Lift Kara De...

Modern day business environment necessitates increased output and cost

optimization. It has therefore become important for corporates to streamline

their workflows and business processes to outgrow competition and obtain better

business results.

In a drive to achieve this, it is important to address the entire process

chain instead of an isolated approach to get an integrated system. And

broadcasting is one industry wherein process automation through a combination of

audio-visual technology and content, and information technology can offer

improved workflow and process management leading to superior and qualitative

viewer experience. and better business revenue, of course.

Realizing this, Sony Entertainment Network has been creating a new IT

infrastructure that would support its business objectives and provide a seamless

platform for all its core functions.

Future Perfect



Over the last three years there has been a lot of traction towards creating

a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure at Sony. Considering the cut-throat

competition in Indian television biz and the importance of the market here, Sony

is leaving no stone unturned to beat competition. And technology restructuring

has being playing a crucial role amidst all these.

Creating a tape less environment is the need of the hour for Sony	Ajay Meher, VP, IT, Sony Entertainment Network

The company began its SAP implementation in 2007. "Its a completely new

system that we are building in accordance with our business needs. We are

deploying various models of SAP in a phased manner," says Ajay Meher, VP, IT,

Sony Entertainment Network. "This approach is allowing us to streamline our

processes step-by-step as per our requirements and multiply the benefits," he

adds.

The initial business requirement for Sony was to consolidate its financial

processes. With SAP FICO (Finance & Control) the company could achieve its first

objective. Next followed implementation of SAP SD module in 2009 that led to

consolidation of Sonys sales and distribution system. The company is currently

preparing to implement material management and HR management modules. "These new

technology deployments are helping us to optimize all our processes like

financial management, airtime inventory management, content management and

scheduling activities and consolidate them under an integrated platform,"

explains Meher.

The other core application running in the organization is broadcast

management, which is now getting aligned with SAP driven processes for better

efficiency and productivity. Sony further implemented Documentum. Through this

enterprise content management application, the company is streamlining as well

as enabling automation of various workflows. Apart from this Sony is also

migrating from Lotus Note to Microsoft Exchange platform that is getting

implemented currently along with a unified communication system.

More to Come



Despite being a digital age, most of the broadcasting contents are currently

delivered in tape format. Sony is planning to take the uphill task of converting

all the contents into digital data and create a digital asset management system.

"Creating a tape less environment is the need of the hour and a huge task

indeed. Keeping the magnitude and importance of this in mind, this one is going

to be a very critical project for us or for anyone involving into media

business," says Meher.

Piyali Guha



piyalig@cybermedia.co.in