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Why the 'News Anywhere' Movement Depends on a Cloud-Based Network

/ by Anthony Iovino

news shown on devices cloud networks“News anywhere" is not just a catchphrase in the tech community, it’s the reality for many consumers; from 30,000 feet in the air to the video screen on the gas pump, there is more access to global news now than at any time in history. A recent Pew Research survey found that 38 percent of Americans get their news from the internet, quickly gaining on television’s market share. To stay competitive, media outlets need to find ways to keep pace with advancements in technology.

The fact is, only a handful of major media companies have the infrastructure and financial resources to leverage their own on-premise network solutions. It’s proven to be challenging for many small media organizations to gain a foothold in the burgeoning technological revolution; their own IT infrastructure is often poorly matched to the demanding requirements that come with new technologies like streaming video and multi-platform distribution of content.


For many of these smaller media organizations, shifting the burden of investment to a third-party provider has proven to be a successful strategy to help bootstrap them into the modern media marketplace. Cloud-based solutions eliminate the need for intensive physical infrastructure purchases like server equipment; scalable, remote access makes substantial processing power available to manage the tremendous volume of data required to be anywhere and everywhere at once, and ensures your audience won’t be experiencing any disruptions.


Cloud computing is about storing and accessing data, programs and applications remotely rather than via on-premise computer hardware. This substantially reduces the investment required to scale your network solution to meet the demands of the “news anywhere” paradigm. On-premises servers generally require major physical infrastructure investments up front, including: hardware, servers, software, and a full-time IT staff to manage the system.

What Makes Cloud-Based Solutions Different?


The essential difference between a cloud-based solution and an overhaul of your on-premise IT infrastructure boils down to a choice between making a large, one-time up front investment or amortizing the costs of those new technologies over their lifespan. However, it’s worthwhile to remember that there are disadvantages associated with the former options even if you have the resources on hand to go that route.  


Consider the fact that your technology needs will likely outstrip your ability to scale on-premise as long as the “news anywhere” movement continues to grow. Your considerable initial investment may begin depreciating before you’ve finished training your team on the new technologies. Remote network systems leverage the combined investment of many users to keep their hardware and facilities up to date, growing and adapting to capitalize on emerging technologies at a rate that simply isn’t possible for any individual company to keep up with.


Upgrading your servers every year because newer, faster, more secure hardware available is not financially feasible for most small media organizations. Cloud-Based Network Service providers have the resources and the motivation to make those upgrades a reality as generation after generation of technology is released.

The value of being able to scale quickly can’t be overemphasized in our highly competitive digital media environment. Whether it’s knowing you had the bandwidth to handle the rush of traffic associated with breaking news or access to the resources required to stream live audio or video over the web, a cloud-based solution can help you meet the challenge head on. New technology helps you stay competitive and nimble, keeping your work in front of your audience wherever they may be.

How Can We Transition Smoothly?


Extremely quick rollout is one of the primary advantages of a cloud-based network. Because the burden of researching, purchasing, and installing new equipment is eliminated, the process of updating and scaling from your existing solution to an improved one is greatly accelerated. Likewise, you don’t have to spend valuable resources on hiring on-premise IT staff to support your new systems - managed service providers often include ongoing support in their contracts.


In many cases elements of your pre-existing hardware, including desktop computers and printers, may be compatible with a newer network. However, it may still be prudent to consider upgrading this end-user equipment in order to optimize performance and get your staff started off on the right foot. Slow, old, or outdated equipment can become frustrating to use and cause employees to struggle with and become resistant to technological change. Transitioning to an off-premise solution can be a great opportunity to rebuild your entire IT environment, replacing old equipment and its associated problems and workarounds.


Money saved by avoiding massive network hardware purchases and staffing increases can be redirected towards staff training and education leading up to, during, and after the rollout. These trainings can help improve end-user adoption of new technology significantly, cut down the learning curve, and help to drive support and engagement from your staff. In short, including provisions for training in your overall project budget can directly impact the overall success of your project.

How Do I Get Started?


The first step in developing a plan for transitioning to a cloud-based network solution to power your media company is to assess your current capabilities and limitations. What’s holding your work back, and keeping it out of your audience’s hands and off their screens? When you have a good sense of what kind of access you’d like to offer your audience, you can start to formulate a plan to deliver that access.


In the interest of objective evaluation, you may want to consider on-premise options as well as cloud-based solutions when investigating the best option for reaching your audience anywhere, any time. It’s likely that you’ll find out quickly that the difference in costs, both up-front and ongoing, are staggering. Monthly subscription fees to a network service provider generally pale in comparison with the combined salaries of the IT staff you’d need to hire to equal the support capabilities of a service provider.


Getting the news and associated content into the hands of your audience on their own terms is the new normal for the media landscape, and operating on this level requires significant network capability.


If you want to know more about how technology can help you stay competitive and adaptable in the face of an industry in flux, contact us to learn how you can leverage the cloud to reach your audience in the ways that matter now.

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