Dell Redefining Flexibility for M&E Companies

By Alex Timbs, business development manager, M&E, Dell Technologies, Inc.

Dell Technologies launched a solution, Dell APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure, that will redefine flexibility for our M&E customers.

(image source: Dell Technologies)

Whether you’re in broadcast or film, the availability of flexible on-demand storage can save the day. APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure merges efficiency and versatility, empowering artists and studios to harness the full potential of distributed cloud ecosystems for their media endeavors. This innovative offering delivers a new path for media companies, integrating high-performance storage capabilities on Microsoft’s Azure infrastructure. With scale-out architecture to support up to 18 nodes and 5.6PB in a single namespace, APEX File Storage for Azure offers scalability and flexibility without sacrificing performance or ease of management.

Designed for hybrid cloud and cloud burst use cases, whether traditional media workloads or GenAI applications, APEX File Storage for Azure has the highest performance at scale for AI, ⁽¹⁾ propelling AI workloads to new heights of innovation and efficiency.

M&E companies will benefit from:

• Granular consumption model. The cloud’s granular consumption model is ideal for media workloads, offering the flexibility to scale resources up or down based on real-time demands. This means you only pay for what you use, which is particularly advantageous for burst workloads such as live event streaming or temporary project collaborations.
• Burst workloads. APEX File Storage for Azure can absorb sudden spikes in data and ensure your media content is always available when you need it most without the risk of overcapitalization.
• Temporary production pipelines. You can deploy temporary production pipelines quickly, allowing for a more agile response to uncertainty or shifting demands. This eliminates the need for long-term commitments to hardware that may not be consistently utilized or used beyond the show, ensuring a cost-effective solution for dynamic project requirements.
• Overcapitalization avoidance. By leveraging the cloud’s scalable infrastructure, you avoid the financial burden of investing in excess capacity. This optimizes your budget and aligns your spending with your actual storage needs.
• Enhanced collaboration. Cloud storage facilitates collaboration among geographically dispersed teams, enabling real-time editing, sharing and management of media files, which is crucial in today’s fast-paced media production environment.

Having a solid multicloud strategy is imperative to meeting the demands of today’s rapidly evolving media workstreams. Dell’s strategic partnership with Microsoft represents a milestone in this journey, allowing our customers to store and process data in the most optimal location for their workloads, including the next generation of AI tools and techniques. With APEX File Storage for Azure, Dell continues to uphold our commitment to empowering M&E customers to innovate faster and transform their outcomes.

⁽¹⁾ Based on Dell analysis of maximum throughput performance and namespace capacity, March 2024.

Resources :
Blog: Launch of Dell APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure   
Dell Technologies Media & Entertainment Hub   
Dell storage solutions for media and entertainment