14 14 BROADCASTASIA2017 SHOWDAILY 23 May 2017
Why microservices are a big deal
BY JOE KHODEIR
The unprecedented rate of change in video consumption preferences is upending traditional business models and exposing the inflexibility of existing infrastructure as a major obstacle to long-term success for today ’ s media companies . Consequently , the eventual transition to a more flexible and versatile technology foundation is gaining greater acceptance across the media and entertainment industry landscape .
The need to embrace underlying technology capable of seamlessly adapting to meet future market demands is especially acute among Asia-Pacific broadcasters , which service a consumer base that is among the most dynamic and demanding in the world . In addition to hosting a diversity of cultures and income levels , as well as one of the highest adoption rates of mobile communications , the Asia-Pacific region is well known as an early adopter of innovative over-the-top ( OTT ) video delivery models .
The region ’ s demographics and market dynamics make a strong case for the adoption of production , playout and distribution technologies based on microservices design principles . Media operations that are based on microservices technology provide broadcasters and other media organisations with the ability to reside on the cutting-edge of technology by being able to continuously and seamlessly upgrade and update their infrastructures without the need for wholesale technology refreshes .
Though new to the media and entertainment industry , microservices-based software design has been around for decades . The largest and most successful enterprises and Internet-based business are powered by microservices-based infrastructures . As media companies transition to IT-based environments based on commercial off-the-shelf ( COTS ) platforms , including public and private clouds , it ’ s imperative that they adopt a microservices-based technology foundation to ensure that they are optimally positioned to exploit all the performance and cost efficiencies of virtualised environments .
The simple definition of microservicesbased software design is a process that results in an application , or component , that is constructed of discrete services , each of which performs a specific , often simple , business capability or task . Microservicesbased technologies , such as Imagine Communications ’ Zenium , which is a pure and recently opened microservices software solution for building smarter applications and services , enables the coupling or chaining together of multiple discrete services to complete an operation . In the broadcast or media domain , for example , a simple operation , such as an AVC encode or a graphic overlay , may constitute a microservice .
An example of a microservices-based technology is Imagine Communications ’ Zenium , a pure and recently opened microservices software solution for building smarter applications and services .
Breaking traditional monolithic applications into a collection of independent components can increase the utility , efficiency and flexibility of media operations . Instead of requiring media companies to replace the entire application with each update , as is the case with monolithic applications , microservices enable functionality to be upgraded on a component-by-component basis , without disrupting operations . The ability to seamlessly incorporate new functionality into existing workflows is particularly relevant to broadcasters in the Asia- Pacific region , who were revealed in a recent survey conducted by Imagine Communications to be aggressive in the adoption of new technologies , such as virtual reality .
Though microservices are also the engine behind the move to cloud-native applications , which are capable of tapping the full benefits of virtualised environments , including elastic scalability and built-in redundancy , media companies can realise significant value from embracing microservices design , even if they are not ready to move operations to the cloud .
In addition to future-proofing operations against technology obsolescence , microservices-based operations , deployed on the cloud or on-premises , offer media companies a host of advantages over traditional , monolithic applications — starting with agility . A microservices-design approach gives media companies the ability to keep pace with the constantly evolving consumption habits of video consumers by enabling the immediate creation of new channels and supporting the latest technologies in lockstep with market demand . Microservices design also contributes to new revenue generation , through the easy and risk-free introduction of new business and distribution models .
In short , microservices are the building blocks of your future media facility . Visit us at booth 4L2-01 to find out more . q
Joe Khodeir is senior VP , Asia- Pacific , Imagine Communications .