Using Cloudflare Stream to improve the CMS media upload process
Reading Room
The process of uploading multimedia content to a website is often met with dread by a digital manager, but our bespoke Cloudflare Stream integrations can help improve the experience.
The Problem:
Post COVID, with the rise of Zoom, video content and its accessibility is more in demand than ever. Businesses are under increased demand for multimedia formats to engage their audience, and compete for attention. However, the process of uploading media to a website is often one met with dismay by a content or marketing manager.
Like many content management systems, Umbraco’s media uploading process is not as smooth as it could be. For example, it doesn't always display a progress bar or allow for mass uploading, it can quickly time out, it doesn’t provide resumable uploads if your internet cuts out, and overall the user experience could do with improvements. These challenges are not unique to Umbraco, and the reality is that CMS user needs have not yet been met when it comes to uploading and hosting media, such as modern videos that are made in 4K and on mass. Furthermore hosting media on a CMS (like videos) is expensive, due to the space needed on servers.
Our Custom Solution:
These days, integrations exist to improve CMS experiences for the user, and thanks to the flexibility of Umbraco, it’s easy to introduce them. One product that exists to solve this particular challenge with Umbraco is Cloudflare Stream which has its own content delivery network (CDN) which provides a better way of storing data closer to the user. Uploading with Cloudflare Stream is a lot more streamlined as a result, and uploading videos to their CDN means you’re not sending users to your website’s servers, ultimately saving you bandwidth and money.
At Reading Room, we work on developing products, such as our new integration with Umbraco and Cloudflare Stream, making it easier to upload, cheaper to store, whilst also optimising the content (such as videos). For example a 2GB video is automatically optimised for a user who is reading on a mobile with low bandwidth, making it more efficient for the user to read and more sustainable for data usage. We are also looking to continuously improve our new products, such as introducing a mass upload functionality to our new integration in the future.
These technical concepts, such as this integration, are also transferable across CMSs, including Drupal and Sitecore. Ultimately making your user experience of uploading media to your website more efficient, saving you time and money. If your business is becoming more media-first, and think that bespoke products like this integration could help you, please get in touch.
