Persidera Disaster Recovery Case Study

Persidera's position as a leading independent network operator with a multi-channel broadcast drove the need for a reliable Disaster Recovery (DR) system to protect its critical data and automation. Etere Disaster Recovery was selected as a top choice and the installation represents a vote of renewed confidence in Etere solutions from Persidera who has been a customer of Etere since 2015.

About this Case Study
This case study describes the challenges that Persidera S.p.A face and the opportunities that Etere Disaster Recovery is able to provide, as a comprehensive and integrative data protection solution for the Italian Network Operator. Etere Disaster Recovery is a modular expansion of the network operator's Etere Media Enterprise Resource Planning (MERP) workflow. Etere MERP provides advantages including seamless workflows, reliable operations, easy management and lower operating costs.

About Persidera S.p.A
Persidera S.p.A is the leading independent network operator in Italy. The company is a joint venture between Telecom Italia Media Broadcasting (TIMB) which is a part of the Telecom Italia Media group and Network A which is a part of the Editorial Group L'Espresso. The national network operator has a total of five digital multiplexes in its broadcasting network that manage Television channels belonging to some of the most important Italian and International publishing groups including Discovery Networks (Deejay TV, DMAX, Real Time, Focus, Giallo, K2, Frisbee), DeAgostini (DeA Junior, DeA Kids, Super, Explora), LT Multimedia (Alice, Marco Polo, Alice kochen, Nuvolari) and Agon Channel.

The Challenge
As a globally competitive business, safeguarding its media assets and automation in the event of a service disruption is of significant importance to Persidera. Persidera planned to expand its Etere MERP system with a Disaster Recovery (DR) system to support its main site located in Rome, Italy, featuring servers that drive the automation of its 20 channels. Persidera needed a scalable and integrative solution that is able to mitigate any service disruptions, to automate all processes and reduce the time spent on manual tasks such as system monitoring through software automation capabilities.

Above all, as a leading network operator, Persidera needed a highly reliable system with a quick response time to manage the network's contingency and backup of its automation service in the event of a system failure. Persidera needed a solution that automates synchronizations and manages an updated alignment of the "On-Air" automation to protect all of its critical data as well as to ensure that its broadcast transmission is not disrupted at all times. With these capabilities, its operators are always equipped with an updated copy of the last published schedule, ready for use.

A Renewed Vote of Confidence in Etere
In 2015, Etere equipped Persidera S.p.A with an integrated end-to-end Etere Media Enterprise Resource Planning (MERP) solution comprising of modules including Etere Media Asset Management (MAM), Etere Media Management, Etere Automation, Etere Executive Scheduling, Etere Airsales, Etere Broadcast Management System (BMS), Etere F90, Etere Ingest, Etere Tapeless Reception, Etereweb and Etere Proxy Browsing.

Etere MERP empowers Persidera S.p.A to streamline its operations, increase the accuracy of content processes and cost efficiency across all departments. As a result, in 2017, Persidera S.p.A decided to upgrade its system with Etere Disaster Recovery to support its automation system, protect its critical data and to have a contingency plan in case of a system failure. A dedicated Etere Disaster Recovery system is set up in Milan, Italy, to support its main automation site in Rome. With the installation, each channel at Persidera S.p.A can be configured to synchronize data files from the primary server to the destination path at the Disaster Recovery site.

The Integrated Solution at Persidera
Persidera is equipped with the 24/7 redundancy capabilities of Etere Disaster Recovery. The Etere Disaster Recovery installation was set up at Persidera's site in Milan, Italy, to add a layer of logical and physical redundancies to the broadcast transmission as well as to safeguard the archive database and automation servers against any data loss and broadcast disruptions. The system interfaces 8 Harmonic MediaDeck drivers as well as 12 Nexio drivers on the DR channels. All external data streams including import playlists, asset metadata, ingest, export and remote playlists are reviewed and configured with customized workflows designed to fit perfectly in the system's framework.

Etere Disaster Recovery works seamlessly with Etere Executive Scheduling to replicate video files from the main server to the Disaster Recovery server via a WAN connection. It also works seamlessly with Etere Workflow to copy media assets and metadata from the main database. The data is then replicated from the main server to the disaster recovery server. When the system is in Disaster Recovery mode, Etere F90 imports the playlist and moves a backup copy of the saved playlist to the DR server. In addition, Etere Disaster Recovery interfaces with Etere Executive Scheduling for video republication from the main server and main archive database to the DR server and DR archive respectively via WAN connection.

The Features and Benefits:
■ Reliable Contingency
Etere Disaster Recovery provides an automatic and reliable contingency for the automation system at Persidera, it equips the network operator with the tools to mitigate any type of system failures resulting from both catastrophes and natural disasters such as fire, cyber attacks, power outages, flooding, earthquakes etc. In the event of a system failure at Persidera's main site, the backup server in Milan can be used to substitute Persidera's main server in Rome for a uninterrupted transmission. Etere equips Persidera with both logical and physical redundancies for a consistent transmission and reliable performance.

■ Remote Access and Automation
Etere Disaster Recovery functions independently from the main site. All file synchronizations are automated and users can manage controls of the DR site remotely.

■ Assurance and Visibility
Etere Disaster Recovery provides multiple layers of assurance including visibility, automation and protection. Persidera users are able to perform control commands and view real-time information remotely for both the source and destination automation.

■ Consistent Alignment and Synchronizations
Etere Disaster Recovery provides an automated and consistent synchronization of the last published schedule. Persidera users can be assured that an updated copy of the automation schedule is always available and the DR automation is always aligned with the "On-Air" automation.

■ Highly Integrative Architecture
Etere Disaster Recovery is part of the Etere MERP framework of solutions. It is extremely easy for Persidera to expand its system to include Etere Disaster Recovery and other solutions as Etere software is designed with a framework that can be customized to fit the requirements of the company perfectly, at any stage of its development.

■ An Intelligent System
During synchronizations, Etere Disaster Recovery is capable of identifying file repetitions and preventing duplication in the database.

■ A User-Friendly Interface
Usability and ease of operations remains a key consideration in the design process of all Etere solutions. Featuring a simplified interface with intuitive controls, Etere Disaster Recovery delivers the sophistication of functionalities without the complexity.

■ Freedom to scale easily
As a modular framework, Etere MERP solutions are designed to enable easy upgrades, expansions and modifications without affecting the system or its functionalities. Users do not need a change or overhaul of the system to update its system requirements, making it a system that is always future-ready and putting its users at the forefront of technology.

■ Improved Operations Efficiency and Better Cost Efficiency
The automation and integrative capabilities of Etere MERP solutions help to improve workflow efficiency, increase the accuracy of file processes and simplify complex tasks.

Tasks such as system monitoring are automated and updates are also shared in real-time from a centralized database. As a result, manual tasks are reduced, resources are optimized and cost-efficiency increases.

Etere MERP also increases operational visibility across the entire workflow, providing users with business intelligence data that allows users to identify performance bottlenecks for an early intervention.

■ Ready for all Requirements
Etere solutions are flexible and adaptable, they are designed to manage all commonly used file formats, metadata and platforms.

■ Professionalism and Service Excellence
For every project that it undertakes, Etere consultants work with the customer and their stakeholders to develop an in-depth understanding of the project deliverable as well as knowledge of the system architecture to tune-up the system and provide the the most ideal workflows. 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, Etere support team is available for worldwide customer support. The Etere experience is designed for long-lasting relationships and your success matters to us.

■ Security and Rights Management
The system architecture of Etere MERP solutions allow user rights to be customized according to the specific user access permissions as defined in the customer's Active Directory. Similarly, Persidera's administrators are able to modify and customize specific user rights without the assistance of external parties.

For a personalized consultation, drop us an email at info@etere.com