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Tell us about your infrastructure requirements and how to reach you, and one of team members will be in touch shortly.
Let us know which data center you'd like to visit and how to reach you, and one of team members will be in touch shortly.
The media and entertainment industry has long been at the forefront of technological developments. It was one of the earliest adopters of the internet and is currently working hard to improve its online content delivery.
Part of this process means choosing the right environment for the right application. With that in mind, here is a quick guide to what you need to know about both the cloud and bare metal for media and entertainment.
Modern cloud infrastructures utilize distributed networks, optimizing data processing and minimizing latency. This is critical for high-quality streaming services. For example, large-scale video-streaming platforms rely on cloud-based Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to ensure that millions of users around the world can smoothly play the same content at the same time.
Additionally, cloud environments support the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These can enhance media production workflows through automated editing, color grading, and personalized content recommendations.
The performance of cloud services can, however, be affected by factors such as network latency and bandwidth limitations. This may impact real-time applications like live broadcasting or remote video editing.
To mitigate these issues, cloud providers often use edge computing and CDN caching. These techniques bring data closer to the end-user, reducing latency and improving overall performance.
Bare metal servers provide direct access to dedicated hardware without any virtualization overhead or competition for resources. As a result, bare metal servers can reliably deliver the sort of compute performance needed for resource-intensive applications such as video rendering.
Moreover, bare metal servers are much less vulnerable to latency. This makes them a safer choice than the cloud for applications where even slight delays can significantly impact the output. For example, bare metal’s consistent performance is crucial for live event streaming, where stability and low latency are non-negotiable.
The dedicated environment of bare metal also enhances security. It therefore reduces the risk of data breaches and ensures compliance with industry standards. This is particularly important for handling sensitive content.
The cloud is inherently flexible and dynamic, offering the ability to adjust resources almost instantaneously based on demand. This elasticity is particularly beneficial in the media and entertainment industry, where workloads can vary dramatically.
For example, a sudden surge in viewership during a live event can be accommodated by automatically provisioning additional cloud resources. This can be done without any impact on people already using the service.
By contrast, scaling bare metal infrastructure involves making changes to physical servers. This can be time-consuming and requires precise planning. While this approach provides consistent performance and is ideal for predictable workloads, it lacks the immediate flexibility that the cloud offers. Additionally, scaling bare metal can involve significant upfront costs and logistical challenges, such as space, power, and cooling requirements.
Content distribution and streaming: Cloud platforms are essential for content distribution and streaming services, enabling global delivery with minimal latency. The cloud’s scalability allows these platforms to handle sudden spikes in traffic during popular shows or live events without compromising performance.
Post-production: Cloud services facilitate remote collaboration in post-production by providing centralized access to high-resolution files and editing tools. Teams spread across different locations can work simultaneously on projects, with cloud platforms offering the necessary compute power for rendering and processing large media files.
Backup and disaster recovery: Automated cloud backups reduce the risk of data corruption or hardware failures. Moreover, the ability to restore content from the cloud quickly minimizes downtime, protecting valuable media assets.
Rendering farms: Bare metal servers are ideal for rendering farms, where high computational power is required to process complex animations, visual effects, and 3D modeling. These servers provide direct access to hardware, maximizing performance without the overhead of virtualization. This is crucial in media production, where rendering tasks need to be completed efficiently and within tight deadlines.
Live event streaming: For live event streaming, such as sports broadcasts or concerts, bare metal servers offer the stability and low latency needed to deliver real-time content to large audiences. This reliability is critical for live events, where even minor delays can negatively impact the viewer experience.
Hosting multiplayer gaming servers: Bare metal servers provide the necessary processing power and network speed to handle complex game environments and multiple simultaneous connections. By using bare metal, gaming companies can ensure a stable, lag-free experience for players. This is crucial in competitive eSports and large-scale online games.
As a hosting option in between traditional colocation and public cloud hosting, bare metal in a colocation data center delivers a “just right” infrastructure solution for companies looking to strike the balance between flexibility, performance, cost, and their presence at the edge.
Modern enterprises now typically use a combination of private and public IT infrastructure. Getting the balance right is vital for the smooth running of your business. With that in mind, here is a straightforward guide to what you should consider when looking at bare metal vs cloud.
As a hosting option in between traditional colocation and public cloud hosting, bare metal in colocation data center delivers a “just right” infrastructure solution for companies looking to strike the balance between flexibility, performance, and cost.
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