Presenting as part of yesterday’s Equinix/ETC&USC live webinar, Teradici chief executive David Smith noted that his company has 14 years of experience in creating remote workflows. “These technologies are who we are and what we do,” he said. “We are passionate about visualization workflows and graphic-intensive workflows that involve our GPU partners like AMD, Nvidia and others.” Such remote workflows, he said, “add tremendous value,” especially during the coronavirus pandemic, which has heightened the need for them.

Smith reported that Teradici has been engaged in proof of concepts and early deployments with lead partner Microsoft as well as Google Cloud and AWS. “We had a state of readiness when COVID-19 came along,” Smith said. “Work from home became important and we were ready to react.”

He noted that the key requirements for remote work are “security; artist acceptance, IT infrastructure in place and artist tools,” as well as “being able to support USB import devices.” “We were able to bring these requirements together with our ecosystems to market,” he said.

Teradici Cloud Access Software is a high-performance remote desktop solution that enables enterprises to easily delivery Windows and Linux desktops and applications from any multi-cloud architecture (or hybrid cloud) to any device, explained Smith, who added that it is built on PCoIP (PC over IP) technology, a remote display protocol that Teradici developed for delivering remote desktops and applications to endpoints.

“It provides the highest user experience and ultimate security while offering complete freedom and flexibility on any combination of public or private cloud,” said Smith.

DNEG, Animal Logic, Atomic Cartoons, Sony Pictures Imageworks, ILM, Jellyfish Pictures and Tangent Animation are just some of the global studios using Teradici technology for remote workstations. “We’ve enabled over 300 studios around the world to work remotely, mainly in VFX and broadcast,” said Smith, who added that Teradici is a member of Trusted Partner Network (TPN), Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and Content Delivery & Security Association (CDSA).

Smith pointed to a couple of use cases, including ITN Post Production, which relies on Teradici for long-form projects for ITV Channel 4 and Channel 5. At DNEG, global head of systems Daire Byrne reported that Teradici was key to providing “a virtualized environment that was compliant with MPAA.”

On March 15, Teradici executives made the decision to switch to an at-home model for its own workforce. “We announced that to our employees on March 16,” recalled Smith. “And on March 17, all our employees began working from home. It’s been productive, and it’s been interesting to be playing defense by caring for our own employees as well as supporting our customer ecosystem to do the same thing.”