Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/33055
Special Section: Storage A ‘Cloudy’ Future Cloud storage solutions offer host of possibilities By Tom Coughlin We’ve been hearing the term “cloud computing” used more and more frequently. Now, a related term, “cloud storage,” is gaining momentum. But, what is cloud storage, exactly? Using remote resources through the Internet is often referred to as utilizing assets in the clouds. These resources can be under the control of an enterprise with limited access, in which case they are referred to as a private cloud, or they can be available to a broader public, in which case the assets are in a public cloud. Many cloud implementations are a form of outsourcing, where the hard- ware and most of the asset management software are located in an aggregated data center. These shared resources can also be in an enterprise’s own data center and under its direct control and management. Hardware resources that can be shared in a cloud include computer processors and digital storage. Hardware virtualization has driven the modern growth in the use of hardware clouds. Hardware virtualization allows more efficient use of hardware assets. In the case of digital storage in the cloud, this virtualization as well as additional features, such as de-duplication, allow better storage system use. These factors reduce the bandwidth demand for opera- tions such as backup, and can also reduce the recovery time for backup data. These concepts, developed originally for IT applications, may be ideal for some functions in modern dig- ital workflows. Taken together, remote data centers with well- managed storage systems can achieve cost efficiencies that are difficult to achieve with locally managed assets. include Nirvanix, DataDirect Networks, EMC, Oracle, and NetApp, to name only a few. Figure 1 on this page shows an example of a dis- tributed region-based content delivery network for either collaborative workflows or for content distribution that can be built in the cloud. In addition to consolidated storage assets, cloud providers also offer remote compute services. This combination is useful for cloud-based rendering as well as conforming and assembling content. Modern ren- dering requires the latest server and storage devices, and these expensive services are generally only needed for a short time during most video production projects. Thus, leasing time on a cloud service makes a lot Zone: ‘Los Angeles’ Zone: ‘London’ Zone: ‘Mumbai’ Zone: ‘Sydney’ Push fresh content to Consumers in different formats Production and Distribution Cloud storage is getting traction as a cost-effective approach to modern postproduction workflows. While the latency of remote access through the Internet may limit the use of cloud storage for direct creative edit- ing, cloud storage can be used for compute-intensive operations, such as rendering, transcoding, content distribution, and archiving. Using outsourced cloud storage, organizations can keep their media assets in a centralized managed repository and pay for storage capacity and man- agement as the asset library grows. Assuming that the cloud storage provider does a good job of data protection and management—a critical feature for long-term media assets—cloud storage may be a cost-effective solution for smaller pro- duction facilities that cannot or do not want to invest in the complexity of a local archive storage infrastructure. Assets stored in the cloud also offer certain advantages for companies whose workflows are conducted across multiple time zones and locations since the content can be ac- cessed anytime and anywhere. Companies offering either storage systems and/or services for cloud- based content access for digital workflows and content distribution 22 May 2011 Figure 1: Distributed collaboration or content distribution across geographic regions in a cloud storage setup. more sense than, for instance, buying and maintaining a high-end ren- dering facility. Encoding content and delivering that content is the path to moneti- zation of the content. Storing and delivering content across the Internet is one of the biggest uses of cloud-based storage. Companies such as www.encoding.com and Content Bridge offer transcoding services for the 300 or more distribution formats now in use. Moreover, additional revenues may be expected due to a longer asset life cycle for online content. Content for the Long Term There are efforts under way to enable long-term data retention in cloud storage. The Active Archive Alliance (www.activearchive.com), SNIA (www.snia.org/forums/dmf/programs/ltacsi/100_year), and organiza- tions directly associated with the media and entertainment industry, such as The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and SMPTE, are working on methods and standards for long-term archiving of digital media assets. Many of these efforts could be or are directly targeted for Courtesy DataDirect Networks.