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X-PLATFORM
May 2018
Dell EMC brings virtualisation to
enhance IT transformation
By 2020, it is projected that five
billion people will own multiple
connected devices, and the expan-
sion of the Internet of Things (IoT)
is expected to grow beyond 50
billion devices, according to the
Network Functions Virtualisation,
A Dell Point of View report.
Describing this rapid growth of
network access as a “modern mar-
vel”, the report pointed out that
networks will progressively expand
in reach and capacity, resulting in
technology consumption continu-
ing its growth at an increasingly
rapid pace.
David Lin, business develop-
ment director of communica-
tion vertical, OEM and IoT solu-
tions, APJ, Dell EMC, told APB:
“New technologies — such as IP,
cloud and virtualisation — have
all emerged in the market very
quickly. For instance, network func-
tions virtualisation (NFV) is gain-
ing momentum throughout the
telecommunications community
because it can significantly improve
service-delivery cost structures and
agility.
“We are also seeing a similar
trend taking place in the media and
broadcast industry as NFV enables
companies to reduce Capex and
hardware costs while opening up
new opportunities for automation.”
The challenge, however, is the
need to equip engineers with new
skillsets that are required to man-
age various aspects and applica-
tions operating in the virtualised
environment, Lin added. “There
will be new virtualised software
running in the cloud, and these
are absolutely new to some engi-
neers. Hence, they will require new
skillsets to be able to handle them.
“Another challenge we have
come to realise is that cloud-based
virtualised systems can be ineffi
cient if the data farms are distant
from each other. Therefore, there is
a need to bring them closer to the
media source.”
To empower media companies
to capture new digital revenue
streams and deliver improved
experiences, Dell EMC has intro-
duced the Modern Data Centre.
According to Lin, the modular
data centre is housed with a hyper-
converged infrastructure that
compiles all the data storage and
servers together to enable users to
optimise operations and improve
efficiency.
Erwin Meyer, general manager
and senior director, Dell EMC OEM
Solutions, added: “Following the
trend towards IP and the future of
5G, we can see companies in the
media industry moving away from
proprietary hardware technol-
ogy into commercial-off-the-shelf
(COTS) solutions, and that is defi-
nitely a trend that is closely related
to virtualisation.
“We are living in an interest-
ing time where technologies are
moving towards the centre of
people’s lives, and that is going
to have a significant impact on
every business model. With Dell’s
comprehensive solutions — from
Equipping engineers with new skillsets
is one of the challenges that media
companies have to overcome when
embracing new technologies, said
David Lin, business development
director of communication vertical,
OEM and IoT solutions, APJ, Dell EMC.
hardware components to software
solutions — we are well positioned
to help our customers to innovate
and benefit from this transition in
the media industry.”
Customer retention a key driver in the OTT space
Retention should be a key part of your over-
the-top (OTT) acquisition strategy, advised
Michael Greco, vice-president of Vindicia.
Greco was speaking at the CASBAA
OTT Summit 2018, which was held in
Singapore on March 20 and 21, and which
covered trends in viewership, OTT content
strategies, OTT security issues, distribution
channels, regulatory practices, business
models, OTT content measurement, con-
sumer payment options, success factors, as
well as big data.
Data consumption, subscriber reten-
tion and pricing power have emerged as
key drivers in the OTT space, according
to Aravind Venugopal, vice-president of
Media Partners Asia.
Another speaker, Stephen Tracy, man
aging director of YouGov, noted that lapsed
subscribers are more likely to re-subscribe
when new content becomes available. “The
most important factors for those consider-
ing to subscribe are cost and availability of
international content,” he added.
People want to be entertained on their
own terms and, essentially, the core busi-
ness for an OTT service is content/price
point and monetisation, said Ben Loh, gen-
eral manager for tonton, a video streaming
service offered by Malaysia’s Media Prima.
Piracy was also on the agenda, as the
Anti-Piracy Seminar sought to broaden
the understanding of the problems piracy
creates, and looked at what is currently
being done to combat the growing threat
to legitimate businesses, as well as explore
what else that could be done.
Louis Boswell, CEO of CASBAA, said:
“Piracy is a critical problem, and is particu-
larly acute in Asia. This seminar provided a
forum for conversation and debate, lead-
ing to ever more effective solutions to the
problem.
“As an industry, we have to put our
best foot forward and make sure the lead-
ers of legitimate video companies all get
involved.”
The seminar discussed the problems of
piracy from multiple angles — the regula-
tory loopholes that allow it to flourish; the
increasing enforcement actions that can,
and are being deployed; the role technol-
ogy can play in defeating piracy; and how
the legitimate industry is responding to