A spike in web traffic thanks to the success of shows such as The Apprentice and The X Factor enticed TV3 to embark on a cloud strategy.
In order to cater for an increased demand in web traffic, TV3 went to market to select a managed hosting partner that could cope with sudden demand and large bursts of traffic. Following an in-depth analysis of market offerings, SunGard’s cloud-based infrastructure-as-a service (IaaS) multi-tenancy solution was chosen as the platform on which to host the TV3.ie site.
SunGard Availability Services Ireland’s cloud has proven to be a stable platform, with a notable traffic increase during prime-time shows such as The X Factor and The Apprentice, including the sole portal for The X Factor votes from the Irish Republic.
TV3 is operated by the TV3 Group, which also consists of television channel 3e and the online service TV3.ie, which is hosted by SunGard Availability Services Ireland.
In 2004, ITV took over the Granada shareholding and it was this deal which gave TV3 the right to simulcast certain programming such as the The X Factor, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Coronation Street with ITV.
In November 2008, the TV3.ie website was rebranded, with the intention to develop it into an entertainment portal. Catch-up facilities as well as exclusive content were made available for TV3 programming along with news, weather, sport and entertainment updates. A dating section was also established on the website.
Working closely with the TV3 team, SunGard built a state-of-the-art hybrid cloud-based IaaS solution; it contains elements of both cloud-based virtual servers and dedicated physical infrastructure for TV3. The architecture incorporates a number of load-balanced virtual web servers, database servers and physical content servers and was built on SunGard Availability Services Ireland’s multi-tenancy cloud-based infrastructure, offering scalability for the rapid deployment of additional resources as demand increases within a short timeframe.
SunGard provides a full support solution to TV3, incorporating 24/7 monitoring of all servers and associated firewall and network infrastructure. SunGard Availability Services provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software to more than 10,000 customers in North America and Europe.
With 5 million sq feet of data centre and operations space, SunGard assists IT organisations across virtually all industry and government sectors prepare for and recover from emergencies by helping them minimise their computer downtime and optimise their uptime.
SunGard’s multi-tenancy solution provides all of the recognised benefits of the cloud, such as shared servers, storage and connectivity, on enterprise-class infrastructure under a service level agreement and a fixed monthly cost.
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