“Systems should be open and interoperable.”
In the second part of our guiding principles blog series, we turn to ‘systems’ and the need for cloud technology providers to build open platforms for creative services. We explore the importance of interoperability and how it is critical for opening increased capabilities across the entire content delivery chain.
Taking Charge of Your Content
Content delivery organisations globally are increasingly relying on cloud-based infrastructure to build the foundations of their workflows, all the while prioritising efficiency and innovation for a future-proof approach to content demand. Remote, hybrid and on-prem organisations in the industry are gradually migrating to the cloud, with what seems to be a non-stop hype train for many providers and operators. However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows; naturally, with so many workflows moving to the cloud, problems can quickly start to arise.
One key consideration that remains on the quest for reliable and efficient cloud-based workflows is the question of system interoperability. With remote and hybrid workflows becoming all the rage over the last three years, many vendors are still primarily committed to a closed-loop approach when it comes to cloud-based systems and the content within them. This is an outdated method of cloud system operation and is rapidly slowing down the productivity and efficiency rates of organisations across the industry. Broadcasters and content providers now require ownership and control over their content and systems to achieve optimal interoperability with external vendors and organisations, and to maximise their cloud-based system operations for the best performance overall.
Successful cloud TCO (total cost of ownership) models almost invariably have an element of optimisation through deduplication, often enabled through shared access. Closed systems where the vendor or partner has a legacy closed via of ‘owning’ the data access often leads to duplication of content and needless transfers.
Let’s explore the ways in which the broadcast and media industry can begin to consider the future of cloud infrastructure and systems – without the outdated approach to content ownership, as has been the norm until recent years.
Interoperability is Key
If one thing is for sure in the cloud, interoperability is key. Content is transferred from one end of our planet to another every second: across billions of devices using millions of simultaneously bustling platforms.
For content providers to have the best chance of keeping quality high, meeting increasing content demand, and continuing to provide future-proof solutions, interoperability between systems is an ongoing issue that needs to be seriously considered.
For content owners, it is critical for cloud services to come to the content rather than the other way around. In a workflow that is dedicated to the flow of content, especially one that prioritises quality and demand in a busy industry, it is becoming clear that organisations need complete ownership of their content. Consider a large-scale operation where content is being distributed to multiple external third parties such as marketing agencies, freelancers, creatives, vendors, and consumers – without interoperability, this workflow would be nearly impossible to complete without sacrificing other elements.
For many broadcasters and industry professionals, the ability for vendors to dip in and out of the content is essential, and this needs to be done on the system operators’ own terms. Also, the ability for vendors to jump in and out of the content reduces the need for duplicates and overloaded bandwidth when making copies for everyone to view at once, improving the overall performance of the cloud systems, not just for content distribution, but for everyday administration and system maintenance tasks.
A system without interoperability and content ownership is one that is built for third party organisations, not the one that needs it most. By increasing interoperability and leveraging openness in our broadcasting workflows, efficient and automated content delivery can become an achievable reality, and cloud systems will once again be there for the sake of our workflows, and not the other way around.
Moving Forward with Cloud-Based Systems
Now that we have established the importance of interoperability in cloud systems, let’s address the next steps for the industry. With endless uncertainties amongst broadcasters and vendors amongst the rise of automation, AI and ML – where does interoperability fit in, and how can we realistically begin to implement it into our cloud systems?
Notably, for most industry professionals with cloud-based systems at the heart of their workflows, it will be worth the hassle to find a vendor that offers interoperability as a default – therefore encouraging the use of its systems with external parties. The best projects occur when vendors work together, and this can only happen with interoperable systems, especially in the era of remote working. Cloud system operators need control and ownership over their content to embrace and utilise third party interoperability, meaning this should be the standard going forward in the industry.
At 7fivefive, we’re passionate about interoperability – and we can prove it. Our deployment ensures organisations maintain complete content ownership and achieve interoperability with outside vendors, for seamless integration. If you’d like to learn more about the features and benefits of our approach and some of our solutions such as Lens, and how you can achieve system interoperability and seamless integration with your family of trusted vendors, you can visit our page here.
