AWS Podcast #697: [The Frugal Architect w/Werner Vogels] How PBS makes every penny count... For viewers like you
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Dec 2, 2024 Mike Norton, VP of Cloud Services at PBS, shares insights on maximizing efficiency in a non-profit focused on educational content. He discusses how PBS navigates traffic spikes and the importance of metrics for optimizing performance. Partnered with Werner Vogels, Amazon's CTO, they delve into the challenges of broadcasting in a rapidly changing media landscape and the balance between customer demands and cost predictions. Their conversation highlights innovative strategies and the critical role of technology in making every public dollar count.
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Downton Abbey's Thundering Herd
- Downton Abbey's unexpected surge in popularity during season two or three created immense pressure for Mike Norton and his team.
- They worked tirelessly to ensure smooth streaming during peak hours, highlighting the unpredictable nature of viewership.
Vietnam War Documentary Overload
- PBS initially used OpsWorks to manage server scaling, but it proved insufficient during high-traffic events like the Ken Burns Vietnam War documentary.
- The slow scaling led to long nights for the team, highlighting the limitations of their initial cloud infrastructure.
Embrace Containers
- To address scaling challenges, Mike Norton advocated for containerization.
- This involved educating engineering teams about the benefits of containers and helping them adopt Docker and ECS.