Needy Consumers Impacting Growth of Cloud Computing
The shift to cloud computing is a demand every consumer subconsciously pushes. As our world transforms to one of instant need and flexibility, so must our technology. Specifically, our technology in what most of society is addicted to today: media and entertainment. Although media and entertainment have been popular in the past, there has been an emerging trend of personalized media and entertainment that continues to catch every consumer’s eye and wallet. Because of this, there has been a great need to “invest resources in generating high-quality, creative content instead” which is “driving media companies globally to adopt cloud solutions” [4] This explosion in digital media is forcing the entertainment industry to adapt to these cloud solutions to keep up with the need of consumers. Because “cloud computing is viewed as one of the most promising technologies in computing today, inherently able to address a number of issues,” [3] the movement is beneficial for both parties. We see it everyday, such as in Netflix or Amazon, and the rest of the media and entertainment world is on the ‘need-to’ catch up basis.
As personalized entertainment and targeted audience is becoming more a norm in the media industry, the cloud becomes even more prevalent. There is a trend to use solutions to help “media and entertainment players manage industry disruptions, enabling them to reinvent their business models… and providing ample resources to collect, store and process big data to help segment and target the market better.” [2] This application supports how “cloud computing is the driver of growth for the industry” [2] and it is only just beginning. We can even see this in two other forms: flexibility as well as cost efficiency. The on-demand service and constant request/need from consumers due to the cloud’s “server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service provider” [1] has allowed for a flexibility in the media and entertainment business. The growing trend and need in this area easily indicates how “broadcasters need the scalability of computing power that only cloud computing can provide.” [2] In addition, we as consumers, not just want flexible media and entertainment, specific to our own personalities and lives – we want it cheap and affordable. Thus, the pay-as-you-go model of the cloud presents a solution that is “more cost-effective and convenient, since they do not require any upfront investment and can be paid for according to usage or through a monthly/yearly subscription.” [4] What is incredible about this is these solutions seem to be just the beginning. In only a short period of time, the cloud has taken over the media and entertainment world and we as consumers continue to FEED this growth as we crave it’s applications. Like Montse Medina explains, the “data across many use cases allows for successful application of machine learning” [5] and thus, the cloud allows for a “process for consumer marketing” [5] such as in the media and entertainment world. With technology, such as hers, the learning of AI & Cloud computing of consumers and customers has only increased the need for a greater shift in the industry. The future is here and this is just a small taste of where it is beginning.
[1] http://faculty.winthrop.edu/domanm/csci411/Handouts/NIST.pdf
[2] https://www.maximizer.com/blog/cloud-computing-media-entertainment/
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167739X10002554
[4] https://www.firstpost.com/business/biztech/cloud-computing-in-media-and-entertainment-industry-to-grow-nine-fold-by-2020-1987081.html
[5] Stanford MS&E 238 Lecture
