Extend Online Storage for Content for Storage Explosion Online Extend Crown Media Selects Lattus Object Storage to automatically protected from loss through multi-site, objectstorage-based archive. approach, theworkflow scales easily asthecontent grows, andallassets are readily available and Quantum’s Lattus distribution thatthreatened to swamp its workflow infrastructure. Therightanswer was combining content, found itself challenged to keep upwithsharpgrowth inoriginalcontent production and Crown MediaFamily Networks, oneofthenation’s largest providers offamily-oriented video CASE STUDY FEATURED PRODUCTS ™ objectstorage withStorNext ® 5workflow-optimized storage. Withthisnew “ before—at diskspeed. lets usbringbackassets much faster than an essentially unlimited archive capacity that With Quantum’s Lattus Roy Burns , Crown Media’s Director of Digital Asset Management ” ™ objectstorage, we have

Media asset management was provided by The data objects can be distributed “When files are stored in Levels Beyond Reach Engine and transcoding geographically to provide a self-healing the Lattus archive, editors by Telestream Vantage. In the legacy system, environment that is both more scalable and get them back almost files were ingested into the online storage for more resilient than RAID arrays. instantaneously, much active editing and moved to the tape archive The Crown Media Lattus configuration began faster than before. That’s when they were no longer active. Whenever with 500TB of usable capacity, spread between important for us, because existing content was needed for re-purposing the company’s Los Angeles headquarters we pull content out of the or re-broadcasting, it was pulled out of the tape and a second site near Denver. For added archive literally every day. archive and staged back on online storage. resilience, an additional controller was Plus, we see everything “About two years ago, because we had to added at a third company site in New York. through Reach Engine so double our online storage and had so much The configuration provides full protection for we have a single point of data that couldn’t be managed easily, all the assets in the repository against the management and control we decided then it was time to look for loss of any of the sites. for all workflow assets.” another kind of solution,” says Burns. “The Roy Burns, Crown Media’s strain created by so much more new content WORKFLOW COMBINES ARCHIVE AND PROTECTION FUNCTIONS Director of Digital Asset Management meant that we were continually buying new online disk storage, managing larger tape In the new system, content is ingested and We have an essentially unlimited archive capacity that lets us bring back assets much faster archives that were hard to access, and not transcoded, but now is also immediately than before—at disk speed. We’ve eliminated backup but have much better protection— protecting content as well as we should. copied to Lattus, replicated from the California to the Colorado site as soon as it is brought there are always at least two copies of the assets, giving us full site loss protection. It was unacceptable.” into the system. The Crown Media IT team talked to integrator “ Roy Burns, Crown Media’s Director of Digital Asset Management Integrated Media Technologies (IMT) to “This initial backup step is very important explore solutions. for us,” says Burns. “It gives us two copies in ” different sites immediately, so we get much “IMT, in our opinion, is the leading reseller higher levels of protection than we had before. Crown Media Family Networks is the Director of Digital Asset Management, in the media space in the Los Angeles area,” SOLUTION OVERVIEW Best of all, the process is automatic, which industry leader in producing and distributing “So it is absolutely critical that we can get says Burns. “They have helped so many other ∙∙ Quantum StorNext M660 reduces the load on our IT guys—it completely family-oriented original content, both episodic to them quickly whenever we need them. companies make the shift to fully digital media Metadata Appliance eliminates the overhead and delays of a ∙∙ Quantum Lattus Object Storage (500TB) television and feature-length motion pictures. We also have to make sure they have the very production and HD workflow that when they separate backup process.” ∙∙ Quantum StorNext QXS-1200 In addition to airing on its own Hallmark highest level of protection.” make recommendations, we know that it’s Storage (300TB) When content is no longer being actively used, ∙∙ Quantum StorNext G302 Gateway Channel, Crown Media content is available based on what really works.” RAPID GROWTH CHALLENGES ∙∙ Levels Beyond Reach Engine media on a wide variety of platforms, including it’s removed from the online storage, leaving WORKFLOW STORAGE asset management Netflix, iTunes, Apple TV, and other EXTENDING ONLINE STORAGE the only archived copies in the Lattus extended ∙∙ Telestream Vantage transcoding over-the-top platforms. For Crown Media, the storage infrastructure WITH OBJECT STORAGE online storage. The editors, however, continue struggled to keep up with a rapid increase Based on IMT’s recommendation, the Crown to see all the content through StorNext and KEY BENEFITS The Crown Media workflow is storage in content, coupled with an explosion of Media team decided to move to Quantum Reach Engine, making retrieving files a intensive. Content from production teams ∙∙ Scalable object storage archive provides formats and platforms. StorNext 5 appliances and Quantum Lattus transparent process that is fully integrated petabytes of scalable archive with fast, is ingested into the company’s workflow disk-based retrieval times object storage. StorNext 5 provides storage with the team’s media asset management. storage, and media files are copied into “Our work has seen a dramatic upswing in ∙∙ Object storage automatically creates copies management and continuity with the company’s the last few years,” explains Burns. “In 2013 “When files are stored in the Lattus archive, of content, replicates it between sites, and the archive for data protection. The content previous online storage network from Active provides site loss protection, eliminating we produced 29 movies. By 2015 we almost editors get them back almost instantaneously, the need for separate backup and providing is pulled immediately into media asset Storage / Apple, while Lattus object storage higher resiliency than RAID doubled that to 56. The schedule for 2016 much faster than before. That’s important for management, where it is logged, edited, and— extends its online storage by providing a higher- ∙∙ Integration of storage management on completion—transcoded for distribution calls for 78. We realized nearly two years ago us, because we pull content out of the archive software, archive, and media asset speed alternative to tape archives. management provides a single point of and then archived. The editing team also pulls that our existing storage systems could not literally every day. Plus, we see everything management, simplifying the workflow and support that kind of growth.” Lattus uses object storage to create asset through Reach Engine so we have a single increasing staff efficiency assets out of the archive to create promotional repositories that can hold up to hundreds of point of management and control for all ∙∙ StorNext 5 continuity with Active Storage material and prepare for re-distribution, often The previous solution was built around and Xsan solutions provides high-speed petabytes, spreading the data across a large workflow assets.” online storage network, protecting years after the content is created. 160TB of online RAID storage, a Quantum tape- number of disk resources. the company’s investment in storage based StorNext AEL Archive, and Quantum’s infrastructure “Crown Media’s business depends on these ∙∙ Appliance approach simplifies installation assets,” explains Roy Burns, Crown Media’s StorNext collaborative workflow software. and ongoing management

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FASTER, HIGHER-CAPACITY, performance and resilience we wanted while ABOUT CROWN MEDIA STREAMLINED ADMINISTRATION staying within our budget. The fact that the The media operations team at Crown Media systems all use an appliance approach was Crown Media Holdings, Inc. is the corporate parent for the portfolio reports that the new system solved their also a plus—it makes installation and ongoing of cable networks and related immediate workflow problems while giving management much easier.” businesses under Crown Media Family Networks. The company currently them room to scale quickly and easily to “When we started this project, many of us operates and distributes Hallmark support future growth. Channel in both high definition thought that it looked like overkill—that (HD) and standard definition (SD) to “With Quantum’s Lattus object storage, we’d need a couple of years to grow into it,” 90 million subscribers in the U.S. we have an essentially unlimited archive says Burns. “But a year later, we realize that Hallmark Channel is the nation’s leading destination for quality family capacity that lets us bring back assets we’d be dead without it—we wouldn’t be programming with an ambitious slate much faster than before—at disk speed,” able to function—and we’re in the process of TV movies and specials; original scripted series, including Cedar says Burns. “We’ve eliminated backup but of doubling the Lattus capacity. It’s been Cove, When Calls the Heart, and Good have much better protection—there are invaluable in increasing the efficiency of Witch; as well as some of television’s most beloved sitcoms and series. always at least two copies of the assets, our workflow, from ingest to edit to delivery Hallmark Channel is also home to the giving us full site loss protection. and re-use.” annual holiday franchise, Countdown We’ve truly simplified operation and to Christmas, featuring a lineup of “Customers like Crown Media are increasingly 24/7 holiday programming. Hallmark centralized administration using Reach requesting storage options beyond RAID Channel’s sibling network, Hallmark Engine and StorNext 5.” Movies & Mysteries, is available in and LTO tape,” says Jason Kranitz, Senior 62 million homes in HD and SD and Deploying Lattus was Crown Media’s Vice President of Sales at IMT. “The trick is one of America’s fastest-growing cable networks. Hallmark Movies introduction to using object storage; the is the solution must integrate seamlessly & Mysteries features a unique mix team worked closely with IMT and Quantum into the existing workflow. With StorNext, of original movies and acquired to get past the startup phase and into Crown Media can not only easily deploy series focusing on the lighter side of the suspense and mystery genres. production. “Working with Quantum and Lattus to take advantage of object storage The network is also home to the IMT was fantastic,” Burns says. “They really today but also have the flexibility to add annual holiday franchise, The Most Wonderful Movies of Christmas, as well knew how to make the system work and were other technologies in the future, including as presentations from the award- great about advising us about how to get the Quantum’s Q-Cloud™ cloud storage.” winning Hallmark Hall of Fame library. In addition, Crown Media Family Networks includes the online offerings of HallmarkChannel.com and HallmarkMoviesandMysteries.com.

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