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Deployment Strategy White Paper

Maximizing Your Online Video Investment with the Right Deployment Strategy

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IntroductionFor video management, you need a solution that contains a robust set of features and services to support your business, but just as important as the features of the solution, is the strategy you use to deploy that solution. In other words, you may have all the functionality you need to manage your online video effectively, but are you able to take advantage of all those features in every area of your business? Can the solution scale to multiple divisions? And most importantly, can your system adapt and change to fit your business environment—now, and into the future?

Why a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) MattersSome video platforms have a monolithic architecture, which runs off of a single database. This model is prone to outages and requires ever-increasing heroics to scale as different types of data and user traffic interfere with each other. mpx’s distributed service architecture, on the other hand, offers complete flexibility in optimizing a deployment for scale, uptime, latency, and cost because it allows each of its services to be provisioned separately to meet a customer’s specific requirements. For instance, in our fully hosted deployment, we separate services, such as file ingest from end-user services (feed and file delivery), to prevent either side from impacting uptime of the other, and we invest in extra redundancy for the end-user services to guarantee their availability to our customers’ consumers in even the worst failure scenarios.

This type of flexibility gives organizations the benefit of a cloud-based model (where thePlatform shoulders the bulk of video management) yet still offers the advantages of a solution that resides in your own environment.

Deployment Types OverviewThere are several ways mpx can be deployed within an organization, and while each method has its unique differences depending on the client, they can be grouped into three broad categories:

■■ Fully■Hosted■(cloud■based)Cloud-based model, where all services are managed exclusively by thePlatform.

■■ Hybrid■(Federated)The client manages select components of mpx, whereby certain features, such as Feeds, and/or Remote Media Processors (RMP), are stored and managed on premise.

■■ Premise-based■(Self-deploy)All components, including the user console and file data reside within the client’s own infrastructure.

mpx’s distributed service architecture offers complete flexibility in optimizing a deployment for scale, uptime, latency, and cost because it allows each of its services to be provisioned separately to meet a user’s specific requirements.

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Fully Hosted (Cloud-based)The fully hosted, or “cloud-based” model gives content providers, aggregators, or virtually any business responsible for managing online video, all of the features of mpx in a SaaS (software as a service) environment. In this scenario, thePlatform houses every component of the solution within its own infrastructure. A client simply accesses mpx from a browser to ingest files, assign metadata, select feeds, or perform virtually any task without additional hardware requirements or the burden of dedicating staff to managing the solution in house. In this regard, the cloud-based model is a turnkey solution.

This is our most common deployment method, and for good reason. Clients save on the capital expenditures associated with hosting their own data, and it requires fewer in-house resources to manage and administer the solution. For instance, this method is most cost-effective because it allows customers to leverage thePlatform’s own investments in data center redundancy, failover, monitoring and support without having to build or rent third-party infrastructure to store and manage data.

This model also allows clients to store their data through a shared, multi-tenant environment, whereby bandwidth at the mpx hosted data center is shared among multiple clients. Customers can also rent a hosted dedicated environment of one or more mpx services while using the shared instances for the rest.

A fully hosted deployment is ideal for organizations who expect extreme traffic or data volume on certain activities, such as the Feeds Service. Another customer could reserve transcoding capacity with dedicated RMP instances, or opt for a dedicated Community Social Data Service if they expect a large volume of end-user rating data. This model provides high flexibility, where any service of the platform (except for the authorization services) can be leased as a dedicated instance.

Clients can simply “turn on” the solution with little back office configuration needed, and system users are up and running with mpx as quickly as their business environment allows.

Pros to a Fully Hosted Model■+ Quick■implementation■+ Maximum■cost■savings■+ Fewer■in-house■resource■requirements■+ System■upgrades■are■quick■and■painless■+ Rapid■deployment■schedule

The Fully Hosted (cloud-based) model keeps all mpx video management services in the cloud through a secured network. All system management is handled by thePlatform.

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Hybrid (Federated)The hybrid—or federated— deployment model is unique in that it offers a wide range of hosting options to suit several business requirements. In this model, select services of mpx, such as RMPs and Feeds, are solely managed by the client, while much of the video management functionality resides in the cloud. Whether a portion of these services or a combination of all is managed in-house depends on the particular business requirements and the unique environment of the client.

A federated model provides several advantages: it centralizes your workflow and business processes throughout your entire organization and it lets you prioritize your efforts in video management where they’re most needed.

This model also allows you to segment the areas of your video management where you need greater control, yet it still provides the benefits of a cloud-based model, offloading many of the tasks, labor, and capital expenditures of managing the solution in multiple environments.

To better illustrate this model, let’s evaluate a company, which has multiple divisions spread out internationally, and apply a hybrid model to its video management processes.

Use Case ScenarioA large cable TV conglomerate has acquired several independent content providers throughout Europe and Latin America, all of which offer online video to its consumers. Each of these subsidiaries deploys and manages a separate video management system in-house. As the parent company works toward centralizing their operations in an effort to reduce costs and overhead, streamline operations, and remove bottlenecks in their back office processes, they are faced with multiple hurdles. Some of these include:

■ Video content is stored in data centers remotely across each division ■ Entitlements, rights, billing and other restrictions are unique to each geographical location ■ All of the steps required to prepare and publish files (transcoding, metadata, etc.) must be replicated at each division

each time videos are releasedThe parent company moves towards a hybrid—or federated—model, whereby each division adopts the mpx solution. In this scenario, all data is brought under one roof and content is managed under the same user console. The majority of their video management processes now occur in the cloud. This includes the major elements of video management: file ingest, metadata, playback, and other tasks. When the company wants to upload, publish, or make changes to any files, they can simply perform the task using one system in a centralized location. They no longer need dedicated resources, such as DBAs, Solution Engineers, and mpx Administrators at each division.

Meeting■Complex■Requirements

However, certain geographical constraints require special treatment of content based on location. In the case of the company’s Latin America subsidiaries, for example, different billing and/or rights and restrictions apply to content that is not present in its European divisions. mpx solves this issue by distributing key areas of its services, which enables the company to run select portions of the mpx solution in-house. This allows the company’s mpx administrators to configure the solution only in the areas requiring special treatment. In this scenario, rights and entitlements may differ from location to location. An organization could simply choose to host RMPs locally at each division, which gives them complete control over regional content yet take advantage of the automated distribution and decisioning capabilities of mpx as a hosted service.

The diagram on the following page illustrates how a hybrid deployment model would look if a company chose to control its RMP services in house.

Another scenario might be an organization that chooses to host mpx’s feeds and selectors in house to achieve faster viewing response times, but still keep the user console in the cloud and remove the burden of managing major portions of the solution.

Because mpx is built on an SOA, it’s flexible enough to accommodate a limitless number of configurations.

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The cons? There are things to consider when evaluating a hybrid model. If you’re managing RMPs or Feeds in-house, you will need to ensure an accepted level of uptime for those services at your data centers. This requires deploying redundant nodes behind a load balancer and configuring automated service monitoring that sends alerts to a 24/7 support team. With data services in particular, clients will want to protect against outages by replicating their databases and deploying additional read-only nodes connected to the replicated copy, with the load balancer configured to fail over when an outage occurs.

Pros and Cons to a Hybrid Model■+ Centralizes■video■management■in■key■areas■across■multiple■divisions/locations■+ Enables■control■over■regional■content■and■restrictions—yet■automates■distribution■and■decisioning■around■how■content■is■managed■+ System■upgrades■and■bug■fixes■are■quick■and■managed■through■mpx■+ Runs■interference■and■offloads■the■work■and■expenses■inherent■with■multiple,■separate■deployments■+ Enables■a■staged■transition■to■an■eventual■full■deployment■(quickest■way■to■get■up■and■running)■+ Reduces■costs■(fewer■resources■required■to■manage■the■solution)■+ Reduces■latency■in■areas■where■fast■response■time■is■critical■– Client■manages■its■own■data■center■to■ensure■uptime

RMP

The Hybrid (Federated) model isolates select services of mpx, such as RMPs, Selectors, and Feeds, so they can be managed by the client, while much of the video management functionality resides in the cloud.

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Premise-based (Self-deploy)The premise-based—or self-hosted—deployment model gives you complete control over the solution, as all of the data and services of mpx reside behind your own walls. In this regard, it’s at the opposite end of the spectrum from the cloud-based model. No interaction or sharing of files is required to run and manage the solution, whereby the client’s data is stored on its own servers and the user facing services are installed locally, much like a premise-based software package.

Similar to a fully-hosted model, clients can still distribute select services of mpx, such as RMPs and Feeds, throughout various locations of their enterprise. However, in this scenario, the client manages the distribution.

This model provides several security advantages, as the company gains utmost control over its content, but it requires a significant investment in the form of technical resources, capital expenditures, and license fees from the user. Additionally, the majority of support services provided by thePlatform become the responsibility of the client who owns the solution, unless the client chooses to let thePlatform manage services remotely.

At a minimum, a company must employ an on-site DBA, two to three Solution Engineers, and an mpx Administrator to manage the system. Depending on the size and scope of the project, these resources may be dedicated to mpx management at various times. In spite of the greater investment, a premise-based deployment could be the right, or only, option for certain organizations. Consider the following example:

Use Case ScenarioFor one mpx user in the financial services industry, security regulations require that its data not leave its firewall. This limits its options for cloud-based management, as content must be stored on site. The company also values the ability to manage system upgrades and bug fixes locally and rely on its own staff in the event of system outages.

Pros and Cons to a Premise-based Model■+ User■owns■the■system■+ Provides■greater■control■over■data■+ thePlatform■provides■an■optional■remote■management■service■– Client■manages■its■own■data■center(s)■to■ensure■uptime■– Higher■capital■expenditures■– Requires■additional■staff■resources■to■run■and■manage■the■solution■(if■not■using■thePlatform’s■remote■■system■management)

■– System■upgrades■are■not■as■frequent■– Requires■additional■system■training

The Premise-based solution keeps the mpx solution entirely within a company’s own environment. Configuration, daily management and support, and system upgrades are handled by the client. All data is kept behind the company’s firewall.

©2011 thePlatform all rights reserved. thePlatform, thePlatform for Media, Inc., Media Publishing System and thePlatform circle logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of thePlatform for Media, Inc. in the United States and other coun-tries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Evaluate Your OptionsWhen evaluating your various options for deployment, weigh the benefits of each model, but factor in the amount of resources and costs associated with the route you choose. For many organizations, keeping data behind your firewall is critical, if not mandatory. But at what cost? A hosted solution doesn’t create extra resource burdens for you. You don’t have to hire new people dedicated to managing your media through mpx, and there’s nothing new to install or any other add-on expenditures your business doesn’t need.

We know that no two companies are the same, so we built our flexible services to help you deploy the tools that best help you solve your broadband video management and publishing challenges. We’ve done the work so that you don’t have to—with thePlatform’s SOA model, you can connect to the services you require and take advantage of the features that alleviate the digital content grind and make revenue generation easier.

More■on■mpx■Services

For more detailed information on our Service Oriented Architecture and our video management solution, including file Ingest, Publishing, and Security, download our white papers on our Website at www.theplatform.com.

Or call our sales team at +1 206.436.7900.

Created 6/2011