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Media Production Company Consolidating NAS and SSDs
Company Situation
The company operates within the media production and drone services industry, managing video projects that require extensive data storage and collaborative editing workflows. Their team is currently localized within a 45-minute radius, working primarily from individual home setups. The business is poised for growth, with ambitions to expand geographically and support remote editors, potentially including international locations.
Existing Workflow
Currently, the company uses a home-based network-attached storage (NAS) device with about 120 terabytes of hardwired SSDs connected via Verizon FiOS. Team members upload footage to this centralized storage after completing projects. Each editor has their own internal SSDs, typically holding about six months of footage. For file sharing, the team relies on WeTransfer for transferring files quickly when needed. Editing takes place by physically hardwiring into the NAS device due to slow Wi-Fi connections, and hard drives are physically exchanged between team members since they live close to one another.
Issues with the Existing Workflow
Limited scalability: Expanding the business to other locations (e.g., opening a remote office) is challenging because each location would need its own storage setup.
Inefficient file sharing: Relying on WeTransfer and physical hard drives for collaboration slows down workflows, especially for quick company revisions or team access.
Remote editing constraints: Editing directly from the NAS requires wired connections, limiting flexibility and mobility.
Risk of bottlenecks when scaling beyond a local team, especially with geographically dispersed editors or companies.
How Shade Would Change Their Workflow
Shade offers a cloud-based file system that mounts directly to the user’s computer, mimicking the experience of a local hard drive but powered by intelligent cloud technology. This allows editors to work on projects remotely by streaming and caching only the necessary video files on demand rather than downloading entire projects. The system supports high-bandwidth video editing (4K or 1080p) with performance comparable to local SSDs, provided there is a robust internet connection like Verizon FiOS. Shade’s platform also integrates media management, company review and approval workflows, and secure file delivery, all within a unified system designed to scale as the company’s team grows regionally or internationally.
Benefits
- Enables remote, cloud-based editing with local-like performance, reducing dependence on physical hard drives or wired NAS connections.
- Scales effortlessly to support multiple offices and remote editors worldwide.
- Streamlines file sharing and collaboration, eliminating delays caused by physical media transfers or third-party file transfer services.
- Provides integrated media management and company review tools, enhancing project oversight and communication.
- Reduces infrastructure costs by replacing or supplementing expensive local storage setups.
- Improves workflow efficiency and agility, allowing the business to grow without bottlenecks related to file access and storage.
Technologies Used
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