Creative Agencies Company Consolidating On-premise Servers and Cloud Storage Platforms

The company is a creative agency with multiple teams spread across various locations. Historically, their teams operated in siloed office environments, each handling their own projects and resources independently. Recently, they have transitioned to a decentralized, remote work environment where collaboration across different geographic locations is essential. Their projects involve handling large video files and complex creative workflows requiring seamless file sharing and coordination between in-house and external production partners.

Previously, the agency relied heavily on physical hard drives to share large video files and other creative assets within local offices. As teams dispersed geographically, they adopted a centralized on-premise server solution for file storage and sharing. This server hosts terabytes of data, including RAW footage from multiple shoots. For some projects, external production teams used cloud platforms to upload footage, which was then accessed internally. However, the primary method for distributing large files involved manual uploads and downloads that consumed significant time and bandwidth.

- Reliance on physical hard drives was no longer feasible with a decentralized workforce. - Uploading large video files to the centralized server was time-consuming, taking days and requiring after-hours work. - Downloading files from the server was equally slow, with long wait times impacting productivity. - The on-premise server solution was optimized for smaller assets (e.g., Photoshop files) but performed poorly with large video files due to constant cloud retrieval delays. - Existing cloud platforms used by external partners offered some improvement but lacked full integration and ease of use for all internal teams. - Overall, the workflow was described as "janky" and ill-suited to the demands of distributed video production and editing.

Shade provides a cloud-based, scalable solution designed to streamline the management, sharing, and collaboration of large media files across decentralized teams. By integrating Shade, the agency can: - Centralize all video assets in a cloud environment accessible to all team members regardless of location. - Enable fast, reliable upload and download speeds optimized for large video files. - Simplify file sharing with external production partners through secure, project-based access. - Provide an intuitive interface that allows users to preview, organize, and select footage efficiently without needing to download entire files. - Reduce dependency on physical hard drives and outdated server infrastructure, freeing up IT resources. - Support flexible project workflows, accommodating both short-term projects and ongoing company needs.