Proact Storage Platform at Norwegian Broadcasting

Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation Ltd. (NRK) has been working for more than two years on developing a storage architecture for production solutions at both its regional offices and HQs.

“Proact came out on top in the tendering procedure for the supply of the new storage platform, which will ensure far better data workflow and application performance,” says Kristen Erik Thorp, NRK.

NRK needed to replace its ageing, silo-based storage. Individual applications and devices frequently had their own storage solutions, but all that is about to change. NRK and Proact IT Group AB signed an agreement in December, and delivery of the first part of this storage platform has now begun.

NRK is implementing a major change project known as Origo. The procurement project has ensured that the new storage solutions will meet Origo’s needs.

“The solution supplied is based on equipment from Dell/EMC and includes workflow, identification and administration of inactive data that can be transferred to less expensive storage platforms. It will be far easier to transfer contents between ‘archives’ and production, and the data flow itself will be automated and facilitated for staff. The performance of the individual applications will also be improved,” says Martin Johan Eggan, project manager, NRK.

As far as NRK is concerned, it is desirable for users to have as little as possible to do with storage.

NRK’s operations have been digital for a long time, but by modernising a fragmented storage structure, NRK will receive a more consistent storage platform that offers a number of major benefits. Not least, it will allow the various firm’s offices to benefit from operating economy and interaction.

“Proact is seeing major demand from companies wishing to modernise their storage solutions. The opportunity to increase stability, and not least scalability, is extremely important,” says Tone Håfjeld, Proact’s director of sales and marketing.

The need for storage capacity is undergoing growth as data generation is increasing at a rapid pace. This is particularly applicable in the media world, where video quality requirements have become more stringent over the past decade.

“The analysis element has also been important, allowing us to view actual summaries of both usage and demand,” says Eggan.

NRK’s content will not just be stored, it will also be used, creating further demands upon the storage solutions. How will data be archived and retrieved? These are just some of the many questions the company has to ask itself.

“We are really pleased that NRK chose Proact and Dell/EMC as its suppliers. Solutions are business-critical for NRK, and Proact is hoping to maintain the gold standard for many years to come,” says Håfjeld.