Software as a service (SaaS) is one of the common business models that is used by technology vendors to deliver their products via the cloud. It allows vendors to offer their software and the IT infrastructure to run it as an ongoing op-ex pricing model with the application and supporting resources hosted and managed by a 3rd party organisation on the cloud. Typically, end-users will access the SaaS applications that they purchase via a web browser.
Cloud products and services are available to a wide range of industries. However, due to the high-performance needs of organisations throughout the video content supply chain, the broadcast media and entertainment industry has proven to be a challenging vertical to address with cloud products. Nonetheless, this industry represents a lucrative opportunity for vendors who are willing to engage with the technical complexity of migrating file-based and live production workflows into the cloud.
While cloud computing or storage can be bought direct from public cloud vendors, brands historically associated with the broadcast media and entertainment vertical have also ventured into this competitive landscape, launching new products either designed to be cloud native or facilitating integration with their existing products. In addition to this, new brands have emerged seizing the opportunity to penetrate the vertical with this new wave of technology adoption or solving issues created by the migration to cloud workflows. In both cases, established brands and new ventures are often leveraging 3rd party public clouds as part of their own supply chain.