swXtch.io groundSwXtch Innovation Brings Software-Defined Multicast To On-Prem Networks

To be introduced at IBC, groundSwXtch creates a dynamic multicast network overlay for studios, trucks and other physical ground networks while building a direct bridge to cloud and on-prem unification

(Originally reported in DigitalBroadcasting.com)

swXtch.io strengthens its ground game with a new on-prem networking solution that applies the company’s breakthrough cloud networking innovations to foundational SDI and IP media workflows. Globally debuting at IBC, groundSwXtch represents an extension of swXtch.io’s award-winning cloudSwXtch virtual overlay network, bringing software-defined multicast capabilities, SDI to IP, network path redundancy (Dash 7X) and more to physical on-prem environments. swXtch.io will demonstrate groundSwXtch’s networking capabilities for live production workflows in simulated on-prem environments at the Bridge Technologies (1.A71) and Microsoft (14.A70) stands.

 Analogous to the groundbreaking cloudSwXtch design, groundSwXtch operates as a software packet switch that is deployable on a customer’s servers or VM infrastructure at any location. The physical switches and routers are freed from having to manage and secure multicast, lowering the network engineering overhead from legacy provisioning. groundSwXtch therefore becomes the broadcast’s industry’s first software-defined multicast overlay for on-prem physical networks that is designed for media workflows.

 Like cloudSwXtch’s multi-cloud networking features, groundSwXtch provides elasticity to link multiple data centers into a cohesive global multicast fabric. Users can connect specific sections or entire data centers worldwide for efficient data distribution across geographies, giving groundSwXtch customers the flexibility to architect one enterprise network across all locations. In all scenarios, groundSwXtch extends the reliability of packet transport across geographically dispersed data centers through Dash 7x technology, ensuring path diversity across unreliable networks.

The story evolves upon pairing groundSwXtch with cloudSwXtch, allowing customers to natively unify on-prem and cloud environments with failsafe packet protection across ground-to-cloud links. Both platforms deliver the same low-latency, high-throughput performance to ensure reliable operations for mission-critical live broadcasts and production workflows, effectively bridging the on-prem and cloud worlds into a single high-performance network.

 “We entered uncharted waters with the official launch of cloudSwXtch at IBC2022, and three years later the launch of groundSwXtch extends that innovation to broadcast studios, production trucks, data centers and other ground-level infrastructure worldwide,” said Brent Yates, CEO,  swXtch.io. “As a pure software solution, groundSwXtch removes the traditional barriers of hardware dependency and accelerates setup, simplifies network management, and frees personnel to focus on creativity and innovation. That includes the extension of multicast to containerized data workflows running within on-prem clusters, opening new possibilities for advanced networking applications within isolated virtual environments.”

groundSwXtch also adapts other cloudSwXtch features to on-prem environments, including SDI to IP with Holoscan for Media integration, protocol conversions (multicast, SRT, Unicast, RIST), edge-to-core streaming, and endpoint fanout. Additionally, swXtch.io’s wXckdEye monitoring manages all swXtch.io products, including groundSwXtch, to provide operations with a single pane of glass to view their entire network.

 swXtch.io representatives will also discuss the advanced IT networking possibilities that groundSwXtch enables, including multisite LAN networking applications that extend Layer 2 multicast networks without requiring VPNs or complex hardware bridges. IBC2025 takes place September 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam.