn’t there yet.
Getting there will mean a commitment on both sides of the issue, and that’s where cost comes into the conversation. As ever, costs are a big factor and it’s not something that can or should be taken lightly. The bottom line is often the ultimate driver, but the business users involvement here means that bottom line can be looked at in more intelligent ways.
I often find myself hearing how saving time means saving money, but Munson broke that concept out even further, and dug into an area which I don’t often hear discussed.
“There’s a real diversity in terms of organization types,” she explained. “The issues really come down to being able to get something quickly, and being able to afford it. And that ‘afford’ number is an absolute number, but also relevant on a project-to-project basis. Convenience and low cost of entry that comes with that is essential.”
“Capturing new revenue is also a key part of the conversation whenever you’re discussing costs,” she went on to say. “Overall, the industry is very forward looking. The drive has been for more and more options, because the options need to fit the use case. The push is often for a company to spend a minimal amount of money directly, but that means we can explore new revenue opportunity that wouldn’t have been available otherwise. The driver on cost is having the range of options, given the way the industry has evolved. And those options represent incredible opportunities for new and additional revenue.”
As critical as it is that these business users are involved in this process now, it doesn’t make change any easier. Whether you’re looking to enact change that is going to affect a workflow of a handful of people or an entire organization of hundreds, getting people to buy into a new way of doing things isn’t simple or easy. With so many variables, it can often be difficult to even pinpoint where to begin, but doing so typically means approaching the issue from a perspective that many business users are familiar with.
“It’s tough to get specific about change because so many organizations and companies are different,” Munson commented. “I will say that logistics are a bigger driver these days. There’s great deal of acceptance that the digitization of content and embrace of file based workflows means the interest has shifted to logistics rather than fighting the concept. Doing it well requires having the technology available, and taking advantage of it. Convenience really allows people to pull all of that together.”
“The best way to get into this is to pay close attention to the patterns you’re involved with, and look at the process from a discovery point of view,” she continued. “What are the fundamental enablers of these best practices? What capabilities are you and are you not taking advantage of? How can you take advantage of your networks to move content well? The approach that successful companies take are ones that embrace solutions that fundamentally work across a range and offer capabilities and functionalities that can be relied on.”
That a business user perspective can be so readily applied to working through challenges and problems in this area is a perfect illustration of how things have changed. That evolution can and is seen through the industry, but it’s also a focus for Munson as she’s intent on keeping Aspera’s offerings relevant.
“Live content is being combined with file-based content.” Munson said. “That’s something we’re going to be focusing on at NAB. The way to communicate with people needs to be so much more immediate, and it’s why we want to get specific with that at NAB.”
Live content will be a focus for Aspera at NAB. Football Match photo from Shutterstock.
NAB is the bullseye for media & entertainment companies of all sizes, and Aspera is no different, so you can be sure they’re set to talk through much of what I’ve laid out here at the show, but will also have some big news to reveal. While I can’t get into the details of what they’re set to announce, I can say the focus is around providing users with the ability to rapidly and conveniently access file sharing capabilities,, with no pre-existing investment in infrastructure and combine tools that they’re either familiar with or have already been incorporated into their workflow. Giving organizations the ability to decide whom they trust with different tiers is also going to be part of this, which goes back to the ability to customize the solution that business users can and are involved with.
As ever though, the evolution of the technology and the people using it is going to be a key focus.
“The concepts that we’re going to be revealing at NAB are new content sharing workflow capabilities that are a radically new step forward from our existing software,” Munson concluded. “These concepts have never before been brought together in this way in a SaaS offering that combines all types of Aspera server endpoints and storage seamlessly.”
The simplicity with installing and utilizing these tools has clearly changed the way many professionals approach them, and it’s meant many more people can and are needed to be involved when it comes to decisions around workflow, storage & archive. How those specifics are realized depends on the situation, but it’s evident that the paradigm has shifted and will continue to influence how everyone approaches their process.