Determined to make streaming video and CDN distribution the equal (or superior) of traditional broadcasting, Akamai has opened its Broadcast Operations Control Center (BOCC) to monitor and support business-critical OTT services. The BOCC is staffed 24×7 by a team of specialized broadcast issue resolution experts possessing hybrid skills across media and networking to address the unique needs of Akamai OTT customers, the company reports.
The BOCC is located at Akamai’s Cambridge, Mass. (USA) headquarters and is designed to help ensure the reliability of OTT services through a combination of highly trained technical staff and a host of monitoring, analytics, reporting, quality and availability measurement tools that provide real-time support and operational insight. The facility is focused on the needs of customers delivering critical live, linear and on-demand video.
The BOCC was designed and is managed by Akamai Director of Media Operations Matt Azzarto, a veteran broadcast systems engineer. His team typically averages 12 but can grow to more than 50 during major events, the company says. They operate in overlapping shifts to ensure seamless transitions while monitoring customer media performance.
“We have a unique set of tools that we believe deliver unprecedented visibility into hundreds of live video streams and linear channels at any given time,†Azzarto said when the BOCC was announced at NAB 2016. “With the new BOCC, Akamai is helping to address consumer QoE expectations for OTT by raising our customer service, support and component-level access into the CDN. We are replacing help tickets and hold time with real-time communication and deep, proactive monitoring designed to alert customers to potential issues before they actually arise.â€
