FotoKem Deploys Crossroads StrongBox Archive Solution

Crossroads Systems, Inc., a provider of data
archive solutions, announced that Burbank, CA-based FotoKem Industries, Inc., a
post-production company for the entertainment industry, is the latest Hollywood
firm to deploy the StrongBox
archive solution.

StrongBox, a shared
storage solution purpose-built for data archival and preservation, harnesses
the power of LTFS technology and storage architecture with
standard file systems (CIFS/NFS) to empower online, all the time file
availability with data protection, data mobility,
non-proprietary file storage and cost-savings.

In February, FotoKem
deployed StrongBox throughout the company’s infrastructure as well as at Keep
Me Posted (KMP), a FotoKem company specializing in the finishing of episodic
television, promos, commercials and trailers. FotoKem and KMP now benefit from
LTFS-based NAS for the 10TB to 20TB of data
running through their pipelines each day.

"FotoKem needed an enterprise solution for
our growing content archives," said Paul Chapman, SVP of technology at
FotoKem. "StrongBox from Crossroads
Systems was the clear answer because it does not write the data onto the tape
in any kind of proprietary form. It is very important to us to have the ability
to take any tape out of the library at any time and recover the data without
actually having to go back to the software that wrote it originally. This was
simply not possible before we deployed StrongBox."

Chapman added: "The fact that StrongBox is a simple NAS system that any user can access makes it very simple
for us to implement. It required minimal training, and today we have more than
30 employees accessing and writing to the archive from multiple locations.
Crossroads really is one of the easiest and most accepting companies I have
worked with. They catered to FotoKem’s specific needs and made sure the
StrongBox was a complete fit."

Providing a file-based
archive, StrongBox delivers scalable, reliable storage by using LTFS tape for
cost-efficiency, as well as disk for rapid and data access for file-based
applications. As a vendor-neutral archive and data protection solution,
StrongBox integrates in file-based workflows connecting with existing
applications for centralized content storage.

"Crossroads is extremely pleased that FotoKem
has chosen our solution," said Heather Painter, VP of channel sales
and marketing at Crossroads. "We
continue to see ever-increasing interest in StrongBox within the M&E space.
Since content creation and management is the foundation for their business,
M&E companies are embracing the ease of use and complete file protection
delivered by StrongBox. Crossroads is honored that such leading Hollywood
post-production facilities, such as FotoKem and Keep Me Posted, rely upon
StrongBox for archive."