Lost in the Clouds? Cloud Storage Fits into Media Workflows—Just Not Everywhere
Dave Frederick, Christopher Jenkins · SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal · 2018
Within the media and entertainment space, the question businesses face with respect to cloud infrastructure is not whether to use it but how best to use it. Public cloud storage provides flexible, on-demand storage capacity and an operating expense financial model. While moving media post-production workflows entirely into “The Cloud” would solve content storage, sharing, and distribution challenges, there are limitations and cost implications. Cloud storage has attributes that make it perfectly suited for some workflow stages and perfectly ill-suited for others. The use of private cloud is adding another dimension to this tiered storage approach, offering many advantages. This paper describes a multitier storage strategy that maximizes the cost, access, and performance benefits of different types of storage with a particular focus on the most appropriate and beneficial uses of private and public cloud. It covers how the right storage and data management technology can aid media companies in making the most of all tiers of storage including cloud infrastructures.