Choose best shared storage solution for your digital workflow

By Dave Van Hoy

It wasn’t that long ago when clients needed one master tape on Beta SP and maybe a handful of VHS dubs. Once a project was complete, you would hand back the raw footage with an EDL to the client. Today’s post environment, however, is much different, and virtually all post facilities (even some one-man operations) need some sort of shared storage system. And with so many different ways to deliver video content, there is no real “standard” for delivery.

While you can’t know for certain what deliverables your clients will require in the future, it is important to have an infrastructure in place that will help you meet their needs. For example, your clients may shoot and edit in high definition, but the finished product might be posted on a Web site in various sizes to accommodate viewers with varying degrees of Internet connectivity speed. You need to optimize your methodologies for transcoding files with their relevant metadata. That way, you can minimize technical issues when you need to convert completed projects for the newest delivery options.

Digital storage is an underlying root technology for your digital workflow. Unfortunately, the days of 10-year buying cycles for professional video operations are over. Think about it: How productive could you be today using a 1GHz Pentium III desktop running Windows 2000? Rapid changes in technology mean your digital storage system, even one installed very recently, will be considered clunky in three years and positively obsolete in five.

What type of system will provide the performance level you need? Generally, you have two shared storage options. The more robust option, storage area networks (SANs), are very fast and have few limitations in terms of the quality of the video you can access and edit. With seat licenses for each user, however, SANs can get very expensive very quickly. Apple’s Xsan, for example, has historically come in at an installed cost of about $2,500 per seat.

For many shops, network attached storage (NAS) is a more viable solution. It provides less bandwidth than a SAN system, but usually has no “user fees” beyond the initial costs of the storage and switching infrastructure. Whether you choose a SAN or NAS, you have to pay for storage and a switching infrastructure, so the initial costs aren’t that different. The incremental price goes up with SANs as you start adding seats.

Will NAS be sufficient for your workload? By today’s standards, traditional video editing (including HD video) is not a high-bandwidth task, so a NAS is more than adequate if your workflow does not usually move beyond routine video projects. However, if you are a house handling motion graphics, animations, and other higher bandwidth workflows, you’ll need the speed of a SAN.

While cost is always a consideration, workflow and the integration of tools facilitated by shared storage is critical. Trying to create a system, for example, to make Avid and Apple NLE systems work together seamlessly will reduce productivity and invite frustration. At ASG, we know which products work with each other, as well as how individual products integrate into a facility’s overall workflow.

Another important element to your storage solution is your backup plan. Similar to some business environments that are crippled without Internet access, most post facilities literally cannot function when the storage system is down. The best way to avoid downtime is proper maintenance – but that often requires downtime to perform.

For some operations, it could pay to invest in two SAN systems to mirror data, so routine maintenance can be performed without completely disrupting productivity. Another option is to rent large chunks of storage so data can be parked while systems are maintained. What’s most important is to recognize the need for redundancy so maintenance can be performed without disrupting workflow. That way, you can plan accordingly during system design.

Selecting a storage system requires more than just choosing between SAN or NAS. That’s where ASG can help. We have the knowledge to create tailored storage solutions using best-of-breed products from a variety of manufacturers. We can design a system within your budget that reliably handles your file-based workflows of today while providing flexibility for the future and minimizing disruption during routine maintenance.

Dave Van Hoy is the president of Advanced Systems Group, a leading West Coast video and film integration firm based in Emeryville, Calif. Contact him at (510) 654-8300 or visit www.asgllc.com.