The last few years have been brutal for post and VFX teams. Layoffs, budget freezes, pay stagnation and yet the work hasn’t slowed. Smaller teams are being asked to deliver the same ambitious projects, on tighter timelines, with infrastructure that hasn’t kept pace.
Cloud-heavy workflows, new security demands, and increasingly hybrid production models have only added to the complexity. And while headcount has shrunk, the to-do list has grown.
As this year draws to a close, one thing is clear: creative technology teams are being stretched like never before. Budgets are under constant scrutiny. Security threats are escalating faster than defenses. Facility moves and power limits have exposed new risks. And all of it has been compounded by a shortage of network expertise.
It’s a perfect storm that keeps surfacing the same fragile point of failure: the network.
In this environment, the network becomes the invisible backbone of every project. It either works or it gets in the way. When projects carry budgets of millions, leaders in post, VFX, and production know that “cheap” connectivity is rarely cheap for long.
Every team has felt the pain of a network that wasn’t up to the job. Transfers stalling mid-delivery. Renders crawling when deadlines were already tight. Bandwidth “bursts” blocked by rigid contracts that weren’t designed with production in mind. Outages met with scripted call-center responses instead of real engineers.
And the fallout is never minor. When networks fail, the consequences cascade:
On a $3-8 million episode or a $50 million feature film, a network outage isn’t just inconvenient - it’s catastrophic
For some facilities, the temptation is to turn to “alt-net” providers offering low upfront prices. But those prices often mask hidden risks. According to a recent KPMG report, many UK alt-nets face between 20 and 80 years just to recoup their infrastructure investments.
That’s not long-term stability - that’s survival mode. And when providers are under financial pressure, it shows: overlapping coverage but poor reliability, patchy or slow support, and limited long-term viability. These are not the qualities of a partner you can bet your production on.
“Post Production facilities like ours face unique connectivity challenges. Whether it’s syncing massive files between sites, collaborating in real time with partners across the globe, or ensuring uninterrupted access to cloud workflows. Sohonet truly understands these demands in a way that generic telcos simply don’t.” Daniel Sassen, CTO/Director, Envy Post Production
Studios who’ve invested in resilient infrastructure are seeing the payoff. Take Mathematic, who moved from siloed local teams to a global powerhouse by rethinking their network and unifying workflows across borders. The result? Scale without silos, and sustainability built in. Read the full case study.
Fragile networks create risk, not resilience. That’s why the smartest studios and post houses no longer see connectivity as a utility. They see it as risk mitigation.
As we head into 2026, the question isn’t simply about cutting costs - it’s about designing a network that’s fit for creative reality. Every facility has unique pressures, workflows, and ambitions. Your infrastructure should be built to meet those needs, not boxed into contracts designed for generic businesses.
That’s why Sohonet takes a different approach. We don’t just deliver bandwidth; we build networks designed to scale with productions, protect uptime, and keep creative teams moving at the pace the industry demands.
In Part Two of this series, we’ll explore exactly what a media-grade network should deliver and how Sohonet helps leading studios and post houses future-proof their workflows.