Aspera Files SaaS Now Accelerates Content Across Hybrid Cloud

IBM’s Aspera Files Software as a Service (SaaS) has been recently updated to speed up and simplify secure sharing and distribution of large files and datasets via the IBM Cloud. The new Express mode, for example, uses a very simple user interface for content sharing, sending and receiving. Users can switch between full Files and Files Express mode with a toggle switch in the app.

Files now includes built-in support for the new hosted multi-cloud IBM Aspera High-Speed Transfer Service (ATS), a hybrid multi-tenant service for fast and secure big data transfers to, from, and across cloud object storage systems. In effect, it connects public and private clouds with on-premises infrastructure into a single system.  ATS is a highly available service that automatically scales out to support data transfers with cloud storage at up to 20 Gbits/second per region from any distance, and includes supporting cloud services to meet variable demands and reduce operational complexity.  

Express Mode

The Files Express mode was developed mainly to help send and receive large files and large data sets, including entire directories, between remote creative teams. It supports, for example, drag and drop of files and folders to create digital packages that can be sent reliably and securely from any location to anyone with an email address at maximum possible speed with no size limits.

Now, users can create short personalized URLs to send as public invitations to receive large files and directories from other team members. Users can view and access all package details and download either each individual file in the package, or the entire package. Any package or invitation link can be made to expire automatically or on demand. All the advanced functions in Files are the same and still available.

Users can extend the file sharing capabilities of Files to any cloud storage by connecting their shared folders to an instance of the Aspera High-Speed Transfer Service (ATS) running in that storage region. ATS includes Aspera’s direct-to-cloud transfer system, enabling high-speed, secure transfers to, from and across cloud storage with scale-out to over 20 Gigabits/second per region. Shared folders in Files can also be connected to on-premises infrastructure to enable true hybrid cloud workflows.  

Aspera Files Adoption

Aspera notes that companies adopting Aspera Files SaaS and ATS are diverse and using the services to help cope with the growth in file sizes and data sets and the need to share files securely and at speed across remote teams. Syncro Services operates various distribution and post production services for video and film content to advertising, media and broadcast communities. Syncro had already been using Aspera’s Point-to-Point client to transfer short form clips with clients.

Once its business started to expand, the size of the media files they needed to work with also grew. Syncro Services moved its transfer workflows to the cloud, using Aspera Files and ATS running on the IBM Cloud with connections to its on-premises infrastructure. They find this hybrid system makes their transfer workflows more scalable but still affordable. 

Synacor runs services for video, Internet and communications providers and had been using Aspera On Demand computing and storage resources for delivering high-speed transfers in, out and across the cloud, with Faspex On Demand person-to-person ingest and deliver content around the world. Owing to its customers’ fairly stringent service level agreements, Synacor runs all its cloud services in highly-available configurations with redundant infrastructure.

To put a lid on costs and complexity, Synacor migrated its self-managed virtual machines to the Aspera Transfer Service, and redirected its Faspex instance to the ATS multi-tenant service described above. Now ATS automatically scales out to support peaks in demand, and then scales back as transfer loads reduce. This migration was actually very straightforward - Synacor signed up for ATS online in a few minutes and was able to switch over to Faspex to use the new service immediately.

“Transfer performance and reliability are exactly as they were before we migrated” said Penn Boon, VP Media Services Architecture, Synacor.  “From our clients’ point of view, nothing has changed.  From our point of view, we have lower overhead and a smaller operational burden, and we only pay for what we actually use." 

To scale distribution of its ReelzTV Everywhere content, ReelzChannel partners with several different content publishing and syndication services who operate their platforms in the public cloud.  Reelz needed a fast and easy way to send large video content directly to their workflows, ideally with no further integration.

"ATS opened up an instantly available, high speed transfer service allowing us to deliver content with no workflow changes directly to our partners’cloud storage. We only needed to configure our ATS credentials to land video content in their target cloud storage location and use our existing Aspera workflow to upload automatically,” said Rob Macaulay, director, Digital Syndication at ReelzChannel.   www.asperasoft.com