SPECIAL GUIDE: Cloud Solutions

July
2022
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Tailor-Made Customizing the cloud for media production

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CONTENT

To Cloud or
VP, B2B Tech Group
Camel King
Content Director

Not to Cloud
Tom Butts, tom.butts@futurenet.com
Content Manager
Terry Scutt, terry.scutt@futurenet.com
Senior Content Producer
George Winslow, george.winslow@futurenet.com
Contributors Gary Arlen, Susan Ashworth,
James Careless, Steve Harvey, Kevin Hilton,
Twenty years ago this month, Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Web
Craig Johnston, Bob Kovacs and Mark R. Smith Services to "enable developers to build innovative and entrepreneurial applica-
Production Manager Heather Tatrow tions on their own," the company said. Amazon was soon followed by Microsoft,
Managing Design Director Nicole Cobban Google, IBM and every other major IT company on the planet in launching cloud
Senior Design Director Lisa McIntosh
platforms. The concept of “cloud computing” at that time was still in its infancy
ADVERTISING SALES but before the end of the decade the general public would begin to realize the pow-
Vice President, Sales, B2B Tech Group er of the cloud via the revolutionary iPhone.
Adam Goldstein, adam.goldstein@futurenet.com No longer bound by the limits of hardware-based storage, it was the cloud (along with
the requisite increase in network bandwidths) that moved media production and distri-
MANAGEMENT
Senior Vice President, B2B Rick Stamberger
bution to the far more flexible and powerful platform it is today. Perhaps more than any
Head of Production US & UK Mark Constance other transition since the move to digital, it’s the cloud that has impacted television the
Head of Design Rodney Dive most, with the explosion of streaming platforms initiated by the launch of Netflix’s OTT
service a decade ago the biggest illustration of its influence.
FUTURE US, INC.
Today, our industry is moving beyond the basic capabilities of using cloud for storage
130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor,
New York, NY 10036 and processing to customizing its use based on customer requirements. After choosing
whether to base their production and management capabilities
on a public or private cloud (or, in more cases today, “hybrid”),

contents
broadcasters can now adopt a “multi-cloud” approach, utilizing
services from more than one vendor.
All contents © 2022 Future US, Inc. or published under licence. All
rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored,
As Karl Paulsen writes in his “Cloudspotters Journal” for TV
transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written Tech, “the multi-cloud approach gives organizations increased
permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company
number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered
4 The Basics of End-to-End
flexibility to optimize performance, control costs, and in turn,
office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information Cloud Media Production
contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we leverage the “best of breed” cloud technologies available.” Part
are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept
any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You 8 More Broadcasters of that optimization comes in the form of “as a service” options,
are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with
regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. Adopting Cloud-Based giving customers the ability to spin up new channels on the fly or
Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our
control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other
Production just use certain capabilities only when needed.
changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and Despite these advantages, some media enterprises are still
not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material
11 Worldwide Revenue for reluctant to go full cloud over concerns about reliability (i.e. data
Public Cloud Services
and/or have the necessary rights/permissions to supply the material
protection) and costs. Throughout our new “Guide to Cloud,” we
and you automatically grant Future and its licensees a licence to Topped $408B in 2021
publish your submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or
editions of publications, in any format published worldwide and on
examine the latest developments in adopting cloud for media
associated websites, social media channels and associated
products. Any material you submit is sent at your own risk and,
12 Hybrid and Multi-Cloud production and how the industry is developing best practices to
although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, Practicality enhance security and cost efficiencies.
agents,subcontractors or licensees shall be liable for loss or damage.
We assume all unsolicited material is for publication unless otherwise Tom Butts
stated, and reserve the right to edit, amend, adapt all submissions. 15 PMM Leverages Sony’s Content Director
Ci to Transform Public tom.butts@futurenet.com
Broadcasting Archive

16 Security vs. Convenience COMMENTS?

When Storing Content in
the Cloud
Have a comment or suggestion about this ebook or other ebooks
from TV Tech? Drop us a line at tvtech@futurenet.com.
18 Cloud Awareness for
Applications in Media ON THE COVER:
Photo credit: JackyLeung/Getty Images

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blurring the lines

The Basics of End-to-End

Cloud Media Production
Dashboards and virtualized desktops enter the mix

availability and the like (Fig. 1). It goes panding beyond simple storage and compute
By Karl Paulsen without saying that services available in the functions or alternatives to back-office soft-
cloud continue to grow. Yesteryear had cloud ware consolidation. Once thought of for stor-

A
paradigm shift in media-production focused on storage. Today, cloud providers age as backup, cloud services now endeavor
technologies is changing how the offer hundreds of specific services ranging to provide full-time playout of programming
cloud is perceived, used, presented from compute and storage to cloud consult- on a channelized basis that includes sports,
and applied to media produc- ing (through partners) and management. gaming, OTT services and delivery, and even
tion. The lines between ground-based and Each provider aims to enable users to de- into end-to-end production using core prod-
cloud-based media production are becoming ploy their compute and storage requirements ucts from providers who had previously only
blurred. One of the first steps in getting to in the cloud offering various competitive utilized ground-based server architectures.
a cloud-based production environment is platforms, all eager for users to experiment in Major media organizations are steadily
understanding how the requirements and the any way conceivable. adopting and combining technologies that
components differ; and those physical hard take the hardware out of the shop and place it
interfaces are being replaced by topics like MEDIA-SPECIFIC AND CLOUD FORWARD in an entirely software-centric environment
dashboards and virtualized desktops. In more recent times the capabilities connected by on-ramps and off-ramps located
typically exposed in cloud services have almost anywhere. Dynamic scalability and
'INFRASTRUCTURE IN A CLOUD'
We start with cloud computing, an
application-based solution known also as
an “infrastructure in the cloud.” Cloud
computing is divided into a front-end
part and a back-end part. To the user,
these details don’t need to be thor-
oughly understood—but it is help-
ful to know that the end-to-end
ecosystem is changing so that
acceptability of these differences
can be evaluated and adopted.
Users needing access to the
cloud will typically employ a
browser and will utilize a (public)
internet service provider (ISP) for
that access. Sometimes, instead
of an ISP, there may be a direct
connection portal available by the
cloud service provider as a cost-added
feature that provides for faster, more secure
connectivity.
Fig. 1: Cloud service providers and overall benefits are described in this example of global connectivity.
The primary component of a cloud
computing solution is its back-end, which
has at its core the responsibility for securing, started to reach deeper and farther into high-performance storage/compute capabili-
storing and/or processing data on its often media-specific offerings. Global connectivity ties are enabling this fundamental change in
proprietary central servers, compute stacks, coupled with the rapid exchange of content how content is assimilated into the produc-
databases and storage sets. Cloud computing throughout the world has strengthened those tion ecosystem.
is multifaceted, employing databases, servers, capabilities, with the provisioning of services Today GPU-based virtual machines are now
applications and other elements including increasing at an almost exponential rate. enabled using infrastructure-as-code into
orchestration, storage and monitoring. Applications for media production in the software applications that were formerly run
For years this Cloudspotter’s Journal has cloud are no longer just a unique opportuni- on dedicated “pizza-box” servers. As a result,
identified the advantages of cloud capabil- ty; they are becoming a way of operating. organizations are already shifting away from
ities including scalability, virtualization, Cloud-forward initiatives are definitely ex- in-house central equipment rooms and past

4 July 2022 | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | www.tvtech.com | twitter.com/tvtechnology


the outsourced data center directly into public
cloud environments. Media workflows are now
being developed as cloud-native solution sets,
ignoring how things “used to be done” and
placing them into unconstrained, non-in-
terdependent environments that are treated
almost like the way a new-greenfield facility
might have been engineered for single purpose
occupation as recently as five years ago.
Automation is a key factor in the success of
making cloud-native media production suc-
cessful. Back-office-like servers are no longer
mainstream. Individual sets of configurations
coupling a single-function device into the
next single operation are evaporating. Plug-in
management that was custom-tailored to the
product and then tweaked to meet the oper-
ational needs are now orchestrated to rapidly
adapt to multiple functional requirements
without discrete, complex or time-consuming
adaptations.
Once the automation process is confirmed
and the capability requirements are estab-
lished, the rest just happens. Through a
dashboard abstraction of the functions, users
are then ill concerned with all the nuances of
manually moving files around various services
that are typically steeped in numerous inter-
faces, which must be individually accessed
and configured for each successive use or
application. Flows are continuous, repeatable
(if necessary) and able to be monitored.
Using configuration management tool sets,
images of the application-specific interfac-
es (APIs) are landed on a resource pool of
compute servers that operationally never see
the light of tech-administrators. Systems are
booted up, configured for the applications
per the dashboard and the artist/editor starts
their creative tasks.
COLLAPSE AND REDEPLOY
Once the production, show or activity is
completed and confirmed, automation then
USER
USER
API GATEWAYS
Fig. 3: Microservices are connected via API gateways to users who interface to the services via public internet
or cloud service providers.
Fig. 2: Depiction of how cloud providers support virtual desktop infrastructures linked into corporate data
centers servicing mobile, at home and intra-facility workflows.
collapses the environment, which stops the
process and halts the billing charges. Ground-
based users don’t do anything other than
confirm the “end” or “stop” command and
walk away. If there is a requirement to change
or adjust something, the exact configurations
can be re-established and the workflows can
continue as before.
New capabilities were brought into accel-
erated use as a consequence of Covid-19 and
are being applied to “next-gen-production”
ecosystems. Content supply chains can now
be adapted to cloud, assuming the feature
sets are available. Previously ground-based
features, such as analysis, transformation
and quality control now become excep-
tion-based background tasks in the new
cloud model.
Virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI)
essentially take all the previously required
elements of media production and wrap
them into a solution that is secure, features
high-quality and fast-reacting actions and
MICROSERVICES
STORAGE
twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | July 2022
blurring the lines
can be accessible anywhere there is a stable
internet connection with sufficient band-
width (Fig. 2).
VDI technologies, which utilize functionality
known as “zero-clients,” offer users a variety
of advantages including mobility, accessibility,
flexibility and improved security. The latter,
security, is accomplished because now the data
lives only on the servers and does not need to
be transported to the active users’ workspace.
Cloud-enabled platforms can replicate data
using other secure technologies only to specific
locations, even employing transparent ledger
technology known as blockchain.
Microservices and containerization are
the keys to this future cloud infrastructure
for production (Fig. 3). Calling up only what
is needed, only when it is needed, is what
production services in the cloud are mov-
ing to. Entire catalogs of capabilities are
growing out of these cloud-native services,
which up until now could not be established
except through discrete sets of hardware
and software that were purpose-built to do
one and usually only one specific function or
operation.
Reliable, secure, scalable, protected and
cost-effective media production—without
the annoyances of managing a complex local
infrastructure—is changing the face of media
from one end to the other. Whether the pro-
duction services are hosted in a public cloud,
regional co-lo site or even in your own private
data center, the concepts developed (and be-
ing perfected all the time) are real, available
and are here today.
If you’re not currently using these kinds of
services, you probably will in short order. Stay
tuned. l
5
cloud production
More
Broadcasters
Adopting
Cloud-Based
Production
When ‘virtual’ is all you have,
making it work is everything
By Bob Kovacs
S
o many things have changed in
the television industry in the last
couple of decades, and the pace of
change only seems to accelerate.
What seemed highly unlikely five years ago
becomes commonplace today, and produc-
ing content in the cloud is one of those
things.
The acceptance of at least some new
techniques and processes can be attributed
to Covid-19, which overnight forced us to
get things done without actually being in
the same place. And “getting things done
without actually being in the same place”
could be the dictionary definition of cloud
production.
If your only concession to Covid-19 is to
do an occasional Zoom meeting, you may
get the impression that video in the cloud
is convenient but nothing special. However,
with production in the cloud, you can get the
quality you want to get.
“It is no longer accurate to assume that a
cloud-based production is of lesser quality,”
said Martin Jolicoeur, director of product
management for Grass Valley. “One of the
things we have learned from being forced
8 July 2022 | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | www.tvtech.com |
to work remotely is that cloud technology is
capable of handling top-tier live events.”
KEEP AN OPEN MIND
Jolicoeur said that keeping an open mind—
and an open system—is the way to build a
successful cloud production strategy.
“The global pandemic forced us to adopt
new ways of working,” he said. “This has
expanded our range of possibilities: SDI, IP
and cloud all have applications for which they
are best suited, both in terms of production
capability and cost. We need to master the
entire range of production options so that we
aren’t locked into a single model. By being
open, we can ensure that we are applying the
best business and operational model for every
production that we do.”
Like so many things where the internet
is concerned, what you can do in the cloud
is mostly limited by your imagination. You
could use production talent from anywhere
there is an excellent, stable connection—
which brings up the subject of what the
concerns can be for creating a production
workflow in the cloud.
“The cloud offers unique opportunities for
production workflows, but it also adds some
new challenges that need to be considered,”
Chris Brähler, vice president of product at
twitter.com/tvtechnology
SDVI. “Connectivity and latencies are certain-
ly factors that play a bigger role in a cloud-
based environment than when everything is
available ‘next-door’ on premise.”
RELEARN SOME TECHNIQUES
Those of us who grew up in the industry
and learned our roles by actually handling
physical equipment and cables need to
relearn some techniques and processes that
we thought were the basics of production
workflow.
“Ensuring that the entire organization
understands the strategy and the benefits
that will accrue to them is probably the most
important factor in determining success,”
said Grass Valley’s Jolicoeur.
Getting your head around how assembling
a production in the cloud is key to making it
work for your organization. A look into one
company’s product—SVDI’s Rally—is one
example of cloud production workflow.
Rally can automate content verification
and metadata enhancement processing,
which can assist an operator in the produc-
tion supply chain. This can include steps as
typical as creating proxies or daily renders.
Rally Access, available as a plugin for Adobe
Premiere and accessible via browser using a
cloud-services provider such as Accurate.Vid-
 cloud production

benefiting from the out the wrinkles.

latest cutting-edge
cloud features,
technologies and
infrastructures.
“smartWork is
based upon no-code
architecture, follows
Infrastructure as
a Code (IaaC) and
can be deployed
on-premises, on
any cloud or in a
hybrid architecture
seamlessly, allow-
ing customers to
integrate the more
Martin Jolicoeur, director of product management for Grass Valley (L), and suitable systems for
Chris Brähler, vice president of product at SDVI.
each deployment.”
YOUR TEAM HAS THE SKILLS
Just what sort of skills are needed to make
“It is no longer all of this work? Look around at your team—it
“We are merely in the infancy of cloud-
based production,” McDonald said. “Right
now, content is being pushed to all levels of
production without a direct form of feedback.
But soon, each of those departments and
stakeholders will be able to push information
back. This constant flow of information on
a single platform will mean productions can
work faster and with more accuracy.”
INCREASED ACCEPTANCE
Interestingly, the Covid crisis of the past
two-plus years played a role in the increased
acceptance of working on a real production
using virtual tools.
“The biggest take-away has been that it
works,” said SVDI’s Brähler. “Obstacles that
were thought to be too big to overcome now
had to be worked through, as there was no
alternative.”
It looks like there is still a place for content
creators to have their own facilities, even

accurate to assume that already has the skills.

“We worked with a group of top news and
as the capabilities of “virtual” facilities are
expanded and allow for greater flexibility.
a cloud-based production sports media companies to create cloud-na- “We believe completely in the cloud and
tive, microservice based, media services,” said IP’s ability to transform live production in a
is of lesser quality.” Paul Shen, CEO of TVU. way that dramatically expands who and how
MARTIN JOLICOEUR, GRASS VALLEY Shen said that one of these micro-applica- video is produced and delivered,” said TVU’s
tions is TVU Producer, a cloud-based live-pro- Shen. “It’s what drives us to keep creating.”
eo, can be used to both edit content, and also duction service. With its sync technology, the The hesitancy from just a few years ago
to review and approve edits and sequences. entire production team can all work from their to shift to a cloud-based workflow has been
Sometimes it seems like you need a “spirit home offices with their replaced with urgency.
guide” to appreciate how cloud production laptops and a normal The many improvements
can benefit your creative and distribution home internet service. of a cloud production
processes. If you step back and think about it, The application enables “We are merely in the model became clear as
the benefits make sense. an audio engineer to COVID restrictions forced
“Designing a unifying workflow is key to have his own audio mix- infancy of cloud-based producers into a remote
getting your content accurately and securely
distributed to all stages of production,” said
ing panel and the video
production engineer has
production.” production model, Shen
said. l
COLIN MCDONALD, TERADEK
Colin McDonald, product manager for cine his own live produc-
products at Teradek. tion panel.
The company’s Teradek Core is a control All production
platform that allows productions to securely crews can communi-
manage, distribute and collaborate with live cate with each other
camera feeds, instant proxy files for editorial, in real time, as if they
high-quality recordings for dailies, and low-la- are working in the
tency HDR streams for post-production. same physical space,
Using a hybrid cloud approach to media and all the commands
asset management is at the heart of Tedial’s and instructions are
introduction of its smartWork Media Integra- executed precisely
tion Platform. at the intended time
According to Julian Fernandez-Campon, without any mis-
Tedial CTO, “a hybrid-cloud architecture alignment introduced
offers broadcasters the ability to move by network delay.
operations in-line with business objectives As well-formed as
quickly while maintaining current systems in some of these sce-
operation ensuring a low-risk transition into narios sound, there is
the cloud. Customers retain full control of room to improve the Colin McDonald, product manager for cine products at Teradek (L), and
their critical workflows and operations while processes and iron Paul Shen, CEO of TVU Networks

twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | July 2022 9

 market spike

Worldwide Revenue for Public Cloud

Services Topped $408B in 2021
Public cloud services market grew by a hefty 29% last year with the
top five cloud providers capturing nearly 40% of the market

By George Winslow

A
s broadcasters and media compa-
nies join many other industries
embracing cloud-based technol-
ogies, the worldwide public cloud
services market spiked by 29% in 2021 to
$408.6 billion according to the International
Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Semian-
nual Public Cloud Services Tracker.
IDC defines those services as Infrastructure
as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS),
Software as a Service – System Infrastructure
Software (SaaS – SIS), and Software as a Service.
Spending also continued to consolidate in
2021 with the combined revenue of the top
five public cloud service providers (Micro-
soft, Amazon Web Services, Salesforce Inc.,
Google, and SAP) capturing nearly 40% of the
worldwide total and growing 36.6% year over
year, IDC said.

MICROSOFT TOPS THE PACK
With offerings in all four deployment cat-
egories, Microsoft captured the top position
in the overall public cloud services market
with 14.4% share in 2021, followed closely by
Amazon Web Services with 13.7% share.
"Organizations continued their strong
adoption of shared public cloud services in
2021 to align IT investments more closely with
business outcomes and ensure rapid access to
the innovations required to be a digital-first
business," said Rick Villars, group vice presi-
dent, Worldwide Research at IDC. "For the next
several years, leading cloud providers will play
a critical role in helping enterprises navigate
the current storms of disruption [inflation,
supply chain, and geopolitical tensions], but IT
teams will also focus more on bringing greater
financial accountability to the variable spend
models of public cloud services."
SAAS DOMINATES
SaaS Applications were the largest category
in 2021, growing 23.5% to $177.8 billion. It was
followed by IaaS, up 35.6% to $91.3 billion, SaaS
System Infrastructure software, up 26.4% to
$71.2 billion and PaaS, up 39.1% to 68.2%.
"SaaS applications remain the largest
and most mature segment of public cloud,
with 2021 revenues that have now reached
$177 billion,” said Eric Newmark, group vice
president and general manager of IDC's SaaS,
Enterprise Software, and Worldwide Services
division. “The tailwinds of the pandemic
continued to fuel expedited upgrades and re-
placements of older systems in 2021, though
company goals haven't changed.
“Companies seek applications that will
help increase enterprise intelligence, improve
operational efficiency, and drive better
decision making,” Newmark added. “Ease of
use, ease of implementation and integration,
streamlined workflows, data and analytical
accessibility, and time to value are the key
criteria driving purchasing decisions, though
verticalization has also steadily increased as a
key priority." l

twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | July 2022 11

cloud variations
Hybrid and
Multi-Cloud Practicality
Each differ in the kinds of cloud infrastructure they include
By Karl Paulsen
U
nder the cloud umbrella are the
familiar variations—public, pri-
vate and hybrid clouds. The latter,
hybrid, is an environment featuring
a combination of both public cloud (e.g., AWS,
Azure, Google, others) and private cloud.
By “private cloud,” we mean a “physical
location” such as an on-prem data center,
a “co-lo” type center, or a managed service
dealing directly with users on a contractual
basis. Many variations in private clouds exist.
Facebook, for example, created its own private
cloud for its infrastructure and does not utilize
a public cloud to store its data. When scale,
security or functional need dictate something
outside the boundaries of a public, commer-
cial cloud, users may turn to this privately
controlled model.
With those basics defined, an emerging user
trend is now developing. Certain specialties
now command specifics that demand sets
of capabilities that span more than a single
service whether public or private cloud. While
such a model might be classified as a hybrid
cloud environment, there are places and ap-
plications where that traditional hybrid cloud
implementation expands outside those classic
dimensions.
HYBRID PREVAILS
To place this into perspective—almost no
one, today, relies exclusively on the public
12 July 2022 | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | www.tvtech.com |
cloud for computing. Today, a hybrid cloud is
categorized as a solution or environment in
which applications are running in a combi-
nation of differing environments. Reasons
include capabilities that cannot be supported
exclusively in any public cloud—for example,
the production of an entertainment program
that demands services at a venue that can’t be
done in a virtual cloud platform (live sports
clearly needs cameras, sound and human
interaction).
The multi-cloud
approach gives
organizations increased
flexibility to optimize
performance, control
costs, and in turn,
leverage the “best
of breed” cloud
technologies available.
Hybrid models are here for the near term,
yielding new opportunities to assemble other
elements of the production using tools that
heretofore were relegated mostly to large
frame, custom hardware. Such development
is going full speed, but it’s not clear when
twitter.com/tvtechnology
this will become mainstream. Thus, there are
cloud service providers who are focusing on
supporting such migrations using specialized
capabilities (their own “secret sauce”) that set
them apart from their competition.
MORE THAN ONE CLOUD
Enter a relatively newer approach to meth-
odologies that promote multiple methods to
reach the users’ goals. This relatively recent
trend is referred to as “multi-cloud,” (Fig. 1)
Multi-cloud and hybrid cloud models refer
to cloud deployments that integrate more than
one cloud. Each differ in the kinds of cloud in-
frastructure they include (Fig. 2). For example,
a hybrid cloud infrastructure blends two or
more different types of clouds, while multi-
cloud blends different clouds of similar type.
Multi-cloud, according to IBM, is “the use
of cloud services from two or more vendors,”
inferring two or more different public cloud
vendors, yet that doesn’t necessarily mean
only “public cloud” providers. The multi-cloud
approach gives organizations increased flexi-
bility to optimize performance, control costs,
and in turn, leverage the “best of breed” cloud
technologies available.
SERVICES TODAY
To set the framework, we need to examine
where the technologies lie today. The three
better-recognized “cloud services” include
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a
Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).
Each of these three services utilize some degree

of “cloud computing,” usually contained within
that cloud under specialties and services that
the specific provider has optimized for their
particular cloud infrastructure.
Each of the three services’ platforms employ
what we refer to as “cloud computing.” By
fundamental definition, cloud computing
are those technologies that “make the cloud
work.” More expanded descriptions include
“a remote data center, which contains the
(computing) resources that support those ap-
Fig. 1: Schematic depictions of public cloud model types and their workflow practices
plications” and include physical (and virtual)
servers, development tools and networking.
Each of these services are provided in a cloud-
like environment, i.e., “native cloud.”
Some definitions will include “via the inter-
net” and others will describe cloud computing
using a “network of remote servers” that are
“hosted on the internet” for functionality,
which includes “the management, process-
ing and storing of data.” These remote data
centers may be managed by a third-party cloud
twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | July 2022
cloud variations
service provider (CSP) who then charges as a
subscription-based service with on-demand
billing. To the end user/subscriber, they are
likely unaware of which services are provided
on which cloud model, i.e., private or public.
COMPUTE OFFERINGS
Leading cloud providers, as well as
cloud-solution providers (e.g., VMware),
may participate in multi-cloud solutions for
compute. Wrapped in the cloud compute
13
cloud variations
Fig. 2: Key differences between hybrid and multi-cloud showing pros and cons for each variation
structure is “infrastructure, development, data
warehousing, cloud storage, disaster recovery/
business continuity” and more.
Cross cloud utilization is where this multi-
cloud “best of breed” concept plays best. For
example, artificial intelligence and machine
learning may best be practiced in a cloud ser-
vice environment specially tailored for these
operations, given that the scale of servers and
storage necessary for a large AI/ML deploy-
ment can be intensive. In this example model,
deploying a multi-cloud model might involve
data acquisition from one cloud provider and
compute analytics that might best be served in
another.
Benefits gained in this strategy may be real-
ized in different ways by various organizations.
Live event or studio production might best
be served by vendor A while post production
(transcoding, formatting, versioning) might be
better served by vendor B. Allowing the user to
choose cloud services from varying providers
based on performance, function, costs, etc., is
now a marketplace-driven agenda compared
to past models where you went to a single
provider for all those services wrapped into a
package—and where you might find certain
service capability limitations.
14 July 2022 | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | www.tvtech.com |
RISK, VULNERABILITY, LOSS
Other important rationale for the multi-
cloud model include risk reduction, reduced
vulnerability to losses in data, compromise,
unplanned downtime or outages, and more.
Additional operation strategies that can lever-
age multi-cloud include licensing, security,
service-compatibility and alleviation of sign-
ing up with a single provider who can’t offer
all the services under one umbrella.
Inside the M&E
technology domains,
efforts to establish best
current practices for
elements like multi-cloud
are moving forward.
Unfortunately, as all these cloud models
grow, user/administrators have been facing
what is referred to as “shadow-IT,” i.e., “you
can’t protect what you can’t see.” The explo-
twitter.com/tvtechnology
sion of unsanctioned applications, software
and devices is weighing heavily on the CIOs
who must develop policies based upon the
knowns. By limiting the services to a single
solution, you could risk pushing the limits,
which you can’t see, touch or know about
until you arrive there and find “you just can’t
do that here.”
Multi-cloud uses are still evolving. Full
feature sets will require additional support and
conduits to or from the variations. Inside the
M&E technology domains, efforts to estab-
lish best current practices for elements like
multi-cloud—which requires ground-to-cloud
and cloud-to-ground (GCCG) parameters—are
moving forward. Harmonization of how well
one cloud provider’s services (e.g., software-de-
fined networking for compressed signal
production) versus another’s capabilities (e.g.,
in compilation and distribution) will allow users
to experience opportunities in cloud-to-cloud
services that can more easily react to the needs
of the entire ecosystem. l
Karl Paulsen is chief technology officer at Diversified
and a frequent contributor to TVTech in storage, IP, and
cloud technologies. Contact him at
kpaulsen@diversifiedus.com.

PMM Leverages Sony’s
Ci to Transform Public
Broadcasting Archive
By Scott Shactman
Vice President of Operations
Media Management’s PMM
M
edia Management’s PMM broad-
cast technology platform serves
more than 20 PBS stations and
is the only cloud-based master
control solution in public television. It imple-
ments new technology solutions that help our
business and our clients’ streamline work-
flows, and transition from a restrictive CAPEX
model to a flexible OPEX model by leveraging
the power and scalability of the cloud.
As vice president of operations, I oversee
PPM uses the cloud-based storage features of Sony’s Ci to handle more than 80,000 files for many public TV stations around the U.S.
our network operations center and am also
involved in project management, integrating
and onboarding new stations, managing station
and technology upgrades, and working with our
vendor partners. Serving nearly two dozen sta-
tions and tens of millions of households means
we deal with a large volume of content that
needs to be acquired and coupled with metada-
ta, transcoded to correct playout formats and
delivered to customer stations.
INTO THE AWS CLOUD
In the past, stations typically relied on tape
storage combined with spinning disks for long-
term archive. Employing the cloud for archive
eliminates many of the challenges presented
by outdated storage methods. Additionally, the
redundancy the cloud offers and the fact that
Sony’s cloud-based Ci platform sits on top of
AWS gives us peace of mind that our content is
secure, dependable and protected.
When PMM was formed, we chose to
leverage the cloud using Sony’s Ci platform.
Ci is used for central storage of all of PMM’s
national PBS content for master control, as
well as high-speed automated file transfer to
all stations. In addition, individual stations
can have their own broadcast archive that
seamlessly integrates with their local master
control system.
One of the benefits of this is that our stations
no longer have to store any of the national
content that PBS distributes. We acquire all the
content distributed by PBS at our operations
center, put it through a QC process and upload
it to our Ci Workspace. Our member stations
have access to that Workspace, where the PBS
content is readily available and automated for
their download and playout. In addition, our
broadcast archive sits in Ci and is accessible to
all PMM stations.
Beyond PMM’s Ci Workspace, many of our
member stations choose to use Ci for their
twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | July 2022
cloud archive
own local archive. Ci is integrated with PMM
in a way that enables stations at a local level to
store their specific productions in a Workspace
and manage the content in a workflow that
allows it to be scheduled and automatically
pulled down from Ci to their PMM system to
play out to air.
REDUCING STORAGE COSTS
Another valuable aspect to using Ci is the
platform’s storage management policies. Since
PMM launched in 2015, we’ve kept every single
piece of content that we’ve acquired—which
totals more than 80,000 files. Using Ci’s storage
policy, we can easily identify any content that
hasn’t been active within the last 12 months and
automatically send it to archive. This saves us
money and space and dramatically reduces our
storage costs. This seamless process is integrated
with our scheduling system with APIs—auto-re-
storing content scheduled for air and download-
ing without a need for user interaction.
For PMM, we’ve found many more benefits
associated with Ci and cloud archive. The flexi-
bility it affords in reformatting our entire library
is a big advantage. In addition, being able to
store a large volume of content without having
to worry about going to a different LTO version
or doing a storage upgrade is very helpful, espe-
cially because of the number of sites we serve.
Another great asset is the ability to give our
stations complete access to our archive—at any
time, from anywhere they’re located. Addition-
ally, Ci extends beyond storage and archive and
supports open APIs. For PMM, Ci provides a
robust and collaborative production workflow
environment along with effortless transcoding
capabilities that can grow and scale alongside
our organization. l
Scott Shactman is Vice President of Operations for PMM.
In this role, he spearheads operations for a joint master
control NOC (Network Operations Center), serving more
than 20 PBS stations. He can be reached at scott@pmm.
org. For more information visit www.pmm.org.
15
safeguarding data
Security vs. Convenience
When Storing Content in
the Cloud
Cloud security tools are extremely powerful and when harnessed correctly,
can actually provide a level of security that is difficult to duplicate on-site
By Tim Burton
M
edia and broadcast companies
are increasingly moving elements
of their workflows to the cloud,
in order to benefit from greater
flexibility, increased efficiency and improved
interoperability. As technology evolves,
companies are moving to OPEX models
to reduce up-front infrastructure costs, as
bigger projects are being undertaken with less
notice, less commitment and with smaller
teams. Despite all of this, there remains some
uneasiness about the security of assets and
data held in the cloud.
Historically, broadcasting workflows and
corporate IT systems were two separate
entities. Over time, the broadcast industry
has gradually moved away from traditional
on-premises Capex models, towards cloud-
based infrastructures and networks, or a
blend of the two.
This shift in ways of working has brought
broadcasting workflows and corporate IT
systems together. They can no longer operate
in isolation. Interoperability has become
increasingly important. As post-production
workflows transition to the cloud, broadcast
organizations are able to share data sets
and collaborate like never before. It is this
improved functionality that is driving higher
levels of security.
When designing systems, there are a num-
ber of key considerations that media orga-
nizations and broadcasters must take into
account, in order to safeguard their assets
over the long term.
AIM FOR AN ENGINEERED SOLUTION
While there is a perception that data held
on-site in traditional broadcast production
facilities is the epitome of secure, data is,
16 July 2022 | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | www.tvtech.com |
in fact, only ever as secure as a company’s
measures and policies enable it to be, and
often the systems are inherently flawed.
Cloud security tools are extremely powerful
and when harnessed correctly, can actually
provide a level of security that is difficult to
duplicate on-site. When considering a transi-
tion to cloud working, it is generally advisable
for businesses to have a critical look at both
on-premises and cloud security models to
ensure there is good hygiene around security
and policies for both.
Media systems need to be architected.
They need to be carefully designed and
built in such a way that harnesses the cloud
where it makes sense to. These days, media
businesses can choose to opt for a bespoke,
engineered solution that bridges the gap
between where they currently are and where
they want to be, which will often require a
combination of both on-premises and cloud
working.
More and more often, media businesses
are also choosing a managed service. Where
on-premises facilities, cloud use and the se-
curity around it all, is managed alongside core
functionality. As the industry evolves, busi-
ness models, security models and workflows
are all starting to combine and converge.
UNDERSTAND YOUR DATA
Not all data is the same and the most ef-
fective way to manage it depends on circum-
stances, access requirements and context. It is
true that broadcast media content can be very
valuable, so it is crucial that data and assets
held in the cloud are secure and safeguarded.
Some content, such as first-run series, are ob-
viously more valuable than old rerun episodes
that are already out there. With this in mind,
it seems obvious that the same security level
does not necessarily need to be applied to all
types of data.
twitter.com/tvtechnology
Regardless of security level, data
must be stored in as cost-effective
and convenient a way as possible.
Data needs to sit in the ideal
location and that location is
determined by the context of
how you access your data.
It is now generally more
cost effective to store
data with a reputable
cloud hosting service
than it is to pay for
on-premises storage,
but leveraging the
benefits of the cloud
are tied to the way
individual organiza-
tions interact with
their data. The cost
benefits become clear
when you take the time to
assess and understand your work-
flows.
As computing power along with things like
connectivity and compression are improving,
it has become easier and more cost-effective
not just to store, but also to work on assets
in the cloud. This challenges the traditional
view of data moving down a production line.
In cloud-based workflows, the data can
stay in the cloud, while teams and ser-
vices travel to the data to work on it. Data
solutions need to enable access as and when
needed. It is important to remember that
there is “no one size fits all” solution and
data context is not linear and can change
over time. A good solution is tailored to fit a
business’ needs and is engineered to match
the context of the data.
A CENTRALIZED APPROACH
It is generally agreed that implementing a
centralised approach backed up by authen-

tication and auditing is critically important.
But what does centralizing data mean? Put
simply, when centralizing data, the user trav-
els to the data as opposed to the data travel-
ling to the user. This makes it much easier to
maintain security and data integrity.
Once media has been sent to users, control
over who uses those assets and how they are
used is lost. However, if the user travels to the
content (albeit virtually), only authorized us-
ers can access valuable content. In addition,
if necessary, a user’s access can be revoked.
There is an added benefit to centralizing
data in that by transferring data less often, it
becomes less vulnerable because the risk of it
being intercepted is reduced.
While a centralized approach gives media
companies more control over what happens
to data after users have accessed it, it is user
credentials and authentication that controls
who can access the data in the first place.
Each user must have their own user creden-
tials with access to information appropriate
for their role. This gives media companies the
ability to tailor access levels and make sure
everyone within the organization has the
right access for their roles.
After authentication comes auditing, to
verify who has accessed data, on what device,
and at what time. Effective auditing of user
access and authentication involves report-
ing on exceptions and taking action where
required.
It is worth remembering that there are
entire sets of advanced security functions and
features that come built-in to cloud solutions.
With on-premises solutions, these functions
and features would be considered optional
extras, with additional fees to match.
SECURITY VS. CONVENIENCE
It is worth remembering that what is most
convenient is not generally most secure. In
fact, you could even go as far as saying that
security and convenience are diametrically
opposed. This is exactly why it is so important
twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | July 2022
safeguarding data
to balance the two. What use
is a system that is as secure
as it can be, yet doesn’t fulfil
all users’ needs? If a system
is inconvenient and difficult
in terms of its layers of security,
it is likely that users will find ways to operate
outside of the system to make their life easier.
This will eventually lead to a data breach.
Being pragmatic is the key here. It is
generally better to have a system that is
not 100% fool-proof that meets everyone’s
needs and minimizes and mitigates risk,
than a system that is completely secure but
unworkable. Some broadcast businesses may
be hesitant about moving to cloud-based
workflows, because of the perceived infor-
mation security risks. However, the tools
available to maximise cloud security have
never been better.
Securing systems in the cloud is an ongoing
journey rather than an end destination. As
new business requirements emerge and new
functionality lands, there will always be a
continuing need to adapt and evolve, in order
to address security challenges. With the right
approach and a pragmatic mindset, the bene-
fits of cloud working definitely outweigh the
security concerns. l
Tim Burton is managing director at 7fivefive. This article
originally appeared on TVBEurope.com.
17
cloud reality
Cloud Awareness for
Applications in Media
Analyzing the medium’s path from tape to data
By Karl Paulsen
C
loud services for media applications
take on a differing set of concerns
compared to the more routinely
deployed data-cloud services and
applications. For example, if you’re the ac-
counting department chances are cloud-like
services are integrated into the bookkeeping
functions. In a similar way, HR may use re-
cord-keeping applications, which may also be
cloud-data related.
These examples are effectively framed as
“data-cloud” services, which likely work on
“structured data” i.e., organized, predictable,
spreadsheet-like applications with consistent
occurrences. Data-cloud services employ com-
mon methodologies for storing near-term and
long-term information, as pure data.
However, using a cloud service for media
applications brings a vocabulary of differing
methodologies, unstructured data, storage,
high- and low-level compute processes, and
vastly different cost-of-use or egress param-
eters. Determining the proper use sets raises
considerations such as applicability, cost
modeling, availability, and feasibility.
This month’s topic focuses on “media and
entertainment” applications. Cloud-data
services will not be addressed, except for one
common component. Security must continually
Fig. 1: The balancing act
of value and functionality (L)
plus the swinging between
on-premises, hybrid, or in
the cloud.
18 July 2022 | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | www.tvtech.com |
be paid attention to irrespective of the data or
cloud applications served.
CLOUD REALITY
Users, owners, and promoters of cloud
should all recognize that “cloud reality is
important.” Google the term “cloud reality”
and most likely you’ll get a plethora of real
estate agencies, property listings, and virtual
headwear—these are not what we mean when
applying the term “cloud reality” to media-re-
lated services.
Probably the better of the many renderings
of cloud reality is stated by Cloudeon (www.
cloudeon.com/what-we-do) which says, “As
with most new technology or new ways of
thinking, Cloud adoption often suffers from lack
of proper insight or misconceptions of the way
things really work.”
That’s a perfectly valid statement which re-
minds potential media users that the cloud has
a purpose; and that the success of a cloud de-
ployment depends a great deal on choosing the
right purpose. That statement, “lack of insight
or misconception,” will be further amplified in
this Cloudspotter’s Journal.
Media applications require differing
considerations from data-cloud applications;
and may require both proper guidance and
the balancing of choices when considering
media related cloud services, as is simplified
in Fig. 1.
twitter.com/tvtechnology
RELEVANT PERCEPTIONS
There are some relevant user perceptions
that become more obvious as media-cloud
implementations take shape. In resolve, users
should be pragmatic about what moves to the
cloud—that is the “what, why, and what for”
needs a relative definition for each cloud-ser-
vices expectation.
You probably shouldn’t put “everything” in
the cloud as an abundance of marketeering sug-
gests. Nonetheless, there are some great values
and some not-so-good values in using the cloud
for media services (at least for the time being).
This good/not-so-good perspective is exempli-
fied by a “cost-to-benefit” or the “total cost of
ownership” (TCO) analysis.
On the positive side of cloud, efficiency
may well be the better explanation for going
cloud rather than valuing an expected savings
in capital costs by itself. Efficiencies include
staff reductions, time to market (speed), and
elasticity. Certainly efficiency is a well-phrased
hypothesis, so study both the purpose and the
value propositions carefully when choosing the
services cloud can provide.
ON-PREM NECESSITIES
In an overall media system, requirements for
“ground-based” activities will remain. Studio
cameras require lenses and controls “on the
ground.” However, there are current products,
and more being developed, that do an incredi-

Fig. 2: Depiction of a zero trust security model, known also as ZTNA (zero trust network architecture).
ble job at automating or managing the resultant
camera images wirelessly, autonomously, and
globally. Such cloud-based factors change the
efficiency model in a positive way, reducing
operational expenses, including time, by orders
of magnitude.
Visual effects (VFX) production still depend
on several non-cloud activities, most of which
require some elements be housed, operat-
ed, or managed “on-prem.” However, recent
advancements have pushed cloud-based tech
forward for VFX professionals, rounding out the
ecosystem appropriately. Cloud solutions for
boutiques don’t necessarily need cash for stor-
age hardware or render-servers; they can now
integrate some services into a cloud solution.
Users now simply add or subtract cloud
services faster and smoother without tying up
costly capital, shifting to an OpEx model only
for those temporary services they may need.
ELASTIC, HYBRID, VIRTUAL
There are still layers to this onion that re-
main unpeeled. Certain “applications” become
defining elements for a “hybrid-cloud model.”
A recent HPA-TR conference panelist reminded
us that “hybrid models are becoming the norm
rather than the exception for media produc-
tion.”
Virtualization and VDI-technologies have
changed how cloud supports work for end users.
5G transports now reach “direct-to-cloud,”
taking certain ground-based components out of
the equation.
9000
Remote vs. local should be carefully weighed
from a cost/management perspective.
Another cloud-enabler is elasticity, i.e.,
allowing for expanding or shrinking capacity
without impacting space or utilities.
However, some percentage of your hardware
should remain closely accessible, especially
when external conditions change daily operat-
ing models in a negative way. Cloud egress costs
can potentially overtake any local storage costs,
be aware of that usage element.
EFFICIENCY, TIME SAVINGS, STAFFING
Producers and technical administrators must
look fully and completely at all cloud costs.
Reflecting that “[cloud uses] may be efficient
and save time, but it will not save you money”
(per Renard Jenkins, senior VP for Warner Bros
Entertainment/WarnerMedia) and may become
a moving target. Just because you’ve moved
a portion of your operations “to the cloud”
doesn’t mean you’ve necessarily answered the
long-term questions.
Supporting a full or hybrid cloud model re-
quires different staffing expertise be added into
your operations. Some expound that cloud may
“slash your IT costs” and “boost performance”
while adding the “potential for innovation”
and “developing new capabilities.” Cloud is an
evolving, and different breed of solution sets
that still likely require additional internal or
external administrative practices. For some
operations this means new personnel, more
training or a differing focus on the labor pool.
twitter.com/tvtechnology | www.tvtech.com | Special Guide: Cloud Solutions | July 2022
cloud reality
TRUST NOTHING,
VERIFY EVERYTHING
The last of these observations is securi-
ty. Palo Alto Networks states that “legacy
network architectures no longer work in
today’s cloud-enabled world.” This elevates
the prospect of “zero-trust,” an element in
the overall ecosystem that is continually
expanding (Fig. 2).
The likelihood of a damaging experience
working in or around a cloud-environment
suggests that you “trust nothing, verify
everything,” adding another dimension to
workflows, especially hybrid ground/cloud en-
vironments. Zero trust network architectures
(ZTNA) is about assurance, reliability, and pro-
tection of resources, i.e., services, workflows,
accounts, servers, and assets; a practice and
not just the physicality of protecting network
segments.
Cloud providers have an arsenal of protec-
tive security methodologies once “in” their
cloud. Authentication and monitoring are
where the complications are, especially the
issues of cloud egress, usually via an external
or third party service provider. Don’t ever
assume someone else is watching out for your
security!
In summary, many issues and practices
were exposed in this fundamental overview of
cloud-based systems for media applications. If
nothing else, being aware is probably the best
overall recommendation you can take away
from this brief introduction. l
19