Pain
The lack of integration between these tools makes it difficult to create flexible workflow processes, collaborate between groups and individuals, and to provide a common resource through which the media is created and accessed.
Project Requirements
Dusing speakTECH’s discussions with our client, the following requirements were identified:
Ingest Assets – The application needed to integrate with the existing encoding processes in our client’s networks, which included monitoring output directories from FlipFactory and other transcoders that create media files. We needed to allow users to manually complete the media profile and upload an asset to the repository. We would utilize the SharePoint Human Workflow to automate the process of ingesting the assets and kicking off the business processes. This would also provide a detailed audit trail.
Asset Repository – The application needed to provide a central repository where all media files would be stored and retrieved. The repository would be accessible internationally, but only by anyone authorized to do so. The asset repository needed to also provide the functionality necessary to support the cataloging and archiving of media files. We would store the media files in Phase One on a shared network drive, which would serve the files via Windows Media Server and MPEG Streaming Servers. A Phase Two feature would be to synchronize media files to other geographic locations. We realized that these files were possibly be very large, so an advanced, block-level protocol needed to be used.
Asset Viewing – The application needed to provide the ability to view media assets in an embedded player within a web browser. The application would support embedded players for MPEG3/4, Windows Media and QuickTime files. The application also needed to support downloaded media files for offline viewing.
Download Assets – In Phase One, the application needed to provide the user with the ability to select media files they wished to view offline. A background download agent would then download the files from the asset repository to their local machine. A Phase Two feature would be to add digital rights management (DRM) features to the files using Windows Rights Management, DIGStream (In-Motion) or another DRM solution, this would ensure offline media cannot be viewed or duplicated without authorization.
Security – The application would utilize the integrated SharePoint user database, which enables single sign-on for employees. The application would allow assignment of permissions for uploading, downloading and viewing media files.
Search – The ability to search the metadata of the asset repository and return a list of matching items, then from the search results, provided the user would have the ability to play or download the item.
Collaboration – The application would allow users to provide feedback when viewing a media file, and automatically time-stamped when the comment was created. Additionally, we would utilize other SharePoint features such as:
- Saved Search’s where users could be notified when Media with particular metadata is added to the Media Share environment.
- Alerts of new media share items, on a instant, daily or weekly basis.
- Organized file structures, allowing folders and custom views to be created to show Media files with particular attributes (e.g.: Approved, Todays, By Brand, etc).
Workflow – We would utilize the Microsoft Workflow Foundation (WF) functionality to provide human workflow capabilities. The first workflow would be based upon the feedback loop, where WF would notify reviewers, and collect their feedback as part of the media review process. Over time additional business processes would be created using WF.
Proposed Solution
Our proposed solution for these issues rested in leveraging the portal application we were already developing, which was based on Windows SharePoint Services 2007 (WSS). We envisioned that the portal could be extended to provide a variety of services to meet our client’s needs. Most importantly, we believed that by utilizing Windows SharePoint Services (WSS), we could continue to build an extensible solution that would grow as our client’s needs grew.
Software Used
- Windows SharePoint Services
- Microsoft InfoPath
- Microsoft Windows Media Server
- Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server Office 12 (Office 2007) release
- Human Workflow via Workflow Foundation (WF)
- 3rd Party Human Workflow Solutions.
Services Provided
Following a successful Proof-of-Concept, speakTECH delivered the solution to our client in four phases. Phase One took four weeks, and in it we finalized our clients requirements and delivered a functional specification, incorporating the needs for the United States, Hong Kong and London. In Phase Two, which was ten weeks, we worked with the client to implement the application within the SharePoint 2007 POC environment. In Phase Three, which lasted four weeks, we established a workflow process for their legal review group and automated the ingestion of assets. The final phase, Phase Four, was the world wide workflow rollout, which included fully downloadable assets with DRM protection and local media replication.
Results
By leveraging the power of Windows SharePoint Services, many of the issues faced by our client were addressed quickly and effectively. First, when uploading the encoded file, the location of the file is determined by the application from the metadata entered by the encoder. This effectively eliminates the need for the encoder from being responsible for maintaining file and folder information manually and from monitoring the repository. Second, once the file is uploaded, SharePoint Human Workflow, a component of Windows SharePoint Services,is utilized to monitor the file directory and would notify the appropriate parties automatically whenever a new media file has been uploaded. Third, the security features of WSS ensure that a user navigating through the portal would only be able to view the files and folders which they are authorized to view. Unauthorized users would never see a file or folder they should not have access to. Finally, WSS features are leveraged to add digital rights management features to the files, effectively hiding this process from the user, and preventing media being duplicated or accessed beyond the length of the license’s authorization.
Due to the fact that Windows SharePoint Services provides components such as security and a workflow engine, the application developed obviates the need for currently utilized outside tools. The portal application leverages this power to attach security features and workflow processes to resources in the central repository as they are needed. As our client’s needs grow, so, too, can the system be modified to satisfy them. By using the administrative tools included in the application’s framework, changes can often be accommodated without additional code. Processes can be standardized across the company but still customizable on a case by case basis. This is the power of utilizing technology.