Enhancing the Capacity, Reliability, and Efficiency of Archiving

Definition Studios began as a post-production house in Fox Studios Australia. But after more than a decade of working on blockbuster films, the organization’s founder decided to change focus. Today, Definition Studios produces captivating nature and history documentaries for giant screens. To create these larger-than-life films, the team at Definition Studios works with tremendous volumes of 4K video and other high-resolution media. “We receive between 30 and 100 terabytes of data every week from our clients,” says David Gross, founder of Definition Studios.

All of the raw data that Definition Studios receives must be archived immediately and then backed up regularly. And as Definition Studios adds clients, the production company must back up and archive more and more data. “In the past, we might have backed up 10 terabytes a week,” says Gross. “Now we’re backing up 10 terabytes every 12 hours.” To protect all that data, Definition Studios needed to expand its backup and archiving capacity. The new system had to be reliable: The company must be able to back up data around the clock and continue preserving data for years.

Selecting a Familiar, Highly Regarded Quantum Solution
When evaluating new archiving and backup solutions, Quantum was a clear favorite. Definition Studios had purchased Quantum LTO drives several years earlier, and the team had a positive experience. Moreover, the Definition Studios team knows that production and post-production houses around the world rely on Quantum. Local distribution and support further tipped the scales toward Quantum. The Definition Studios team deployed a Quantum Scalar i3 tape library with LTO-8 drives. The library is integrated with the company’s production storage in a seamless end-to-end workflow.

Scaling Capacity, Enhancing Efficiency, and Gaining Reliable Performance
By adding the Quantum system to the storage environment, Definition Studios has substantially expanded its capacity. And because the Quantum tape library stores content in a relatively small data center footprint, the company is saving on real estate and power costs.

Meanwhile, the Quantum system delivers better reliability than previous systems. “We have millions of dollars riding on our backups and archived data. We know we can rely on Quantum,” says Gross. The Quantum system helps ensure steady performance and high availability despite continuous operation. “Since we’ve deployed the Quantum tape library, it hasn’t skipped a beat,” says Gross.

Preparing for Continued Growth
Definition Studios team is now better prepared for the future. “With Quantum, we have a platform that will grow with us,” says Gross. “We can accommodate fast-growing data volumes and support our end-to-end production workflows for years to come.”