In Today’s Cloudbites:

📺 How Netflix Has Used AWS

📈 AWS Helps Netflix Overcome Its Challenges

🛠️ 5 AI Tools to Improve Your Productivity

🤫 PLUS: AI in Amazon One’s New App

Read time: 5 minutes

Hi friends, welcome back to Cloudbites

Today, we’ll talk about how Netflix, a globally recognized video streaming company, uses AWS in its daily operations. I’ll also be sharing updates on the recent AI integration in Amazon One.

CLOUD COMPUTING ☁️

 📺 How Netflix Has Used AWS

Netflix uses more than 100,000 AWS server instances for its databases, video transcoding, analytics, recommendation engines, and many more.

AWS infrastructure, storage, and computing have enabled Netflix to scale its infrastructure according to the demand from its users in a quick and flexible manner.

It is estimated that Netflix spends up to hundreds of million dollars (US$) for AWS services and tools. This highlights how important is the role of AWS in supporting Netflix’s operations.

Some examples of how Netflix is using AWS:

#1 Manage traffic across its global network of servers

Netflix mainly uses Route 53 to conduct its failover process, which is steering users across different records to avoid overloading the target region before it’s scaled up. 

The process starts at the main DNS (Domain Name System), then to the virtual records, and then the origin records that are bound to ELBs (Elastic Load Balancing). 

During this process, Netflix’s flow architecture starts to rebalance capacity and then at some point to maintain the equilibrium, Route 53 will direct the endpoint from one record to another.   

#2 Improve its content creation efficiency by saving cost and space

In 2019, Netflix paired NICE DCV and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) G4 Instances to deploy graphics-intensive applications like remote graphics workstations and graphics rendering. 

This pairing allows Netflix to securely stream the user interface of graphics-intensive applications to artists’ devices, removing the need for expensive dedicated graphics workstations. 

NICE DCV is also free to use on Amazon EC2, so Netflix only pays for the resources used to run and store workloads.

#3 Build relationships with current and prospective consumers

Amazon SES has the capabilities to help Netflix stay connected with their consumers in a cost-effective and flexible way via emails. 

This service optimizes the settings for each Internet Service Provider (ISP), which helps Netflix maximize the delivery of its most crucial communications to a range of customers (existing and new) such as marketing newsletters. 

Additionally, Amazon SES is able to integrate with other AWS services, making it easier for Netflix to track and gain real-time insights into their email delivery performance. 

📈 AWS Helps Netflix Overcome Its Challenges

What were the challenges Netflix faced before using AWS services?

Before migrating to AWS, Netflix had a traditional IT infrastructure that had high costs to maintain its hardware and software.

Additionally, there was limited scalability in terms of how Netflix can adjust its capacity of resources. 

When more people became active consumers of Netflix, the high volume of data and traffic made Netflix struggle in maintaining its operations effectively. 

However, in 2008, Netflix encountered a major database corruption that significantly disrupted its operations, data storage, and even financial performance.

That was when it decided to consult to AWS to assist building its data centers.

How has AWS helped Netflix tackle these challenges?

Ever since migrating to AWS, Netflix was able to improve its scalability and minimize expenses.

The migration process itself took 7 years as Netflix used the Cloud-native approach, where it rebuilt all of its IT infrastructure and even the way they run the company. 

Despite its time-consuming method, it’s done to ensure that there are no limitations nor errors from the traditional IT data center that will be transferred to the new Cloud environment.  

Now, Netflix continues to grow as a video streaming service company known worldwide thanks to AWS’ automation support that happens behind the scenes. 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) 🤖

🛠️ 5 AI Tools to Improve Your Productivity

1. Taplio: Produces engaging LinkedIn posts to grow your personal brand 

2. Audyo: Turns texts into a human-quality AI voices

3. Framer: Creates prototypes and engaging designs for your website

4. Galileo: Generates interface designs via text / image prompts

5. RenderNet: Creates AI images with consistent characters / avatars

🤫 PLUS: AI in Amazon One’s New App

Amazon One is a palm-recognition service that makes identification and payment more efficient. To sign up, you must visit a physical Amazon One location to have your palm scanned over a device.

Now, Amazon One is available in the form of an app that makes the process more seamless: you just need to take a photo of your hand to complete the sign-up process.

Here’s what you should know about the app:

• The app’s development used generative AI to produce images of human palms using computer graphics rather than real photographs in training the model

• Amazon One analyzes your palm and the vein structure to create a unique vector representation of your identity

• Your palm image taken via the app are encrypted and secured in the AWS Cloud; images will not be able to be downloaded and saved into any devices

Through AI, Amazon One marks a step forward that changes the way we interact with physical spaces into something safer and more seamless.

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THAT’S A WRAP

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