“The Cloud” is a fairly broad term that covers a LOT of ground.  Is it the be-all-and-end-all when it comes to broadcast?  …Perhaps. 

Or perhaps it will simply be a strategic tool that will allow us all to do more with less, improve redundancy, and scale ‘best in breed’ technology to markets that would have never previously been able to play in that space.  A leveling of the playing field if you will.

The simple answer is this.  The Cloud will assuredly have a role across all of broadcast.  From content creation to signal distribution and the overall end user experience.  The question that really needs to be asked is, “what does The Cloud mean to you”?

As time and technology move forward and more hardware elements are virtualized, more bandwidth opens up and QoS strives for another 9,  more and more opportunities present themselves for both efficiencies and new acquisition models for the technology we use and integrate every day.  Do you need to purchase hardware as CapEx?  Or can BOTH the hardware and software/service be acquired under a more palatable OpEx budget line that allows your operation to start monetizing immediately – without the large upfront cost to ‘get in the game’?

The future presents many options.  Let’s sit down and map out how they might best work for you.