Validates cloud expertise in transformative approach to premium ad decisioning for streaming services

Imagine Communications, a long-time pioneer in software-based architectures and cloud solutions, has successfully completed the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Foundational Technical Review (FTR) for its SureFire™ video ad server. SureFire provides linear-like control and brand protection on ad-based CTV and AVOD streaming services, enabling media companies to sell and fulfill campaigns across their entire audience and deliver a consistent, quality experience for both viewers and advertisers.

Imagine has a detailed, highly qualified quality assurance program in-house to ensure its software meets the real needs of media companies. The FTR is an added layer of clear understanding around technical and security evaluation, which in turn allows the products to be sold and supported in AWS Marketplace, a digital catalog with thousands of software listings from independent software vendors that make it easy to find, test, buy, and deploy software that runs on AWS.

“SureFire was developed from scratch as a cloud-native application and, therefore, delivers all the practical benefits of scalability and agility that a true cloud-based architecture offers,” said Rob Malcolm, general manager of ad tech, Imagine Communications. “While it builds on Imagine’s extensive experience in linear ad management, SureFire brings a transformative approach to ad decisioning for CTV and AVOD that provides the well-established, linear-like control and brand protection expected of television. Media companies want to leverage cloud-based tech enablers so they can more quickly respond to changing market demands. By completing the AWS FTR for SureFire, we’re providing our customers with an extra layer of assurance that they can implement this next-gen technology with confidence.”

The FTR allows AWS Partners to identify and remediate risks in their products or solutions. Led by an AWS Partner Solutions Architect, the FTR process provides specific guidelines and AWS best practices to reduce risks around security, documentation, reliability and operational excellence, as defined by the AWS Well-Architected Framework. The result is that Imagine can review projects against the requirements of the FTR, adhering to best practices and ensuring the best possible outcomes for the end user.

SureFire operates as a managed cloud service on AWS, so it has flexibility and scale to meet the needs of any media company. Auto-scaling enables SureFire to support millions of concurrent viewers, with sub-100ms response times and six 9s reliability even under heavy load. It uses the advertising industry-standard VAST and VMAP protocols to communicate broadcast-quality dynamic ad insertion instructions with AWS Elemental MediaTailor.

While designed to enable quality ad decisioning across direct-sold addressable linear TV and CTV, SureFire also supports linear-parity applications and the addition of programmatic to the sales mix. In addition, it enables media companies to tap a rapidly growing business model, playing a key role in the Imagine Aviator™ solution for quickly spinning up and monetizing FAST channels.