| | JUNE 20179CIOReviewof services to transform as much of the arduous business of transcoding, packaging, and delivery of our clients' content; making our internal operations essentially a technology platform. New services can be quickly brought online and integrated quickly into the platform. These services can vary from off the shelf software or hardware functionality that can be exposed as services or internally developed functions to meet specialized specifications that tools do not exist. Further, platform changes can be quickly made to support new workflows and new or modified services with no system downtime. Designing and evolving a platform approach to the new demands of the content supply chain is a critical pillar of support for our industry's next phase.In addition, the infrastructure environments needed to be coalesced globally allowing global, around the clock work-share to reduce costs and increase efficiencies. Technology advancements in the use of containers, grid computing and cloud computing are enabling the platform to scale as needed to meet the changes in volume, content types, and sizes. Deluxe is continuing to develop technology in predictive data movement for optimized workflows and the movement of content to be processed in the global locations where available people and/or platform services exist to provide further efficiencies.The ability to anticipate and address what's next in M&E is being driven by the ability to track each piece of content at every stage from the creation of the content to the playback by the consumer. This data is being leveraged by the ever-expanding role of the data scientist in M&E companies. This supports an almost real-time feedback loop allowing dynamic promotions, windowing, and even regional availability of content for given windows.To further speed our digital transformation, Deluxe is also continually looking at strategic acquisitions. We recently acquired Sfera primarily for its innovative technology platform, which automates key functions in localization such as crowdsourcing translators and automated quality checks of content. Bringing tools such as this into Deluxe's platform has enabled us to meet the continually increasing volume of material while scaling our capacity and localizing content faster within the decreasing timeframe required.To support a holistic strategy across the organization, Deluxe brought together disparate product management and product engineering teams into one organization. IT and Engineering also came together to ensure that the platform tied into the HR, Financial and Sales systems, as well as, the data warehouse and analytics platform. Business process reengineering and master data management teams are engaged to support the design of a cohesive platform. All technology projects and initiatives are managed together into a seamless, aligned architecture and roadmap.Disney CEO Bob Iger recently said "you have to be willing to create or experience some disruption as we migrate from a what has been a more traditionally distributed world to a more modern or non-traditional distribution world". We believe that for Deluxe to succeed and thrive in this modern M&E distribution world that we must have an organization, platforms and processes that allow us to understand and respond to the industry's next wave. Content distributors are racing to meet consumers' ever-increasing demand for contentCindy McKenzie
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