KKCompany Technologies, a prominent AI multimedia group based in Taipei, faced significant challenges with its on-premises storage infrastructure as its music streaming platform KKBOX expanded globally. The company tackled hardware scalability issues, high operational overhead, and inefficient file retention practices by migrating to Amazon S3. This move resulted in a remarkable 93% reduction in storage costs while maintaining a scalable, low-latency experience for millions of users.

The transition involved adopting Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering for automatic data management and on-the-fly encoding to optimize storage efficiency. These innovations eliminated manual lifecycle management, reduced the need for pre-encoded files, and streamlined content management, allowing KKCompany to focus on business innovation rather than infrastructure maintenance.

Overcoming Infrastructure Challenges Through Cloud Adoption

KKCompany addressed its growing storage needs by transitioning from an on-premises model to Amazon S3. Physical limitations such as constrained rack space and costly hardware scaling were resolved through cloud-native solutions. Additionally, the time engineers previously spent managing hardware was redirected toward enhancing customer experiences and driving business growth.

Prior to the migration, KKCompany stored every music file in multiple formats regardless of access frequency, leading to rapid storage expansion. The lack of visibility into usage patterns made it difficult to identify candidates for archiving or tiering. By moving to Amazon S3, KKCompany gained enhanced analytics capabilities that allowed for more efficient storage practices. The intelligent tiering system automatically adjusted storage tiers based on actual usage patterns, ensuring optimal cost savings without compromising performance.

Innovative Storage Solutions for Enhanced User Experience

To ensure seamless playback while minimizing long-tail storage costs, KKCompany implemented a multi-bucket architecture. Music files are stored in two forms: raw files placed in a raw bucket eligible for deep archive transitions and base files encoded at 128kbps for fast access. When a user requests a song, the system intelligently selects between these options based on availability and desired quality.

This process begins when the KKBOX client initiates a backend API call upon user selection. A Lambda function checks the availability of the raw file. If immediately accessible, it transcodes the file to the requested bitrate; if archived, the system uses the base file for instant playback while restoring the raw file. Digital rights management is applied during processing, and the file is cached for future use. This sophisticated pipeline ensures uninterrupted playback even for rarely accessed tracks, leveraging the benefits of both hot and cold storage tiers.