Press Releases

Signiant Provides Seamless Connection to the Windows Azure Platform

, , , ,

Developers of Entertainment Services Now Have Comprehensive Platform for Aggregating Content From Multiple Sources

BURLINGTON, MA (April 12, 2011) — Signiant today announced that the Xbox 360® video game and Zune digital media player developers at Microsoft will use Signiant’s content distribution management system to help enable the seamless and secure movement of video and gaming content into and out of the Windows Azure platform. The combination of the Signiant solution and the Windows Azure platform gives Xbox and Zune developers a comprehensive platform for aggregating content and code from a wide range of media companies, game developers, and software engineering teams.

The teams behind Xbox and Zune are among the first software developers and media content delivery organizations to take advantage of the link between the Signiant Workflow Modeling Engine and the Windows Azure platform, which provides a means for transporting large files to consumer devices. Previously, the two development teams relied on third-party content delivery networks (CDNs) for delivery of video and gaming content to consumers. By facilitating the movement of large files, Signiant is enabling developers to take advantage of the complete portfolio of Windows Azure services, including the Windows Azure compute application hosting environment, Windows Azure virtual storage, and the Windows Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN), which helps to enhance end-user performance and reliability by placing copies of data closer to users.

“The link between the Signiant content distribution platform and the Windows Azure platform offers a powerful advantage to our Xbox and Zune development groups. Now that they can seamlessly connect to the Windows Azure platform to upload and work with media files, our developers can take advantage of all the cloud has to offer in terms of speed, security, operational continuity, and business resiliency,” said Jake Winett, director of Media & Entertainment Industry Solutions, Microsoft Communications Sector. “The door is wide open for Signiant to help accelerate delivery of content to mass audiences through the Windows Azure platform.”

“The Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network and Zune are ideal examples of Signiant’s technology used in a cloud-based environment — and they’re demonstrating how this solution can be used effectively by any media organization that needs to deliver massive amounts of content to consumers,” said Tony Lapolito, vice president of product management and marketing for Signiant. “The Signiant solution is the vital link in the content supply chain, enabling content suppliers to leverage cloud computing in innovative new ways to get their content out to their audiences.”

Suggested Content

Essential security considerations: Get everyone on the same page and work together. Your first step, and best place to start. Educate yourselves, your clients, your coworkers and management on the risks and options. Recognize that every production is different and unique. Access, functionality and security are all important. Success requires all three, not just two. Recognize there is a technical side and a very big social side. Recognize that security protocols cannot hinder productivity. Put teams together that collaborate well. There will be a lot of learning on both sides. When choosing technology, first find a partner with a security-first mindset.

M&E File Security is a Team Sport

If security measures become too much of a roadblock for people trying to get a production done, then your...
RTV branded Media Shuttle portal

RTV Slovenia Jumps Over Satellites and FTP, Lands on Signiant

National public broadcaster, RTV Slovenia, upgrades its Olympics workflow with Signiant.

Metadata Everywhere: Chain of Custody

In this final installment of Signiant’s 11-part series Metadata Everywhere, we look at chain of custody. Chain of custody...