Enabling reliable cloud adoption wherever you are

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Cloud services have become the cornerstone of the digital era. But how do you stay connected in remote areas with unreliable or non-existent networks? In order to tackle this challenge, IBM Cloud has partnered with the world’s leading satellite operator: SES Networks. Through the satellite-based IBM Cloud Direct Link, we are now able to help you unlock the full potential of cloud-based services from virtually anywhere in the world – even at remote locations. 

Welcome to the age of cloud adoption. All across the globe, companies and governments are adding public, private, or hybrid cloud services to their workflow. With more and more workspaces extending beyond brick-and-mortar offices, the cloud has become the beating heart where most vital applications are developed and run.

As a result, a high-capacity and low-latency connectivity to the cloud has become key to everything from enterprise productivity and revenue growth to end user satisfaction. There’s an increasing demand for a fast, reliable, and incessant transfer of data – wherever we are.

So how can you enable continuous connectivity to cloud-based services, even in remote areas or settings with limited connectivity due to unreliable or non-existent terrestrial networks?

The MEO Alternative to Terrestrial Networks

By offering a satellite-based connectivity to the cloud. In order to achieve this, we have partnered with the world’s leading satellite operator: SES Networks. They have over 70 satellites in two different orbits: Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO).

SES Networks’ flag-ship product is the O3b Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite network. This constellation is the only non-geostationary satellite system to date that can deliver broadband connectivity with fibre-like performance.

As a key member of our IBM Cloud Direct Link Service Provider Program, SES Networks is able to offer resilient, scalable, and complementary global connectivity and edge IaaS solutions.

Unlocking the full potential of cloud-based services

Since they possess the industry’s only multi-orbit, multi-band fleet, SES Networks can tailor services more flexibly than its competitors. They offer a comprehensive portfolio of network services for governments, global telecommunications, maritime, aerospace, energy, and other remote or mobile verticals.

Thanks to the collaboration between SES Networks and IBM, we can provide businesses and governments worldwide with the opportunity to leverage the IBM Cloud Direct Link service to build and run a wide range of applications, including low-latency cloud services or optimised IoT and AI solutions.

Let’s illustrate this potential with a case study of SES Platform Services, a subsidiary of SES Networks. As one of the leading technical media service providers in Europe, SES Platform Services broadcasts more than 300 channels via satellite, cable, or Internet, as well as thousands of hours of video content, delivered monthly to video-on-demand platforms.

Building a fast and reliable file-based transfer solution

In the past, SES Platform Services relied on the physical shipment of tapes to receive files from content providers and other clients. As the broadcast industry began to adopt file-based workflows, they were confronted with an increasing demand for fast and reliable playout services to broadcast networks and to accelerate the delivery of content to Video on Demand (VOD) platforms worldwide – more than File Transfer Protocol (FTP) file delivery could offer.

And with consumers eagerly awaiting the latest episodes of their favorite shows, time truly is money. Driven to stay competitive, SES Platform Services had to make sure that the transfer solution was fast, efficient, and reliable: any mistake in handling the files could be fatal in this industry.

They found their solution in the high-speed transfer technology of IBM Aspera, an IaaS software built on the award-winning IBM FASP® protocol designed to help users move any amount of data across any distance.

Using Aspera, SES’ single entry point for files is now able to receive up to three terabytes of data each day from their customers. Additionally, Aspera completes approximately 100 outgoing file transfers to VOD platforms in the US, Germany, and around the world. Aspera’s intuitive interface is easy to use even for non-technical users, simplifying the media upload process for SES Platform Services’ valued customers.

As an added bonus, many of SES’ partners and clients also use Aspera, making the process of exchanging video files even easier.

Let’s discuss your data transfer needs

SES Platform Services is a great example of how IBM Cloud solutions can help you seamlessly connect your on-premises resources to your cloud resources. Its speed enables you to extend your organization’s data centre network and offers consistent, high-performance hybrid connectivity – without touching public internet.

To sum up, IBM Cloud Direct Link is the perfect solution if you’re looking for consistent network performance (that doesn’t use public internet connections), scalable connection capacity (from 50 Mbps to 10 Gbps), and global reach, even in remote areas with unreliable or non-existent terrestrial connectivity.