Globecast has begun rolling out Infrastructure as Code (IaC) technology, which it calls “a gamechanger for the media entertainment industry.”
IaC involves creating and managing Cloud-based technologies using scripts (code), which is then “read” or accepted by systems like AWS’ CloudFormation or the Cloud-agnostic solution from Terraform.
Globecast has deployed IaC to enable providers of advertising content for one of its playout customers to press a button and feed relevant commercials via the Cloud to various landing areas for insertion by service provider.
According to Globecast, this means the ad providers don’t have to install any proprietary software, allowing the company to implement the system “in a tiny fraction of the time it would previously have taken.”
“Take the example of deploying a new Cloud-based platform for a customer using IaC,” said Ian Redgewell, head of media management, Globecast. “Everything that needs to happen – the 50 servers we need, the software we need to run on those servers, the network, all the IP addresses, the user accounts, the security permissions – all of these can be written into a single document using the correct code. That is then run through the aforementioned systems and the infrastructure is created.”
“We see IaC as critical in maximising the potential of the Cloud,” he added. “It’s a genuine gamechanger. This is the way to work as we move forward. The speed-to-market advantage is huge, as is the cost saving. And the ability to re-use entire systems is a massive step. The cost saving potential is further heightened by this. We are talking about the deployment of very complex solutions, maintaining them, easily making changes and removing whole systems or redeploying them in minutes.”
