IntelliGrape in association with Amazon Web Services (AWS) conducted a CIO / IT summit in Noida, Delhi-NCR, to discuss some of the media clients’ achievements and challenges.
The evening program was attended by several CIOs from media companies in Delhi-NCR. Most of the clients of AWS like the solutions primarily because they need not spend huge Capex (capital spending) as compared with other competitive programs.
But all are not happy because AWS does not offer SLAs guaranteeing availability of its services for 24×7. The other issue emerged was the high cost associated with its web hosting services. Some of its client also complained about lack of immediate support.
Hosting on Cloud is a threat to security. “There’s no guarantee on safety of the data available with us. We try to keep data in two places or we will have our own back-up,” said an infrastructure head of a leading media company.
“Amazon is too costly for small and medium companies. Small web companies prefer to work with Hostgator or GoDaddy for hosting services. But if you grow, Amazon can be a good option,” said IT official with leading news website.
The client base for AWZ is growing rapidly in India, said Bikram Bedi, country head of Amazon Web Services, at the CIOs at Media on Cloud Summit 2014 on Friday.
Highlights of the commentary by some of the CIOs:
Ajay Kumar Meher, senior vice president and head – IT, Sony
Sony handles 19 web portals including the well known Sony Live and Live Sports. Sony could handle unexpected online traffic during the FIFA 2014 thanks to Amazon Web Services. Sony is utilizing most of the AWS services. AWS enables the media company to manage traffic even when it gets nearly 7,500 concurrent users for video streaming.
Sony is using AWS for consumer facing apps, enterprise level apps, analytical services, advertisement management.
The company says its capital investment in web services is going down. Sony reduced its Capex by 60 percent.
Abhijay Chopra, director – marketing at Punjab Kesri
Punjab Kesri, a leading daily in India, is monetizing from its web properties. Amazon Web Services supported the media company during the recent election campaigns. AWS is supporting the web portal for offering seamless experience on PC, tablet and smartphones. Punjab Kesri is using AWS to ensure video quality to its audience in India and abroad. However, Punjab Kesri is concerned about poor quality of broadband in Punjab and across the country. The company is planning a DR site in the U.S. to support its growth.
Sukriti Gupta, CEO of Dainik Jagran
Dainik Jagran, one of the leading regional publications in India, is one of the top clients of AWS. The media company has utilized AWS to monetize its web properties that are growing. Dainik Jagran says Hindi content is not a limiting factor for its growth.
Manish Verma, CTO at Network 18
The company is using a hybrid cloud model to ensure maximum security and efficiency. Network 18 is using a part of the company data on cloud and an important part in its own data center.
Jasbir Khehra, head – Infrastructure, NDTV
NDTV, which has a strong web presence, handled peak traffic during the recent Lok Sabha elections using Amazon Web Services. The company says it gets 24/7 support from AWS.
Goutam Kumar Biswas, general manager – Technology, Hindu
Hindu, one of the leading English dailies from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, has a growing web presence. Hindu depends on AWS for managing traffic.
Sudeep Jain, national head, Business & Commercial – IT & Telecom, TimesInternet
TimesInternet is the # web property group in India with several websites.
TimesInternet says AWS is supporting media companies in managing 24×7 content delivery and multi-screen consumption. Cloud can be leveraged to address infrastructure demands of upstream media workflow scenarios such as content production and broadcast.
