Architecting Data and Machine Learning Platforms

Chapter 12. Data Platform Modernization: A Model Case

In the previous chapters we explored ways to leverage the cloud to build a modern data platform that can handle data at scale, help your organization remove silos, enable more employees to access data, make obtaining insights from data easier, and speed up AI/ML adoption. Together, these capabilities facilitate the extraction of value from data. In this final chapter we will apply the principles to a model case to explain what it means to transform an old-fashioned data platform into something that is modern and cloud native. Please note that the model case is purely fictitious to help ground the discussion.

New Technology for a New Era

YouNetwork is an important video broadcaster that serves 15+ million customers throughout Europe. Over the 30+ years that it has operated, YouNetwork has navigated several technology transformative cycles, from a pioneering adoption of satellite broadcasting in the early 1990s to a recent implementation of the Internet Protocol television (IPTV) protocol. The adoption of IPTV enabled YouNetwork to launch a service that delivers real-time shows and video on demand (VOD), leveraging tailored set-top boxes (STBs) connected to the internet.

Over this time, the organization has been able to adapt its offering to customer needs by enlarging its video catalog (e.g., TV shows, movies, sports events, etc.) every year. Impressively, it has also successfully diversified its portfolio, adding new services ...