Client Case Study: The Yogscast
Case study: how can managed IT services help to keep service levels high?
Our Client: The Yogscast
A media production company and video game publisher based in Bristol who produce gaming related video content focused around their main YouTube channel, “YOGSCAST Lewis & Simon”. Known for their World of Warcraft and Minecraft videos, The Yogscast have had over 7 billion views, making them the most popular British-based YouTube channel.
The Challenge
The Yogscast had outgrown their premises (known as “Yogs Towers”) and were relocating to a new office. One of the greatest demands for a media company of this calibre, that specialises in Internet video streaming, is to ensure that their streams are of the highest possible quality, stable, and always available. Further, wireless coverage had been a major pain-point in their former premises, and so it was crucial that with the move this was put right.
• 50+ full-time users
• Over 100 wireless devices
• Two specialist networks required: A 4K Internet streaming and recording audio-visual infrastructure, and a fast link to the editors
• Future-proofed network to last 7+ years, able to handle the demands of whatever next-generation of video streaming will require
• Hi-speed, consistent and uninterrupted wireless connectivity throughout the building or voice and streaming
The Solution
After extensive consultancy, research and development to find the best-fit solution for The Yogscast’s current and future needs, Computer Geeks architected and implemented the perfect solution.
Using the latest Category 7 ethernet cabling, Computer Geeks installed a networking solution capable of sending and receiving at 10Gb/sec. Most office networks run at 1Gb/sec or slower, but most offices don’t generate the equivalent of 12 hours of 4K-television per day.
For the physical networking, Computer Geeks also installed the latest in stacked Managed Switching technology by selecting the HPE 5900E series. This enables The Yogscast to handle the immense amount of data passing through their network without slowdown, also provisioning for over 240 wired points – plenty of room for future growth! This was then split down into 4 virtual networks: a dedicated audio-visual streaming network, a network for the 4K video editing suite, a guest network and a segregated Wireless network.
The Aruba IAP-305s were the choice of access point for the wireless network, with self-managed mesh management – all the access points link together as one logical unit. With traditional wireless, a business network will have multiple wireless access points operating independently with a device connecting to the strongest AP. But as the user moves around a building the connection will get weaker, and devices do not automatically change to the strongest. When it does switch, the connection will drop momentarily. This is normally not an issue if you’re checking email, or browsing a word document, but will cause major issues with any video streaming, let alone 4K. The Aruba Mesh network operates as one large, intelligent device, and ensures a smooth hand-off from access point to access point seamlessly, keeping the signal strong and stable.
The Outcome
The entire networking project has transformed the way The Yogscast work. By providing plenty of bandwidth to allow not only 4K streaming, recording and editing, the Aruba Mesh wireless solution ensures that whether the device is wired or wireless, the coverage and speed are flawless. This has allowed The Yogscast to gain a business advantage by being able to produce next-generation quality content today, keeping them one step ahead of the curve, thanks to their ultra-high-speed network.
“The guys at Computer Geeks are great, they deliver on-time, and they get us and how we work” – Mark Turpin, CEO
