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Overview of technology_visions_v30a_mar_11_blog
- 1. BBC Technology Strategy
Technology Vision Statements
March 2011
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 2. Contents and Structure of this pack
This pack contains a consolidated view of the summary visions for all areas of the BBC’s technology strategy.
This document is an addendum to the BBC’s overall technology strategy published in January 2010. for details
go to:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/img/Technology_Strategy_Public_Master_FINAL_25_01_10.pdf
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 3. BBC Technology Strategy Map
Audience Facing Line Of Business Enterprise Infrastructure
Transcoding & media
Broadcast distribution Content acquisition Bureaux
movement
High definition Development platforms Servers
Data centres & technology
Stereoscopic 3D Studios Enterprise portal
accommodation
Vehicles Enterprise integration Storage
Internet distribution Business systems Networks
Red Button Service management Cloud
Online Search Databases
Media asset and metadata
Virtualisation
management
Archive access, management &
digital archive storage
Rights management Desktops & client services
Telephony, messaging,
collaboration
Broadcast content production
Accessibility & usability
systems
Online content production and
Environmental
management
Post production systems Information security
Broadcast publishing systems
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 4. Broadcast Distribution
Vision Statement
Complete the migration from analogue to digital television transmission while enabling new service launches and developing the next
generation of broadcast and hybrid distribution technologies
Roll out the Digital Switchover programme across the whole UK to complete by end 2012
• Achieve 98.5% coverage of BBC services on DTT (by population)
• Decommission legacy analogue and low power DTT infrastructure
Roll out HD on DTT to the agreed timetable (increasingly synchronised with DSO roll-out during 2010)
Use advances in HD and audio encoding technologies (H.264 and HE-AAC) and modulation technologies (DVB-S2) to optimise capacity use and release
capacity for further HD services on DTT (with a target of 5 by 2012) and DSAT
Plan and roll out national DAB across the UK to achieve c.92% coverage by population by 2011. Support the promotion of digital radio and a radio
switchover in the longer term
Support where possible the aspirations of event-driven broadcasting (including London 2012)
Develop a single view of metadata across IP and broadcast delivery to enable integrated service propositions whether editorially or operationally
motivated (PushVoD, IP mitigation)
Develop a single view for service delivery across hybrid broadcast/IP platforms to enable rich, interactive and personalised services to be delivered
Take a leading role in the research and development of next generation broadcast distribution technologies (video encoding, NGH)
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 5. High Definition
Vision Statement
Enable HD to become an integral and seamless capability in all of the BBC's content acquisition,
production, storage and distribution activities
HD shall be "business as usual" BBC by 2012/13 because:
• It will be the benchmark quality level expected by the viewing audience,
• The HD standard is one of the key enablers of the transformation to an efficient end to end digital TV operation
The BBC exclusively supports the 1920 x 1080 HD standard (so called Full HD by the consumer market) for programme
making using a range of frame rates and the delivery of programmes with multi-channel audio (surround sound). The BBC
believes HD must meet a minimum quality threshold on all delivery platforms in order to maintain the quality of its HD
services the BBC. To enable this to happen:
• HD should not continue to be a separate technology programme. The vision is to have HD as an integral part of
all the activities of the BBC. This vision will make "HD business as usual" by the end of FY 2012/13
• HD standards for programme making, programme exchange and archive will be aligned. The BBC will work with
other UK broadcasters to produce common delivery standards for tape and file based HD programmes
• Only platforms capable of meeting a minimum standard will have HD branding. The BBC will continue to work to
achieve this standard on all suitable platforms
• The entire backbone infrastructure of the organisation must support HD. This requires the BBC contribution
infrastructure to have sufficient capacity to address the increase in file sizes, bit rates while at the same time be
sufficiently flexible to handle a wide range of codecs
• There will be no separate HD investment programme. The BBC will ensure that any new technology investment
will be “HD ready”. HD will be embedded into all infrastructure and equipment investment programs
• We will address the lack of multi-channel audio (considered an integral part of the HD viewing experience). This
vision will make the output of BBC HD 100% surround on all platforms
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 6. Stereoscopic 3D
Vision Statement
The BBC will be responsive to possible changes in the Stereoscopic 3D landscape and explore the opportunities it offers
programmes and audiences.
To protect the BBC’s position as a world leader for programme production and innovation the BBC will investigate, the
technology challenges S3D produces through a series of trials. The BBC will also help to drive the setting of standards and
workflows that are needed to successfully deliver S3D.
S3D is a consumer display manufacturer driven technology. Much of the current hype has come from the success of recent movie titles and the
imminent release of these on Blu-Ray.
There is no standardisation of the technologies for acquisition, post production, contribution or distribution of S3D. This approach is likely to suit
a smaller but better funded number of players in the movie industry. Within the broader, more diverse and often less well funded television
making community a lack of standardisation would be a more significant issue; not just for S3D as a format but also in financial terms for the
producers and commissioning broadcasters.
The BBC has stated publicly that it will not be investing in S3D programme making but intends to continue to investigate via limited trials and
commercially available equipment. The BBC will also take an active role in standards bodies and with manufacturers to ensure there is simple
and affordable technology in place if and when programmes are required in S3D.
Note: this strategy is expected to have a limited life (estimated until mid-2012). It is anticipated that at this point either a full BBC S3D
programme strategy will be developed or the current S3D standards fail to deliver / take off. The S3D strategy ASSUMES the source is HD and
is totally dependent on an integrated BBC HD strategy being implemented (as per the HD Tech Strategy).
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 7. Content Acquisition
Vision Statement
To move to file based high definition capable acquisition technologies to enable the BBC to migrate to a
fully digital and connected solution which will improve production efficiency and content sharing
All new acquisition technology will support HD and record to file based, solid state media
1. The choice of acquisition formats, codecs and bitrates for the types of content category, Live/as Live; Journalism and Recorded for Future Transmission will be based
on BBC HD guidelines and their alignment with the end to end production chain. http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/production/hd.shtml
2. Formats will vary according to workflow and genre. High end drama, documentaries, entertainment, studio output and events will operate at the upper end, using
100Mbps AVCi or higher, with observational documentaries and more general programming using minimum bitrates of 50Mbps
3. For specific reasons, and subject to approval of the Architecture Council, certain areas and uses may fall beneath the minimum HD and audio standards. Initial areas
are Journalism (reasons of newsworthiness and speed to air); miniature cameras in factual programming (reasons of acquisition circumstances). For file based SD
operation, the SD codec strategy for Journalism should be followed
4. Audio and Music will use the BWAV format in line with DQ requirements http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/dq/contents/radio.shtml and will not use bit-rate
reduced formats for capture
5. Video and audio content can also be acquired lower than BBC HD guidelines, where editorial demands mean that either quality cannot be maintained or where
output to the HD channel is not required initially or cannot reasonably expected in future. However opportunity should be taken to capture at the highest possible
quality for archive and re-use
6. To enable connected and efficient workflows, all file based camcorders will be expected to support MXF operational patterns OP1A or OPATOM
7. Interfaces will be aligned between acquisition devices and broadcast content production areas and with current and future major projects. These will be overseen
and approved by the content acquisition strategy group
8. To reduce cost, consumer storage media should be used in camcorders, standardising on SD or compact flash
9. The BBC will implement EBU standards for volume measurement (loudness) and where appropriate encourage the use of multi-channel audio (surround sound) for
Television and Audio/Music ensuring that compatibility is maintained for mono and stereo delivery
10. Consumer acquisition technology including Digital SLRs will be introduced for HD video capture use once technically mature. Cameras used for stills acquisition
should be set to the highest quality, preferably RAW, or with minimal compression
11. To ensure accessibility compliance and positive user experience DQ accessibility and usability guidelines should be followed.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 8. Development Platforms
Vision Statement
To improve development capacity and capability, and reduce development time and costs, the BBC shall
implement application development environments that are internet based, secure, have short on-boarding
cycles, and enable application lifecycle management
Build capability and capacity
1. To build in-house capabilities and capacity to develop, operate and evolve consistent applications across audience facing systems, internal
systems and B2B / enterprise systems
2. These development capabilities shall have common patterns, processes and be fully integrated
3. Development tools and environments shall support being made available at no additional cost to individual developers or dev teams
4. For B2B and internal systems, there shall be common operational platforms (including provision and deployment) which is to be the basis
for development and ongoing maintenance of new applications. Existing applications shall be migrated onto the common operational
platforms
5. Implement BBC developer desktop, including virtual machines, reducing 6 week induction to committing code at the end of day 1
Execute against frameworks and guidelines
6. The common operational platforms shall prioritise, track and run applications. These platforms shall be available across in-house and
appropriate 3rd parties
7. Technologies shall be chosen with “entire life” costs as a key criteria, these costs shall also include the management costs of multiple
similar technologies / skill needs
8. Applications shall be developed against five best practices; big audience facing, small audience facing, B2B, big internal and small internal
9. To enable internal and external collaboration and flexibility, the default approach shall be applications that are loosely coupled, SOA based,
RESTful, internet based (outside the firewall) while being end-to-end secure
10. Align technology selection and procurement with the new direction
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 9. Studios
Vision Statement
The BBC operates a wide range of radio and TV studios. To provide flexible, adaptable, robust and efficient
resources for broadcast production, new studios will be constructed using appropriate best practice design
templates for their core purpose, incorporating new technologies where available. IP and fibre based
technology will be adopted where appropriate, these must comply with a set of minimum operational
standards.
1. Implementation of any infrastructure for a studio facility is to be considered for long term use with a lifespan of at least 5 years.
2. Technology refresh will reflect future requirements and technology development, and be in line with associated framework agreements.Total cost of ownership, utilisation,
and/or hire availability and cost, of equipment used within a studio space will determine whether it is purchased or hired.
3. TV studios will be constructed for HD operation, with a minimum standard of 1080i(50), operating at SMPTE 292M standard (1.5G) with embedded multichannel audio.
4. Digital audio systems for TV and radio must comply with the AES3 standard at a minimum 48kHz sampling rate. Analogue audio interfaces shall be balanced and operate at
zero level (mic level amplified at the first appropriate point in the system).
5. Signal interfaces will be to the standards set out in the Delivering Quality Guidelines.
6. Descriptive metadata associated with a studio live feed or recording will be provided in its predefined native format for integration and storage within other systems.
7. All studios will have an internal network robust enough to handle the precise requirements for control systems and communications.
8. IP data connectivity with the studio will be sufficient and resilient for control of multiple external facilities. It will ensure secure external data connectivity to provide VPN’s and
internet connectivity to the required Quality of Service. This connectivity will also cover ad-hoc and permanent 3rd party production solutions such as real time graphics and
voting results. The default position shall be that all external interfaces are service based.
9. IP provision for broadcast signals will be determined by a set of standards defining minimum operational characteristics compatible with the appropriate level within the 5-
level broadcast framework. Specifically, TV studio talkback should have a maximum delay of 10ms.
10. All studio synchronisation will be referenced to the GPS standard.
11. Studios will meet specific energy saving targets for the type of studio. These will be based on a minimum percentage reduction in the electrical load of a set of reference
studios and operations. See the Environmental Tech Strategy for detail.
12. The design of any studio space must take into account accessibility and adjacencies of supporting facilities. Technology implementation must be accessible where
appropriate.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 10. Vehicles
Vision Statement
Deliver a fleet of Broadcast and Production Vehicles that enable distinctive news, sport, cultural and entertainment event
coverage across the BBC’s output.
Technology Direction
• Transform the current fleet of single media, point-to-point transmission vehicles and their fixed path receive infrastructures to provide easy and flexible access to live
streams and content via the BBC Wide Area Network.
• Reduce the design and procurement costs of the “live vehicle” fleet through standardising on three vehicle types based on the main operational function
• Type 1: Self Operate* Audio production and transmission for radio
• Type 2: Self Operate* Video production and transmission for TV
• Type 3: Complex and technically demanding live event coverage for TV with enhanced support for Radio and On-Line, audio production and transmission
for radio
• All vehicles will be multi-media capable and be able to provide content for online services.
• Reduce operating costs and increase flexibility through using connectivity that allows carriage of IP data, suitably coded for live audio or video streams and supporting
file transfer workflows. Connectivity will be bi-directional to provide connection to the BBC data network and access to business and production systems from location.
• Equip all vehicles to generate a local secure WiFi Hot Spot, enabling multiple BBC reporters at the event location to share and transfer content using commodity
business tools.
• Standardise the connectivity on un-contended IP over satellite, using Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT), provided through a resilient centrally managed pan BBC
contract or service. Provide connection to the BBC through a restricted number of entry points where receiving areas can connect to streams in the IP
domain. Restrict other forms of connectivity to only be allowed by exception (subject to approval) where there is a specific business or technical requirement (e.g.
COFDM for London)
• The choice of antenna and RF systems should not exceed the transmit power threshold beyond which OFCOM transmit clearances are required (currently 50dBW).
• Maintain the live IP streams in the IP domain until as close to the point of broadcast as possible, minimising the need to transcode
• Build new Type 3 vehicles to be capable of or easily upgradeable to HD production and transmission. Type 2 vehicles should be capable of producing HD content and
transfer of HD files but have SD live capability as the default.
• Fit all live vehicles with GPS location tracking to enable flexible and collaborative deployment and to assist with utilisation monitoring.
• The choice of vehicles (type and manufacturer), their design parameters such as technical power source and their operation and utilisation will all aim to minimise
their CO2 emission. Any project proposal which specifies a diesel generator as a power source over DC battery should clearly set out why this design decision has
been taken.
* Technical design should be simple enough to enable operation with a minimum amount of technical ability but may require an operator for more complex requirements.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 11. Transcoding and Media Movement
Vision Statement
In 5 years all BBC content will have a globally unique identifier throughout its lifetime, and be stored frame
accurate using MXF. Transcodes will be avoided or ideally done once only. Genealogy and metadata will
be maintained throughout the workflow and the BBC will mandate an industry standard by which a
complete audit trail for content will exist with all its partners.
Technology Direction
1. If transcoding is required, it will happen as near to the master or origin as possible and encoding for transmission will
happen as late as possible
2. Every piece of content and variant thereof will be stored as an MXF, and have a global unique identifier containing a
minimal metadata profile. This will be accessible from anywhere by the BBC and all its partners
3. The BBC will mandate standards around workflows and best practices, driving consistency throughout the production
workflow
4. The BBC will roll out a common ingest process for studio productions, assign a unique identifier to the content, and
capture the maximum amount of metadata
5. The aspiration is that in 2 – 3 years there will be end-to-end digital file based media publishing system. This will be
multi-platform, and content, metadata and genealogy will be shared by passing a URL.
6. Develop an open platform for 3rd parties to directly work with, and manipulate metadata
7. Work with the industry to create tools and put in place quality standards and processes for file integrity and file
security
8. History, genealogy and metadata will be tracked throughout the federated workflow with our partners
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 12. Internet Distribution
Vision Statement
Provide a highly scalable platform for the delivery of static and dynamic web content and a/v media to all
connected devices with high availability and competitive performance worldwide, and ready for
London 2012
For the production teams
1. Provide the tools (equally to product teams inside and outside the BBC) to enable efficient delivery of new and updated services, whilst at
the same time providing the processes to maintain service availability
2. Provide increased consistency on processes, performance and availability
For performance and availability
3. Use of a mixture of shared and separated environments, both virtualised and on dedicated servers, hosted internally and in the cloud, to
provide the optimum balance of agility, stability, scalability, security and cost. Provide the tools to efficiently manage this flexibility
4. Unify the three different delivery platforms, increasing efficiency by avoiding duplication of similar functions, and ensure that services and
content can be used across the whole of BBC Online and IP connected devices
5. Minimise single points of failure by following a multi-redundant multi-location architecture with automated failovers and stateless operation
wherever possible
6. Maximise performance and scale for flash crowds by providing graceful degradation of functionality in exchange for highly efficient and
cacheable delivery of core content through both our own and third party infrastructure
7. Deliver solutions that work both for the UK and for the World, in line with Worldwide and Global News Division priorities
8. Work with UK ISPs to plan capacity roadmap to 2012
Technology strategy alignment
9. Use standards-based and/or commodity solutions to minimise lock-in to proprietary platforms where possible and appropriate
10. Maximise synergies with the BBC’s network, data centre, storage, virtualisation, cloud, service management and environmental strategies to
deliver to a common strategy where appropriate
11. Drive innovation in conjunction with R&D, in particular in the areas of multicast and IPv6
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 13. Red Button
Vision Statement
The BBC will create and drive development of new interactive TV applications to enhance the future TV experience,
making BBC content available through emerging technologies and on platforms as they are taken up by the audience, in
parallel with supporting the large audience for existing broadcast-only Red Button capabilities
This vision will be achieved by adopting the following principles and technical direction:
Serving Audiences
1. Develop quality interactive and on-demand applications, in line with the HD Strategy
2. Maintain the established technology base for interactive TV, invest in stabilising the existing platform and reducing dependencies on legacy platforms, in order to
protect the substantial existing audience on Red Button
3. Enable personalisation technologies on interactive TV platforms to support new products and promote BBC content across devices
4. Create broadcast and IP “hybrid” services, which include broadcast event driven interactivity on connected TV platforms
5. Build all applications from the outset with accessibility requirements in mind, supporting our underserved audiences and the BBC Diversity Strategy
6. Continue to support the Digital Switchover initiative, securing sufficient capacity on DTT for Digital Text and providing support to Broadcast Distribution when and
where switchover take place, in line with the BBC Broadcast Distribution Strategy
Standardisation
7. Standardise on Flash, MHEG and HTML for presentation environments, in order to remain relevant on the emerging connected TV platforms, while driving down
fragmentation and proliferation of technologies in the industry, in line with the BBC Syndication Policy
8. Drive development of standards in the industry including HTML5, MHEG5-IC and broadcast/broadband interaction through active participation in the Digital TV Group
and other industry bodies
9. For infrastructure hosting and support, standardise on using the BBC Cloud Infrastructure as default for connected TV services, while continuing to support Broadcast-
only interactive TV on existing platforms
Cost Reduction
10. Re-use existing online media delivery and metadata services as components for connected TV applications
11. Consolidate architecture, tools and frameworks across connected TV, mobile and desktop
12. Implement a re-usable, re-skinnable approach to product development requiring minimal ongoing software engineering input
13. Develop a set of components and interfaces allowing product groups in FM&T to build interactive TV applications and deploy rapidly, including the Krypton
Framework and MHEG+
14. Develop a device detection and customisation toolset to allow efficient development across multiple devices and classes
MediaCity UK – BBC NORTH
15. Ensure the appropriate service levels and connectivity to BBC broadcast and hosting centres are maintained.
16. Redefine ways of working by making development environments fit for purpose and increasing collaboration and interaction between technical teams and
stakeholders
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 14. Online Search
Vision Statement (1 of 2)
Search on BBC.CO.UK will be standardised and enhanced to provide a deeper, more engaging experience for users. This
will be delivered by consolidating the numerous different search products currently in use on the site onto a single search
platform common to all parts of the website (including its mobile versions and big-screen treatments of iPlayer). The
single search engine will return results scoped to the domain in which the search was input, and integrate with tagging
technology to further improve the quality of search results
The single search product will always show the best, relevant content from around the BBC: a search in a particular area (e.g. news) will also
return relevant results from other areas of the website (e.g. iPlayer). This will aid cross-promotion and further enhance user engagement
There are no current plans to develop a federated search capability inside the BBC. Existing BBC Gateway search functionality will be enhanced
using a low maintenance search appliance. This will provide basic capabilities whilst requiring minimal resources to deploy. More advanced
search technology is available to the BBC internally, but at a higher cost to serve
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 15. Online Search
Vision Statement (2 of 2)
Technology Direction (Audience Facing)
Enhanced Quality
1. Improve relevance of search results through query expansion, synonym control, Best Links, and result ordering controls
2. Rich results including images, dates, summaries, and section information
3. A system to index tags attached to BBC content by producers and to use this extra meta-data to influence the ordering of results
4. Use of filters, parametric searching and advanced search options
5. The ability to ingest rich modules (football match results, lottery numbers, weather forecasts, etc) into result pages via ESP
6. Multi-language support (Welsh, Scots and Irish as well as 17+ foreign languages)
7. Links to non-BBC content including news, blogs, social and websites (all editorially complied)
8. Implement auto-suggest and spelling suggestion features
9. Add an automated, audience-facing “search trends” page
10. Improved optimisation for mobile versions of the website and iPlayer big screen devices
11. Optimised handling of inferred video meta-data (e.g. sub-titles, auto-transcripts, chapter information)
Standardisation
13. Ability to “scope” results to meet local needs whilst never omitting the high-value results from outside the scoped domain
14. Options to include or omit languages, children’s and learning content, tied to user preferences.
15. All other search services, systems and products will be removed from the BBC website and replaced by Search+. No other search product is
permitted to be built on the BBC website (or other platforms)
Sharing and Integration
16. Search result pages will have persistent addresses and so can act as navigation destinations. The content can be consumed as feeds via ESP
17. Addressable, semantically-rich search result pages that can serve as navigation destination pages and be indexed by other search engines
18. Ability to track a search query (Topic) in Topic Tracker, Flow, etc.
19. Rich integration with other BBC products.
Performance and Reporting
20. Search will have sub 1 second response times
21. Provide reports on click-through and usage statistics
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 16. Media Asset and Metadata Mgmt
Vision Statement
To deliver to audiences the richest possible interaction with the BBC's content, and enable the BBC to create, process and
deliver content effectively and efficiently, there shall be a seamless metadata exchange between different production and
publication environments using mandated common metadata sets and agreed file formats
1. The BBC will continue to develop an asset centric rather than programme centric approach to content and metadata
2. The BBC will continue to consolidate the storage and management of content and publication metadata around a single central platform (Fabric/EM3)
3. All content creation environments will deliver automated feeds of appropriate asset metadata to the EM3 platform
4. All content publication metadata will be available to the Fabric/EM3 platform
5. Systems interoperability will be facilitated by appropriate required (or minimum) data sets. Data sets are determined by the position of assets or
process in the lifecycle of the content
6. The BBC will mandate enterprise-wide common descriptive and technical metadata sets to enable a comprehensive search experience for audiences
and BBC internal users and a more consistent view of management information around media assets
7. The BBC will implement a federated reference data management system utilising the Fabric/EM3 platform
8. The BBC will collaborate with other UK broadcasters on the creation of best practice guidelines for metadata exchange
9. Future systems and technology will have configurable metadata capabilities which maintain data integrity through the workflow and will be accessible
through open integration standards
10. The BBC will adhere to the Media Asset Management strategy and enable point of creation capture and accumulation for all asset creation and
metadata reporting systems
11. Preferred file formats will be established which exhibit behaviours which allow for system interoperability, metadata exchange and enhance
preservation of essence. File formats will be mapped against an agreed BBC classification. The generation and maintenance of this mapping will be
developed within the BBC
12. The BBC will create a mechanism for metadata exchange with partner organisations under the terms of the UK AV standards initiative
13. The BBC will have a single architectural approach for the storage and archiving of assets and metadata, which will incorporate a federated asset storage
strategy
14. The BBC will comply with SMPTE and EBU technical metadata standards
Note: Essence shall be ingested and stored in a digital format which retains the maximum fidelity to the original. Where analogue essence is to be ingested
it shall be digitised as accurately as possible.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 17. Archive Access and Storage
Vision Statement
To provide effective access to the BBC’s archive both inside and outside the corporation (including public access) to
support programme making and safe storage of the BBC’s content. This will be enabled by new pan-BBC technology for
federated archives through DMI / Fabric
1. Fabric to provide the infrastructure for the central digital archive which will provide storage and access throughout the BBC
2. ISO Standard 14721 OAIS (Open Archive Information System) will be the standard to which the BBC's central digital archive conforms
3. Some areas (news, sport, drama, nations) will need a federated approach to archive; this will also enable federation of archives outside
the BBC. This approach will allow for a range of types of media movement, dealing with different levels of info / proxy appropriate to the
user need and network speed
4. Fabric will be the master (metadata) catalogue for all BBC content from production and in the archive (including all output areas)
5. Access to the BBC's catalogue and archives for internal and external partners will be through Fabric. Public access will be through
bbc.co.uk with a technology solution still to be determined
6. The BBC will provide archival solutions for new media content including dynamic web pages, interactive TV content and applications
7. Fabric to provide the new stock management system for all physical holdings in the BBC Archive
8. There will be a technology solution for indicating the editorial/enduring value of content and ensuring its long term retention
9. Repeat Digitisation: the underlying principle is to digitise once from analogue formats to the most appropriate long term archival file
format
10. Searching the archive will be via the enterprise search and proxy provision within Fabric
11. The BBC will implement a ‘factory digitisation' process for archive video and audio supported by streamlined quality control capability
12. The BBC will actively manage down the number of formats and codecs in use in production and the archive (see also gold/silver/bronze
approach for file formats in Media Asset and Metadata Management)
13. The BBC will actively manage out obsolete formats/codecs before content is permanently damaged or lost
14. Digital archive storage must conform to resilience and business continuity needs
15. Digital archive storage must guarantee the integrity of files stored and retrieved
16. Existing I&A systems will be consolidated by 2014 with DMI/Fabric replacing the majority of I&A systems
17. Technology for records management needs to ensure compliance with the relevant regulatory obligations
18. The BBC will manage archival storage and access technologies to ensure long-term access to content (manage the issue of obsolete
archival software & hardware)
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 18. Rights Management
Vision Statement
To simplify the rights management systems and processes and eliminate manual intervention where possible by
incorporating the rights processes within the production environment and using the integrated data sets to make
available an automated, accurate, dynamic view of the rights position associated with the BBC's assets that meets the
BBC’s contractual reporting obligations
1. Project TOO: “Touch Only Once” is a business transformation project within the BBC focussed on simplifying the operating model. By removing the complexities
that currently characterise BBC contracts and re-engineering the business processes. The technology direction is underpinned by supporting the simplified
operating model, not coding the complexity.
2. Asset Identity : We shall use the identity framework provided by DMI’s EM3 as a single, reliable source for the identities of relevant business entities and reference
data and the relationships between them in order to cope with the expected proliferation of versions including those created by 3rd parties
In addition, we shall use DMI’s genealogy features to track contributors in excerpts back to original contracts to support making rights positions visible
dynamically.
3. Consolidation- data & systems: initially, to continue consolidating rights data onto the existing system, ACON, to move towards offering a single view of all rights
acquired. To de-commission the legacy systems no longer required and then replace ACON in the next 3-5 years
Incorporating rights management of acquired programmes into ACON is in flight with the BBC’s legacy programme acquisition database (PAGODA)
targeted for de-commissioning.
We intend to move on to the other non-ACON contracts starting with Location rights and Sport
Our strategic objective is to consolidate four rights systems into a single new system, albeit that the connectivity to BBC Worldwide will need to be
maintained.
4. Automation / elimination of re-keying : To automate routine costing and clearance activities by turning them into a “self service” operation via a Rights indicator
(traffic light) in DMI underpinned by a “Rights Availability & Costing Tool” which compares contract terms with PasC data & intended use to indicate how
Production/Channels/Worldwide should proceed thereby providing better integration of processes & systems
To eliminate re-keying in the rights area.
We will aspire to improve the Artist Requisition and Fastclear processes by leveraging the Digital Media Initiative’s service.
5. Archive programmes : We shall incorporate rights availability and costing activities for archive programmes into the overall self service solution
6. Relationship with BBC Worldwide: We shall set up an interface with BBC Worldwide to exchange structured data to obviate the need to share ownership of systems.
We shall continue to work with Worldwide - particularly its “Futureworks” IT project - to establish an “arm’s length” relationship.
7. Media Rights Management Forum : We shall take a leading role in DRG to steer the industry’s thinking with reference to developing open standards (for interfaces
between systems) and more broadly, how best to manage rights in an environment where the pace of change has traditionally outstripped the ability to deploy
technical solutions
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 19. Broadcast Content Production Systems
Vision Statement
To facilitate the creation of content at the right quality through faster and more cost effective production
workflows across different output areas.
This will be delivered by consolidating around a small number of broadcast content production systems,
rationalising existing variants and pursuing the standardisation of solutions, technologies, media asset
management and workflows. We will lead the market towards implementation of suitable standards and
an approach based on common services, interfaces and capabilities
1. Existing Broadcast Content Production Systems (BCPSs) will be rationalised, with standardisation of tools, media asset management and supported
workflows for Audio and Music, Journalism, North and Vision and other divisions. To facilitate this there will be a managed list of solutions, assessed
and amended by a team of BBC experts
2. We will increase our standardisation of BCPS architecture, integration, interfaces, codecs and file formats. The output will be published internally and
externally
3. So far as financially and technically viable, workflows will be integrated and file based across the production lifecycle; tape based workflows will be
replaced
4. Where viable, existing stores of digital broadcast content will be connected and media movement tools provided. No new ‘digital islands' will be
created
5. Metadata will be maintained at the appropriate level of detail and standard of integrity needed across the production chain
6. Where required, BCPSs will be developed to support story-centric production with single authoring, intelligent discovery and workgroup collaboration,
underpinned with close links to Online Content Production Systems for full multi-media production capability
7. BCPSs will fully support remote working via mobile and internet devices. These devices will conform to the agreed interfaces and standards
8. Appropriate technology solutions will be defined to enable the BCPS toolsets and deployment types to scale (technically and financially) both up and
down the range of organisational areas and output types. This will range from major Vision productions to local radio district offices
9. In the long term solutions will increasingly be based around a set of common services, interfaces and capabilities. These will be based on both new
services and drawn from existing BCPSs. The BBC will define a path for introduction of this common approach. The BBC will then seek to lead the
market (especially in the UK) to achieve this
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 20. Online Content Production and Management
Vision Statement (1 of 2)
Moving from a page publishing model to a content publishing model where metadata and asset management is used to
render the appropriate content to different target platforms for the lowest possible cost
Technology Direction
1. Ensure that the tools supporting the content creation workflow unite across linear asset management systems and online content
management systems to fully represent the requirements for publishing content to many platforms
Key Benefits: this makes production cheaper and more efficient when we think about all platforms at source
2. Architecturally support the separation of content creation and management from the output rendering of services with all CMS able to
work within a BBC framework of de-coupled, common interfaces
Key Benefits: Makes it easier to scale services, support multiple devices and scale staffing for projects (allows for easy access to generic
content)
3. Underpin BBC content management services with a common hosting and services platform, that provides a shareable content model and
mechanisms for messaging and orchestration of federated services – benefit of sharing
Key Benefits: Optimise sharing and make the most of our investment in infrastructure
4. Align CMS platforms and reduce their number to focus on providing scalable services for the appropriate content types and workflows.
Key Benefits: Improves efficiency and support of key systems and reduce ongoing costs
5. The principle of working anywhere is important to allow easy access to BBC Staff, partners and freelancers to work in the UK and
internationally both inside BBC networks and off site with a range of devices. Within this we must provide the future ability for extending
our services to support large scale User Generated Content
Key Benefits: Essential to meet the demands of new ways of working
6. Metadata creation and management is a critical part of the workflow for online services and is not optional. It must be part of our content
creation standards and acceptance criteria
Key Benefits: Metadata underpins new models for publishing and managing content – without it our services are more expensive to
deliver and less effective in optimizing our reach. Also a key part of engagement in the next stage of web development and dynamic
publishing.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 21. Online Content Production and Management
Vision Statement (2 of 2)
Technology Direction (cont.)
7. To maximize the opportunity to share resources and staff across services, we will standardize development methods, frameworks and
tools. We will use off the shelf or open source components where possible and work with partners to resist the urge to build bespoke
services where they are not appropriate.
Key Benefits: Reduce costs and make it easier to “swarm” around key projects and systems when needed
8. Develop our capability to handle real-time data and feeds, with integration of online and linear services data. In particular we need to build
out new capacity and methods to deliver real time data services to end users for sport, games, etc…
Key Benefits: Maximise investment in single data sources for all our services which do not suffer from the delays in our current publishing
process and limitations of browsers.
9. A clear commitment to dynamic publishing of key services by 2012 with a mixed model that provides cost effective serving of static and
dynamic content to meet audience facing requirements and manage peak loads
Key Benefits: To meet new requirements and improve quality and efficiency we need flexible publishing methods.
10. Increased Focus on the migration of content from old systems, services and templates
Key Benefits: Without this, we have two tier services which degrade the user experience for all as some services use new methods and
others don’t
11. Develop a media asset management view of online content
12. We need monitoring and audience measurement dashboards that give precise and real time information about how services are
performing. Within this and supported by the platform we need to have mechanisms to protect key services and gracefully degrade
services.
Key Benefits: this is essential to enable us to manage our services and also respond to service incidents, peak demands and events. We
also need more effective audience measurement so we can more clearly see where we get most value from services delivered.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 22. Post Production Systems
Vision Statement (1 of 2)
To work with the industry and internally with BBC developers to provide a Post Production framework of defined
interfaces that facilitates collaborative working for video, audio and graphics production. This will be supported by a
clearly defined and regularly reviewed set of tools, codec’s, file formats, metadata, workflows, accessibility and usability
drivers and delivery guidelines to maintain and enhance the creative processes. Additional attention will be given to a
closer working synergy with production business systems.
The BBC's post production strategy is to support a defined range of functions. ‘Functions' within the strategy can be viewed as a defined set of required
actions to bring a production to a specific state of completion.
Key to the deployment of such functional areas is the tools and interfaces provided to facilitate the generation of content for Multiple Platforms and
languages. The Strategy review team will have a key role in identification of such tools and interfaces. Subsequently the review team should use their
influence as a Pan BBC strategy group to leverage the market place to develop in these areas.
Currently Identified 'Functions' are:
1. Ingest
2. Viewing & Logging.
3. (Rough Cut Editing)
4. Booth Video Editing
5. Close to Air and On Air Craft Production edit systems.
6. High-End Finishing solutions
7. High-End Grading solutions
8. Tech Review Function
9. Close to Air and On Air Craft Graphics Production systems
10. High-End Graphics Production Systems
11. High-End Visual Effects Production Systems
12. Template and NLE (Non Linear Edit) Graphics production Functions
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 23. Post Production Systems
Vision Statement (2 of 2)
13. Audio VO / Commentary Function
14. Audio track Laying facility.
15. Audio Dubbing Facilities
The ‘Functions' will be aligned to a managed set of interfaces with content acquisition and processing workflows.
Functions will differ by the creative capabilities they offer.
Supporting points
There will be a managed list of supported tools and interface definitions, which will align with other compliant industry products. In addition, there will be alignment to the
interface definitions created from the BBC Digital Media Initiative to enable internal post production integration.
There will be a range of functions supported; the number and type of functions will support the creative diversity needed by the BBC. Capabilities delivered over time by
'Fabric' that support Post Production will also be considered.
The Functions will be regularly assessed and updated to ensure their relevance. The review period will be in keeping with any framework purchasing agreements relevant
to technologies used within the Post Production workflows.
All Functions will adhere to the overarching objective of increased collaborative working throughout Departments, Regions, Nations and beyond.
Post Production technologies will support the goals of delivery standards for SD, HD and Online production within the BBC see
http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/production/hd.shtml and will facilitate (where possible in the design) the flexibility to respond rapidly to emerging
technologies and platforms.
The BBC envisages the deployment of the Strategy to be a 4 step process.
Step 1. Stopping the purchase of any further non compliant editing solutions
Step 2. Strategy implementation for new installations
Step 3. Strategy implementation for existing Production areas
Step 4. Management and iteration of the interfaces and list of supported tools based on market developments, budgetary considerations and BBC workflow changes.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 24. Broadcast Publishing Systems
Vision Statement
Continue to move onto cost-effective, IT based technology, reinforced to support resilient
broadcast activities. New workflows and creative opportunities will be enabled by file-based
transfer, canonical data and unique asset identity manifest through integrated systems
The default delivery method for content inbound to linear and non-linear publishing will be electronic by 2012/13. It will be at the “highest
common factor”, using formats and to a quality as defined in the BBC’s managed document: “Technical Standards for TV Delivery” including
subsection “Delivery of file based material to Broadcast Publishing”
All new video publishing systems will be capable of publishing in High Definition (ref. HD strategy A2). Audio publishing systems are relatively
mature and therefore are unlikely to change significantly in the timeframe of this strategy
The BBC will define and mandate a canonical format for the definition of publication events. This will cover linear and on demand, using
unique asset identifiers and a publication identifier framework to facilitate consistent audience experiences and BI/reporting requirements
The BBC will provide for the integration of publishing events such as the publication of an asset or events and transitions during the
publication of an asset, to allow time and state dependent services to be built across the BBC
Systems designs and architectures will facilitate up-stream management of any publishing metadata that is the root source for audience-
facing services
There will be a common playout solution across all Nations television services. The playout control surfaces will remain local. Implementation
will follow a review of the playout activities undertaken by Nations television, considering whether the best placement of the playout control
systems and media servers is locally within each Nation or within data centres
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 25. Enterprise Portal
Vision Statement
The BBC’s enterprise portal will provide a common look and feel, and self-service anywhere access through a single sign-
on solution. Easy access to trusted information and services, with the power to share ideas and
information collaboratively, will drive employee engagement and promote efficiency.
Technology Direction
Upgrade the employee portal
Provide a single entry point where people can access information and services in a simple, consistent way on multiple devices
Serve as a window to common services including People/Expert finder and that is linked to collaboration and community services
Deliver an ‘extranet’ as the central place for BBC and its partners to share information
Integrate line of business applications and services
Enable single sign-on for both the portal AND all linked services
Enable personalisation
Allow for the configuration of preferences to allow a personalised view of content and communications that can be reset.
Deliver an enterprise content management platform
Provide a platform to ensure services provide a consistently branded experience
Create commonality for landing pages for all BBC departments, and remove content duplication
Present new ways of presenting aggregated data through dashboards
Provide a common standard for internal and 3rd party secure document sharing and enforcing BBC retention policy and rights where appropriate
Deliver a simple to use contribution mechanism
Put in place a content lifecycle mechanism to assist in ensuring content is relevant and current
Search
Expose people and ‘things’ using a common taxonomy that is linked to enterprise search
Support work group business processes
Provide rich, web and intelligent forms based front ends to promote ‘self-service’ via the portal
Business work flow functions provide the definition and execution of process flows
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 26. Enterprise Integration
Vision Statement
The BBC will aggressively rationalise integration products and standards and mandate interface standards
across our systems to ensure key information and functionality are accessible enabling cost reduction,
automation, and increased agility.
Technology Direction - Key steps
We will standardise on exposing information and functionality using a service oriented approach, coupled with the use of XML, SOAP, and
REST technologies to lower costs and barriers to use
Whenever possible, we will standardise on open source integration framework/platform to compliment and leverage the skills and expertise
that exist in FM&T, and to reduce commercial and technology lock-in
We will standardise on one Commercial integration product to support integration scenarios with high service quality requirements
We will create a Centre of Excellence alongside strong governance processes to ensure value realisation is delivered and sustained
We will create a Service Registry/Repository, where we will store information on existing and future interfaces and service end-points, making
it easier to govern and manage the rationalisation and standardisation of interfaces to key information and functional sets
We will rationalise integration products with a focus on simplicity of use over functionality, as the benefits of wide adoption outweigh those of
functionality
We will adopt a framework of capabilities that are lightweight, fit-for-purpose, and tailored to our needs. The framework will avoid products
that are over-engineered or unwieldy to manage; especially if they add unnecessary complexity or cost
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 27. Business Systems
Vision Statement
To drive increased operational efficiency and new levels of corporate performance management, information and data
will be managed as a core asset and business systems will be integrated, simple to use and accessible.
The BBC will improve access to information and data through the development of the intranet and business intelligence
capabilities. Adoption of key principles for data quality, meta data, security and ownership will drive a sound data
foundation.
The BBC will rationalise business systems and the technology landscape using appropriate enterprise applications. The
provision of applications will have moved to services that are ‘plug and play' and provide an on-demand capability.
This will be achieved by:
• Building an application architecture: Develop an application architecture for an extended enterprise that provides an agile environment to
increase the ease of implementing process improvement. Service Oriented Architecture, Software as a Service and Cloud computing will be
key considerations in the architecture development.
• Rationalising the application landscape: Rationalise the application portfolio through the movement of functionality into enterprise
applications and services where possible and migrating or transforming on to the new application architecture.
• Delivering a pan-BBC business intelligence capability: Develop shared infrastructure and tools supporting overarching information and data
management (e.g. reference and master data management) and the creation of operational data warehouses allowing the integration of
data across the BBC.
• Create a sound data foundation: Establish a systems data management capability including master data and reference data management to
contribute to improving the management of data quality and provide trusted source data that can be easily integrated to enable pan-BBC BI
to be produced.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 28. Bureaux
Vision Statement
Adopt a standard approach to the technology deployed at the BBC's Bureaux which is scalable, aligned with the general
technology strategy and supports the easy adoption of consistent workflows for live and file-based content. The
technology delivered should support the editorial need for speed of response and content quality as well as
minimising operational costs
The technology needs of the Bureaux have been identified in other strategy papers and should be applied in a standard way or adapted to the
specific needs of the bureau through ongoing governance processes.
The BBC will have a convergent Bureaux technology strategy covering all international and domestic locations. Bureaux will be classified
based on the operational, location and technology needs with appropriate scaling of a standardised technology stack deployed to meet
the editorial requirements
1. Definition of a reduced set of location types (e.g. Small, Medium, Large)
2. Consistent technology within the classification to improve support and media operations
3. Use of standardised connectivity as defined in the Network strategy that can provide the maximum throughput while meeting the
availability requirements of live and file content delivery and search for innovative solutions at locations where standard approaches
prove difficult to deploy
4. Production technology that can support the delivery of content in variable qualities aligned to the needs of file and live output in line with
the Content Acquisition and metadata strategies.
5. Support the capture of high fidelity content for future use and archive
Provide a portable, consistent set of technology to operate independently of the Bureaux
6. Support basic content acquisition (audio, video, images and text), production and delivery from field based situations in a consistent and
reliable manner
7. Enable access to the appropriate enterprise tools to support remote, effective collaboration across the BBC
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 29. Servers
Vision Statement
The BBC will move to a compute-as-a-service model to drive convergence of enterprise, media and broadcast
serving platforms and to achieve efficiencies in TCO, data centre footprint, and energy.
The server strategy will create a centralised, commodity-based compute-as-a service model, driving efficiencies and reducing TCO. This will be realised through:
1. Support of a compute service
Future compute capability within the BBC should be procured as a service:
A defined set of compute services available to the BBC will be published in a service catalogue.
Different use case requirements will drive towards specific compute service levels.
Online use cases may drive the use of less resilient hardware due to an application architecture focused on a horizontally scaled infrastructure tolerant of individual device
failure
Broadcast and media compute capabilities should, where possible, move from dedicated appliance-type hardware to commodity services. It is accepted that exceptions will
exist e.g. in film editing, encoding, etc.
Consumption of compute services should align with Data centre strategy to support a shift from on-premise compute to Data centre compute.
This service based approach will support the adoption of cloud strategy for both internal and external compute requirements and provide the ability to scale (both up and
down) to meet compute needs.
Physical servers will be subject to "intelligent refresh" based on an assessment of cost, energy efficiency, service, reliability and supportability. Virtual server hosts will be
subject to the same assessment however will likely be run until failed, provided that the virtualisation or application layer delivers the necessary business resilience
2. Convergence to commodity hardware
The compute service will drive the convergence of enterprise, broadcast and media compute requirements towards commodity hardware platforms enabling services to begin
to share compute capacity.
Commodity servers are defined as those employing vendor agnostic, industry-standard architectures (e.g. x86 processors, SDRAM memory, GbE connectivity)
Hardware architectures must be standardised to support the widest range of applications, however suppliers may define specific technology components and
configurations to meet BBC service requirements and use cases
A common service management framework will enable performance monitoring and alerting to be exposed to the BBC and provide an interface for provisioning requests
3. Minimal deployment of dedicated technology
Dedicated hardware will continue to be deployed only for approved exceptions.
Deployment of additional capacity (either standard or non-standard hardware) into the compute environment will be undertaken in a consistent manner using standard
tools.
Physical [non-standard, dedicated] servers will be subject to "intelligent refresh" based on an assessment of cost, energy efficiency, service, reliability and supportability.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 30. Data Centre and Tech. Accommodation
Vision Statement
To enable flexibility and adaptability in delivery of service while meeting the environmental and business
goals of the BBC, Technology will be consolidated to centralised enterprise environments, with only
location-sensitive applications at edge locations
It is envisaged that the BBC will move towards a ‘data centre as a service ‘model to support a future cloud based strategy.
Service
Where possible services will be consolidated to core central facilities
Centralising services will be based on assessment against service and business characteristics.
A service catalogue will be defined that defines the selection of technical accommodation based on characteristics.
Tiering
Delivery of redundancy at an application or service level
Operation
All technical accommodation areas should aim to be "lights out" and operated remotely.
Data centre operations should be consolidated in a central team that may be virtual.
Remote hands support will be provided for simple infrastructure operations where presence is required (cabling,
hardware upgrades, etc.)
Investment
Strategic facilities core to the BBC's business should be owned by the BBC.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 31. Storage
Vision Statement
The BBC will move to a 'Storage as a Service' model, with storage centrally consolidated as much as
possible across both Enterprise and Broadcast. The BBC and its affiliates will be able to centrally request
and activate provision of appropriate storage
1. Storage will be delivered through a combination of dedicated and 'private cloud' infrastructure based on commodity
infrastructure. The ambition is to modernise storage through scalable storage infrastructures, eliminating tape as a
backup medium through the use of snapshots, deduplication and Virtual Tape Libraries (VTL)
2. Data Tape is still the least expensive medium for data that is rarely accessed, especially where long retention periods
are a requirement. As a result, tape archive will continue to be used as a strategic platform for the long term archival
of media assets
3. This vision is dictated by applications/users, technology advances, refresh rates and value for money and the following
approach shall be adopted:
• Build BBC storage ‘use cases' and apply them to the delivery model for appropriate storage technologies (Benefit: cost
effective storage delivery, supporting user requirements)
• Centralise storage infrastructure and associated management platforms (Benefits: single storage resource management view
to help reduce cost, increase flexibility and optimise capacity management)
• Modernise storage platforms and media, migrating away from tape used during production, modernising any custom built and
ad hoc storage (Benefits: improve workflow for BBC audience services, reduce risk from corrupt media or custom build failure)
• Implement a simple to consume common presentation layer to access storage infrastructure
• Deploy on a small scale first to prove the value of the new model, and then execute a plan to consolidate the remaining estate
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 32. Networks
Vision Statement
Deliver a reliable, unified network infrastructure that serves the diverse needs of the BBC for both enterprise and
broadcast purposes for the next 5 years and beyond. The network will provide tiered levels of availability matched to
the business criticality of the services carried.
Technology Direction
• Directly procure specific network technologies, in the following order of preference;-
• Direct access to dedicated Dark Fibre, providing full flexibility to upgrade bandwidth based on developments in fibre optics technology
• Vendor managed wavelength services where it is cost-prohibitive to directly access dark fibre, but high bandwidth services are still required
• Vendor managed bandwidth services, ranging from point to point circuits, MPLS, Internet access, VSAT, etc
• Prefer purchase of bandwidth over compression equipment.
• Ensure that interfaces and end-to-end connectivity are available for the full range of BBC broadcast requirements, including critical real-time services.
• Enable services to be delivered to clients regardless of operational areas (broadcast and or enterprise).
• Where necessary, use physical and virtual separation of the network to support the delivery of services at a quality meeting the needs of the business and supporting a
move towards virtualisation and the use of 'Cloud' like solutions
• Require projects to include provision for network connectivity in the appropriate business criticality tiers, providing a funding model to enable investment in network
infrastructure to meet the BBC's growing dependency on the reliability and performance of its enterprise network
• Provide core network capacity to support strategic change initiatives such as DMI over the next 3 years.
• the move to high definition for both emission and production
• a much more open and collaborative production workflow where data is accessible both internally and externally. (50% of content from 3rd parties)
• greater use of specialised Data Centres
• Growth of Internet traffic will require a move to a distributed model – we need to minimise cost for additional capacity on existing routes
• Deploy fully standard based networking protocols and avoid locking-in to proprietary platforms by default
• Move towards an all-IP enterprise network with a single point of management and control. The aim is for the BBC's Next Generation Network (NGN) to be operational
from 2016.
• Increase the reliability and coverage of the Wireless elements of the LAN including providing complete coverage of all public areas and 10% of the users at shared used
area (such as offices and meeting room) in any given site for Enterprise applications.
• Put in place network management and monitoring infrastructure to deliver appropriate service levels, and management information to the BBC
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 33. Cloud
Vision Statement (1 of 3)
"The overall cloud vision will be to improve value for money, deliver increased scalability and flexibility, and support
ubiquitous user access through adopting a ‘cloud-like’ approach to the consumption of IT services.
The strategy will help align and inform a number of other strategies such as virtualisation, storage etc such that the
creation of a private BBC ‘B-Cloud’ of capabilities will be possible while also supporting the future and longer term
adoption of public cloud offerings as the external market matures.
This strategy document will specifically define the service wrapper, tooling and frameworks required to support and drive
a consistent approach to consuming a service-based and standardised software, platform and infrastructure.”
The strategy will deliver the use-cases and principles for adoption of a cloud-like approach to IT delivery across Enterprise, Broadcast, Production
and New Media.
The strategy will define an ongoing structure and governance within which individual strategies can and will be delivered. Example opportunity
areas include:
• Potential adoption of public Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) capabilities for specific requirements, default positions of SaaS adoption within
Enterprise and possible opportunities for leveraging SaaS for improved third party collaboration within Broadcast and Production
• Likely opportunities for increased sharing of common services across Broadcast, New Media and Enterprise such as Development and Test
environments with Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
• Potential aggregation of capacity and automation to give cloud-like attributes to dedicated infrastructure while in parallel assessing third
party Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) providers for future use of burst capacity for storage and compute.
• Use of Community Cloud models with partners or other media organisations to leverage economies of scale and improve collaboration.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 34. Cloud
Vision Statement (2 of 3)
Value
Adoption of a holistic ‘cloud’ strategy will help support a number of the strategic aims for the BBC by driving improvements in
scalability and flexibility, improved cost effectiveness and support for ubiquitous access to services.
This strategy specifically focuses on:
Cost avoidance through a more effective approach to deploying standardised and commoditised capabilities in support of
business change
Faster provisioning through automation and rapid self-service capabilities to support business agility
Improved and simplified access to tools and capabilities enabling better internal collaboration and sharing of information
Greater cost transparency of IT consumption and a transition from CAPEX to OPEX where this offers business benefit
The benefits above will build on numerous other benefits being delivered by the overall Technology Strategy and reinforces the
importance of taking a holistic approach to cloud adoption to drive further benefits:
Reduced unit cost through the extensive use of virtualisation and rationalisation for better utilisation of existing
infrastructure
Elasticity in infrastructure to balance workload for known business cycles and for unexpected demand
Improved collaboration with third parties to improve workflow in particularly in Broadcast and Production
To realise these benefits the organisation will need to embrace a move towards a commoditised and standardised model for IT
delivery, minimising the deployment of bespoke, customised solutions wherever possible.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 35. Cloud
Vision Statement (3 of 3)
Approach
A low risk incremental approach is proposed, supporting the creation of a dedicated private BBC cloud (or 'B-Cloud') of software and
infrastructure capabilities to pave the way for later and broader adoption of emerging offerings once they mature technically, operationally and
commercially. These offerings could include those emerging from third party commercial providers and those being developed for the UK
Government’s ‘G-Cloud’ initiative.
Taxonomy
The BBC defines ‘cloud’ in a way which includes any or all of the following three layers below and which are delivered either on dedicated
infrastructure connected to the BBC network (‘private’ cloud), non-dedicated/shared infrastructure accessible via the internet (‘public’ cloud) or
on a mixture of both (‘hybrid’ cloud).
Typical attributes of all cloud types are flexibility, agility, rapid provisioning and cost transparency on a ‘per unit’ basis.
Software as a Service (SaaS) Shared application services with ability to rapidly provision and change user numbers
as needed, with transparent and variable cost to support business flexibility in an
‘elastic’ manner. Applications are usually accessed via a browser to support end-user
mobility and flexibility.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) A solution stack consisting of infrastructure, software (operating system, database etc)
and tools, accessible in a self-service manner to support the development and delivery
of new application services and capabilities.
Infrastructure as a Service Server, compute, storage and network infrastructure capabilities provided in an agile
(IaaS) and elastic manner, leveraging virtualisation technologies and high degrees of
automation to help maximise asset utilisation and improve responsiveness to
changing business demands
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 36. Databases
Vision Statement (1 of 3)
To achieve efficiencies in the total cost of ownership of databases and data management, the
BBC will establish a standardised, flexible database environment that responds rapidly to the
data management needs of the BBC
Centralised, standardised database environments will be established to support BBC data management requirements:
• Data Management - Deliver database environments to support Data Management requirements, in line with data management principles,
policies, and standards ( to be defined by Business Systems strategy)
• Standardisation and Consolidation of Database products and platforms - Database products and platforms should be consolidated and
standardized to achieve efficiencies in operational capability and value for money
• Standardisation of Operations - The operational management of databases should be consolidated and standardized, to adopt a standard
set of tools and processes
• Evaluate Database-as-a-Service model - Evaluate the benefits of moving to a service-oriented model for database provisioning
1. Data Management
• Assess BBC data management requirements
• Define standards / guidelines for database environments to support / comply with relevant BBC Data Management principles, policies,
standards, and best practices (which will be defined in the Business Systems strategy). This could involve, for example:
Information Data Management Example of how Database implementation
Principle could support/ comply
Consistent data across locations and Implement standardised mechanism for
business processes database replication, database mirroring,
snapshots.
Centralised data management for Deploy database server farms with centralised
quality control support and management.
Ability to share information across Provide standardised access to standardised
the business database environments with centralised support
and management to facilitate provision of simple
and common access by applications to data
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 37. Databases
Vision Statement (2 of 3)
2. Standardisation and Consolidation of Database Products and Platforms
Database products and platforms should be consolidated and standardised to achieve efficiencies in operational capability and value for money.
• Definition of use cases for databases within the BBC. These will be used to drive standard database building blocks / tools resulting in
common fit-for-purpose products and platforms.
• A small set of database products and supporting platforms will be identified as the future strategic database environments based on an
assessment of the existing estate and BBC requirements (data management needs and use cases). A clear governance route for exceptions
needs to be established.
• Develop decision-making tool to assist the consumer in selecting the most appropriate [strategic] database product+platform for
requirements.
• Rationalisation of existing product sets should be undertaken to remove niche products where possible (using refresh as an opportunity).
• Evaluate the benefits and acceptable use cases of a self-service small platform database capability.
• Use refresh as an opportunity to drive towards standardisation of the environment.
• Retro-fit of the current environment should be undertaken on a cost/benefit case to drive towards standardisation. This would likely involve
consolidation of existing database installations onto shared farms or clusters to reduce hardware footprint and energy consumption.
• Application standards to be defined and enforced to ensure applications are designed to be optimised for strategic database platforms.
• Standardisation of Operating Systems for each platform.
• Evaluate the benefits of building strategic database farms to support BBC requirements.
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."
- 38. Databases
Vision Statement (2 of 3)
3. Standardisation of Operations
The operational management of databases should be consolidated and standardised, to adopt a common set of tools and processes.
• As standard, there will be separation of production, development and test platforms, for each database environment.
• Standardisation of database provisioning, management, backup and recovery, and reporting tools.
• Standardise processes, SLAs, documentation. A common service management framework will enable performance monitoring and alerting to
be exposed to the BBC and provide an interface for provisioning requests. Alignment with Service Management strategy.
• Database strategy needs to align with Storage strategy to provide storage at a tier suited to database criticality.
4. Evaluate Database-as-a-Service model
Evaluate the benefits of moving to a service-oriented model for database provisioning, this will include (but is not limited to):
• Identify BBC business problems which need to be addressed by service model – does the BBC need this now?
• Define “database as a service” – what it encompasses, its limitations, compare to current approach
• Market assessment of database-as-a-service. This will include:
- Established service vendors in the marketplace, offerings and associated costs – public, private, hybrid models
- Technology assessment – maturity of database products to support service model, maturity of tools to support the model
(management, orchestration, reporting, monitoring, chargeback)
• Capability assessment of BBC for adopting a database-as-a-service model, consider suitability for e.g. development/test environments, self-
service capability.
• Alignment with Cloud strategy
BBC © 2011 All Rights Reserved “The information contained in this document is intended to set out the proposed technology strategy for the BBC and is not intended as an endorsement of any of the products or
technologies."