TeamPeople developed a scalable all-IP infrastructure supporting virtual event productions using Dejero GateWay aggregation for highly resilient firewall and back-up internet connectivity.
TeamPeople specialise in assembling and implementing scalable crew and workteams, including equipment, for media production and AV. TeamPeople perform customisable virtual, hybrid hosting services relating to hiring, equipping and managing temporary and permanent staff. Typical clients are broadcast TV and digital news organisations, creative agencies and gaming studios but TeamPeople also serves brands, not-for-profit organisations, government agencies and educational institutions.
Early developers of virtual event production, TeamPeople has adopted a scalable all-IP infrastructure called TeamStream that is simple to configure, secure and runs at low latency. Many of the virtual and hybrid events forums built on the TeamStream platform host conversations between widely dispersed remote clients for whom it is essential that conversations flow uninterrupted.
TeamStream, based on vMix live streaming software, allows users to produce speakers and presenters in full HD video while integrating with standard meeting and video conference platforms like Zoom, Teams or Webex. Supporting two-way, behind-the-scenes communication between the production team, the technical team and all presenters and panelists, it operates between the production and the meeting platform, where participants and viewers are connected.
“The platform has to ensure that nobody’s video freezes, international speakers can be interpreted in real-time when required and that the events take place within the allocated time,” said Sarah Doyle, technical director of Virtual Services at TeamPeople. “We’re effectively bringing people all over the world into our control room and on to a shared virtual stage.”
Establishing Connectivity – Dejero GateWay
To establish connectivity that is reliable and secure enough for its live and pre-recorded virtual events, Dejero GateWay M6E6 network aggregation is used to set up the main firewall and back-up internet connectivity at TeamPeople’s HQ. In three IP-based control rooms, the feeds both from cameras in studios or remote locations, and from remote video conference platforms are decoded.
Private and public events can be live-streamed or recorded from a combination of these studio and web sources, and from other locations where TeamPeople’s camera and production crews are deployed.
“GateWay gives us a level of resilience that we haven’t found anywhere else in the market,” Sarah said. “It means we have been able to develop TeamStream into a global medium to make events more accessible to more people. Because the device aggregates networks from diverse carriers, we can be more confident of maintaining connectivity.”
Six Modems
The Dejero GateWay M6E6 establishes and maintains the main firewall and back-up internet connectivity at TeamPeople’s HQ in Washington D.C.
It has six integrated modems that connect to external antennas, allowing it to optimise performance and support VPN tunnelling for secure access to private networks. Should the dedicated fibre line dip below the bandwidth threshold, the GateWay will find another IP network, like bonded cellular, instantaneously and no one would see the difference.
The GateWay is built on Dejero’s Smart Blending Technology, which combines connectivity from all available local cellular and any other IP network providers. This approach creates a virtual ‘network of networks’ to give access to a much greater coverage area than a single provider could achieve. If the fibre connectivity fails, the system can automatically and dynamically reroute packets in real-time across other connection paths. TeamPeople can also define priority connections to customise network utilisation.
“We also chose the GateWay because of security assurances and ease of use,” said Sarah. “Firewall rules can be incredibly restrictive. In the past, accessing the internet, private networks and data secured behind corporate and government firewalls was often impractical without weeks of advanced planning to establish links, and network engineers to set them up. But with GateWay, opening up secure ports only takes a few seconds.” www.dejero.com
