Introduction

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many industries have faced the challenge of adapting to hybrid work environments, including sectors that rely heavily on data-intensive operations. Among these, the video game development industry stands out due to its need for handling large, latency-sensitive files and its requirements for high bandwidth.

Challenges

A prominent video game developer, faced significant challenges in adapting to a hybrid work environment post-COVID-19. The development of video games is data-intensive, requiring the transfer of large files that are sensitive latency and bandwidth constraints. Traditional cloud-based applications proved inadequate and costly, unable to provide the necessary throughput and performance to meet the specific needs of game development, such as real-time collaboration on 4K assets.

Requirements

The video game developer required a solution to support its hybrid work model that could handle the demanding requirements of game development, including:

  • The need to transfer hundreds of GBs to TBs of data daily, with single art asset models reaching up to 3GBs.
  • The necessity for real-time, lossless, and jitter-free streaming of 4K assets at 144hz, critical for artists and animators to evaluate their work.

The Solution: Lanner 1040SE uCPE

The collaboration between Lanner and the video game developer studio, featuring the integration of Lanner's NCA-1040SE uCPE appliance with a VPN protocol and bespoke innovations, has provided a pioneering solution that effectively addressed key challenges while significantly enhancing productivity and security for remote work. Key advantages include:

  • Enhanced Performance and Security:
    The NCA-1040SE uCPE appliance supports VPN tunnels that operate at the wire speed of its Intel® i226V Ethernet controller, and it includes data encryption for secure disk operations, ensuring high levels of both security and performance.
     
  • Optimized Data Handling:
    Utilizing high-bandwidth home internet connections, the device significantly outperforms traditional VPN solutions, enabling faster and more efficient data handling.
     
  • Real-Time Data Accessibility:
    Through distributed caching, the IT team can deliver incremental updates to game assets across the network, allowing instant access to the latest data without lengthy download times, enhancing productivity and ensuring data currency.
     
  • Increased Home Office Flexibility:
    The integration of the wireless connectivity module offers enhanced flexibility for home setups by supporting wireless connections and eliminating the need for physical Ethernet cables, commonly required in traditional VPN environments.

Outcomes

The adoption of Lanner's NCA-1040SE uCPE has revolutionized operations for the video game developer in a hybrid work setting. Employees, from Southern California to Sydney, Australia, now experience office-level efficiency from their homes. This solution has effectively tackled initial challenges related to bandwidth and latency, offering the developer a scalable, secure, and user-friendly system. Furthermore, it has been specifically engineered to support the unique demands of video game development, ensuring that innovative projects can proceed without compromise.

Conclusion

The video game developer studios’ adoption of Lanner technology exemplifies a successful transition to a hybrid work model in an industry where high data throughput and low latency are critical. This use case demonstrates the potential for similar solutions to revolutionize remote work in other data-intensive fields, showcasing the power of innovative networking solutions in overcoming the limitations of traditional remote work technologies.

Featured Product


NCA-1040SE

Fanless x86 Network Appliance With Intel® Atom X6413E CPU or Intel Pentium N6210 Processor

CPU Intel® Atom X6413E Or Intel Pentium N6210
Chipset SoC

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