The end of the year marks a time for reflection and anticipation for what lies ahead. Presteligence has been steadfast in its commitment to growth and innovation proven through its continued dedication to servicing and developing cloud-based software for newspapers. Presteligence is taking a leap to invest even further with a significant financial investment and operational changes that will benefit its newspaper customers.
New infrastructure
A vital aspect of Presteligence’s investment is the transition of its current IT infrastructure to a completely new hosting center. Databases, servers, data processing and FTPs will move to Amazon Web Services (AWS). Among other efficiencies, AWS provides the flexibility to spin up virtual servers on demand, optimizing processing power and minimizing slowness during peak times. Where this process previously required manual intervention and time, it will be fully automated. This move represents a leap forward, enabling Presteligence to adapt to the ever-changing demands of its publishing partners. Implementation for the migration is underway.
Due diligence
For the past six to 12 months, the Presteligence team explored opportunities with several third-party companies to find the best fit. They took advantage of the guidance and expertise from vendors to analyze internal workflows and processes and establish a path for improvement.
Outsourcing IT
Presteligence opted to contract with Opti-9, a hybrid cloud solutions provider, to manage the heavy lifting migration of data to the new server farm. An AWS partner, Opti-9’s focus on cloud, security and application modernization will allow the development team members to make the best use of their time while taking advantage of their expertise in this area.
Advanced reporting
AWS supports the ability to run more detailed analysis on systems and processing which will enable Presteligence to make more informed decisions.
This decision is not merely about sustaining, but about thriving and leading the publishing industry. The ability to enhance our infrastructure, increase redundancy and bolster processing power will benefit publishers for years to come.
New development
Presteligence has not let the challenges of the past few years hinder progress; instead, we capitalized on downtime during the COVID-19 pandemic to invest in the development of innovative technology.
Capitalized on downtime
Dynamic Production AKA automated page building, has grown leaps and bounds from 2020 when the project was first unveiled. The system produces output-ready newspaper pages within minutes, with the potential to cut page building time in half. Newspapers from Rust Communications and Paxton Media will be moving toward live production with Dynamic Production very soon with 100+ newspapers waiting in the wings. The demand is high, and the ROI is higher.
The focus on hosted, cloud-based services is a testament to Presteligence's commitment to staying at the forefront of technological advancements. By emphasizing Dynamic Production, Presteligence aims to provide all the tools necessary for editorial teams engaged in both traditional and digital publishing. This forward-looking approach ensures customers will not only stay relevant but will also be equipped to thrive in an increasingly digital and fast-paced media landscape.
Elastic search
Most CMS users have already been introduced to changes in searching and filtering for news archives and photo assets. Presteligence revised its original filtering methodology to use elastic searching. Elastic search allows the system to store, search and analyze huge volumes of data quickly and in near real-time and give back answers in milliseconds. Publishers achieve fast search responses because, instead of searching the text directly, the system searches an index.
Onboarding efficiencies
Creating efficiencies in onboarding clients is also at the forefront of Presteligence’s strategy and this is evident in the new onboarding processes Presteligence has designed recently. The system can copy templates from one publisher to another, with edited styles, and output pages versus having to start from scratch each time. This provides publishers with a fast track to deployment in live production.
Moving forward
Presteligence's continued investments in the newspaper industry are poised to redefine the landscape. The strategic focus on infrastructure upgrades, efficiency enhancements and innovative customer-facing products demonstrates the company's commitment to not just keeping up but leading the way. Customers can look forward to reaping the benefits of a more resilient, efficient and technologically advanced newspaper industry in 2024 and beyond.
