On-Premise Managed Storage Platform Gives Boutique Shop Performance, Security and Top-Notch Support at Budget-Pleasing Monthly Rate

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Company Outfits Major Hollywood Film & TV Studio with Avocent High-Performance, Feature-Rich Hybrid Digital Matrix KVM System to Support Studio’s Post Workflow

February 13, 2019 – Hollywood, CA – DigitalGlue recently provided one of Hollywood’s biggest film & television studios with an Avocent high-performance hybrid digital matrix KVM solution. The premier motion picture and television production company turned to DigitalGlue for an easy transition from its legacy HMX system to a feature-rich platform that would support the studio’s post-production workflow.

“While the studio looked at several solutions, there was really no question which to go with once it realized all of Avocent’s benefits,” explains Sean Busby, DigitalGlue president. “The most compelling reason for choosing the Avocent system over competitive solutions was its ability to use the facility’s existing CAT 6/7 ethernet cables and network switches. That was a really important requirement that the Avocent system met hands down, because not having to pull new cabling throughout the facility saved an enormous amount of time and money. The cost savings made perfect sense. It was a clear winner over the competition!”

The Avocent System offers extremely fast switch times and a host of additional key features that reinforce the studio’s post production workflow. For instance, custom hot keys offer easy access to target computers allowing editors to create personal lists of frequently used systems, and the channels feature gives the editor added capability to work on two different target computers at a dual monitor edit station. Setup is easy, with zero-configuration networking. New USB extenders integrate into the system to allow editors to use Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve panels for color correction sessions.

In addition, the Avocent Matrix Digital High Performance KVM system provides a highly scalable and configurable way to connect hundreds of users to thousands of servers and workstation equipment in a secure, real-time manner. Because of its high definition video and audio capabilities, and exceptional USB performance, the system is ideal for control room and user extension applications in government, broadcast, post production, enterprise data centers, industrial, and transportation environments.

Added Busby, “The Avocent Hybrid KVM is highly scalable and configurable, which makes it so easy to connect multiple users to multiple servers and workstations. It’s really an ideal solution for a large Hollywood studio. Other studios in this same film and TV market could easily benefit from Avocent’s cost-effective, reliable and flexible solution.”

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Glen McGuire Joins as Director of Sales, New Office Opens, Company Adds Two More Team Members and Offers 12 Additional Product Lines

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The Need for Space and Service Steers Santa Monica Boutique Toward a New On-Premise Managed Storage Concept

Storage is the heartbeat of any facility that relies on quick access to its content for a wide range of projects. There’s nothing more important than having shared storage that just works. So when Steve Bannerman, CEO of Local Hero — which offers end-to-end post and visual effects services for feature films and high-end TV series — decided he’d had enough of the facility’s budget-busting, under-serviced storage system, his search led him in an unexpected direction.

Local Hero is the trusted, full-service boutique post house for numerous high-profile clients, such as HBO, Netflix, Lionsgate and Apple. Their credits include the recent movie Home Again, starring Reese Witherspoon, and HBO series Big Little Lies, featuring Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, and Amy Adams starrer Sharp Objects.

The studio works almost entirely on 4K projects and is now starting to work with HDR content as well. Since 4K requires four times the space as 2K, the facility started encountering capacity issues, which, along with a disappointing vendor service experience, drove them to explore other options. However, the search was paved with solutions that came with high capital costs and onerous support contracts.

Instead of purchasing another piece of iron and committing to another service contract, Bannerman found creative.space, an On-Premise Managed Storage (OPMS) system. creative.space, which is powered by DigitalGlue, delivered a new concept in media storage that not only met his requirements but surpassed his expectations. For Bannerman, the solution scored high on all counts — affordability, service, support and reliability. “When creative.space came along, we recognized it as the solution we were looking for,” says Bannerman. “It didn’t take very long to pull the trigger on that one.”

“We didn’t just need big, fast storage. We needed something that works for our business model as much as it does for our pipeline.” – Steve Bannerman In addition to the system’s performance, Bannerman was impressed with the unique business model, as well as the service the company provided. “We’re a full-service post and VFX house, but we’re still a boutique, and shared storage is one of the single biggest cost components for us. So we were excited that we could get a vast amount of incredibly fast storage without having to take on another capital lease with an exorbitant maintenance contract. That, coupled with the fact that they came on site, trained our staff and helped us understand how the product works, made DigitalGlue the obvious choice.”

DigitalGlue, an engineering and integration company, developed creative.space to offer a high-speed, high-capacity OPMS service featuring 24/7 monitoring, technical support and next-day repairs for an all-inclusive, affordable, fixed monthly rate. The creative.space platform offers five configurations.

Bannerman and Local Hero chose the company’s //DEUS EX hybrid NVMe SSD and HDD media storage solution, which balances solid state and spinning disk technology with a fully optimized internal architecture to provide seamless playback. Designed for uncompressed, high-resolution end-to-end post production workflows, //DEUS EX eliminates the need for separate online and nearline systems, allowing their entire team to work with collaborative workflows like those available with Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Working with a managed storage service has provided Local Hero with the support and 24/7 monitoring the studio previously lacked. Questions are answered within an hour, regardless of the time of day, and any issue, no matter how small, is diagnosed and solved immediately.

Bannerman concludes, “One of the things I love most about creative.space is that it helps us keep our infrastructure costs down and in the OpEx category. If the system we’re using turns out to not be the right product, we’re not locked in. We can simply switch to a more appropriate creative.space solution for our needs. We didn’t just need big, fast storage. We needed something that works for our business model as much as it does for our pipeline.”

Local Hero Execs: Leo Marini, Marc Côté, Steve Bannerman

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Company’s “On-Premise Managed Storage” Platform Shatters the Paradigm of High-End Storage Systems with a Collaboration Without Compromise Solution

February 06, 2019 – Palm Desert, CA – DigitalGlue is pleased to announce that its creative.space, an entirely new concept in media storage, will be showcased in HPA’s Innovation Zone. The Innovation Zone is a unique environment designed for learning and development that allows HPA conference delegates to get an early look at the newest and most compelling tools outside of a traditional trade show atmosphere. creative.space, launched in 2018, is an entirely new concept in media storage offered as an On-Premise Managed Storage (OPMS) service. The high-speed, high-capacity platform shatters the paradigm of high-end storage solutions with thorough and inclusive 24/7 monitoring, technical support and next-day repairs – all available at an affordable fixed monthly rate.

“We’re honored to have been selected to participate in The Innovation Zone,” stated Sean Busby, DigitalGlue president. “It’s an outstanding opportunity to engage in meaningful interaction with industry professionals that are involved in the creative process and receive their feedback about creative.space, a game-changing solution that delivers superior performance at lower than cloud prices and allows collaboration without compromise. We’re excited to see their reaction when presented with an alternative to traditionally expensive and service-challenged storage systems.”

Products and concepts accepted into The Innovation Zone must reflect technology that is innovative, game-changing and important to entertainment markets including production, post production, broadcast, distribution, OTTs or related areas. Unique solutions and those that demonstrate integrated workflows for distinctive services are favored.

DigitalGlue’s creative.space enhances collaborative workflows by optimizing the latest, most advanced hardware and software for efficiency and increased productivity via its OPMS. Unlike traditional storage systems, the all-inclusive solution is offered at a fixed monthly rate based upon 1, 2, or a 3-year contract. The creative.space platform comprises several systems that have been tailored for different applications and include: //BREATHLESS, a system that targets video production, VFX, and Content Distribution Networks; //AUTEUR for facilities experiencing rapid growth; //DEUS EX, a hybrid NVMe SSD and HDD media storage solution built for uncompressed high-resolution workflows; //ROGUE – a portable system that is an easy entry point for small teams; and //MONTAGE for those who need serious capacity and consider scalability a top priority.

Visit DigitalGlue at The Innovation Zone and learn about all that creative.space has to offer for a reasonable monthly rate.

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