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Higher Education Multimedia Team Streamlining Azure and SharePoint Storage
Company Situation
The company operates within a higher education multimedia department at a well-known business school. The team is responsible for producing a high volume of video and multimedia content to support various university initiatives, including events and alumni engagement. The department manages a mix of in-house staff and freelancers distributed across different locations, reflecting a hybrid work environment that includes on-campus, remote, and on-set production work.
Existing Workflow
Currently, the team relies heavily on a hardware-based storage system located on campus for active projects. This system consists of approximately 100 terabytes of capacity and functions somewhat like a RAID array but requires physical presence on campus for access. Once projects are completed or archived, files are transferred to Microsoft Azure for cold storage, which can take anywhere from five minutes to a full day to retrieve archived files. The team also uses local RAID storage for editing at home, which creates a siloed working environment where projects are split between “office projects” and “home projects.” Collaboration with freelancers across the country typically involves shipping hard drives or using large file transfers that clog personal inboxes and slow down workflows.
Issues with the Existing Workflow
Limited access to active projects due to on-campus hardware storage, restricting remote work and on-set editing.
Fragmented file management that separates home and office projects, creating inefficiencies.
Dependence on slow and cumbersome file transfer methods for collaboration with remote freelancers.
Inability to seamlessly work from anywhere, including while traveling or working remotely.
Use of legacy tools like SharePoint that are slow and not optimized for media review or collaborative workflows.
A pause on production activities due to the need to modernize and consolidate siloed tools before scaling up post-production work.
How Shade Would Change Their Workflow
Shade offers a cloud-based file system that centralizes media storage and project management, enabling seamless remote access and collaboration. By replacing the campus-bound hardware storage with Shade’s cloud infrastructure, the team can edit and manage active projects from anywhere—whether at home, on set, or traveling. Shade’s platform supports collaborative workflows with freelancers and distributed teams, eliminating the need for physical hard drives or large file transfers. Additionally, Shade’s integrated AI organizational features and built-in review tools would streamline content management and feedback processes, offering a modern alternative to SharePoint. This consolidation enables the department to resume production with confidence, knowing that their workflow is scalable, flexible, and efficient.
Benefits
- Remote editing capability from any location, including on set or while traveling.
- Centralized cloud storage replacing disparate hardware and cold storage systems.
- Improved collaboration with freelancers and distributed teams without cumbersome file transfers.
- Integrated review tools that simplify feedback and approval processes.
- AI-powered organizational features to enhance media asset management.
- Elimination of workflow bottlenecks caused by slow, outdated systems like SharePoint.
- Increased productivity by allowing simultaneous access to active projects by multiple users.
- Scalable infrastructure that supports future growth in multimedia production.