JPL Switched From RAIDs to Single Ethernet-Based Shared Storage Solution

JPL Integrated Communications, Inc., a Harrisburg-based integrated communications company working across a variety of media, recently made the switch from a growing pile of G RAID drives to a single, cost-effective Ethernet-based shared storage solution featuring Small Tree Communications, LLC‘s technology to streamline workflow.

“We were working off ‘sneaker net’ drives from suite to suite, and had no ability to share the same media in our six edit suites,” said Paul Grosso, vice president of media productions for JPL. “This was a challenge, as we often work on multiple projects for our corporate clients – to support an event launch or the introduction of a new service – and we needed to have access to the same media across multiple suites in order to meet tight deadlines.”

To streamline its workflow, JPL installed Small Tree’s GraniteSTOR shared storage technology with its unique OS X networking capabilities supporting multiple Ethernet ports, tightly integrated with Apple’s built in file sharing system. The GraniteSTOR solution incorporates Small Tree’s PEG6, a 6-port Ethernet card with the Edge-corE ES4524D, a 24-port Gigabit Ethernet switch certified to work with Small Tree’s technology.

“Prior to installing the shared storage technology, we had purchased Final Cut Server to manage our assets,” said Grosso. “Small Tree’s system works seamlessly with Final Cut Server, so now we’re seeing huge efficiencies in productivity as our editing team can bounce from suite to suite and have immediate access to all of our media.”

“In addition to improving our workflow, this system was ideal for us because of its affordability,” Gross continued. “Any other solution would have cost us over $100,000 to implement with Final Cut Server, but we were able to install the Small Tree system on our own for substantially less.”

From video production to high-end website development, brand strategy to learning solutions and meetings and events, JPL has been providing unparalleled integrated communications services to corporate clientele across the country and around the world for more than 20 years. Included in JPL’s facility are six video editing suites, three Adobe After Effects workstations for 3D motions graphics, two full Pro Tools suites, an encoding center for digital media distribution, two full production studios and a control room with linear editing capabilities.