I am delighted to share the news that PacketFabric has acquired RSTOR and will integrate its edge-based object storage with our global network platform. It’s good news for everyone producing and distributing content in Media & Entertainment.
The integration of edge-based storage marks one of a few significant moves that PacketFabric is making to serve the M&E space, as it answers the industry’s call for a complete networking solution to its future in the cloud.
The Missing Piece
Whether it’s cloud-only, hybrid-cloud, or multi-cloud, there isn’t much doubt around the inevitability of a move to the cloud across the industry. But studios and thought leaders have pointed out major friction points in that move. A prominent issue is the lack of easy-to-consume multi-cloud networking that supports the privacy and performance to serve varying needs across workflows, teams, and studios. With our recent investments on top of an already growing track record, PacketFabric bridges these gaps.
Enhanced and Simplified Workflows
As studios, production companies, and post houses look to grow their storage capacity, many have moved outside the traditional data center. Easily accessible cloud storage from industry leaders like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud is a compelling option.
With the RSTOR acquisition, PacketFabric will offer M&E customers the ability to improve their data accessibility, mobility, and collaboration across a hybrid and multi-cloud storage portfolio. The integration provides supplemental, edge-based storage closer to end-users and accessible via PacketFabric’s global, private, high-speed network. This real-time storage layer and accompanying data mobility services complement primary cloud storage solutions offered by PacketFabric partners like AWS, Azure, and GCP.
The new PacketFabric Data Mobility solution will enhance the following use cases.
- Sneakernet alternative: Cloud services for virtual production and studio facilities
- Access to compute and GPU capabilities
- Archival storage
- Multi-cloud access and transitioning
- Nimble interaction, storage and sharing of dailies
- Cloud-based broadcast distribution
- Cloud migration and backup
- Camera to cloud connectivity
- Virtual control room enablement
A Growing Network of Leaders
PacketFabric has been growing its roster of M&E customers, including a major bi-coastal broadcast studio, a leading streaming service, and other leaders such as Digital Domain, Blu Digital, and NantStudios. Through its participation in SMPTE’s Virtual Production Rapid Industry Solutions initiative, PacketFabric is helping to shape the future of virtual production and how data can most efficiently be moved and stored.
Connectivity in More M&E Hot Spots
PacketFabric is already in 200+ global data centers, but we’re expanding with a specific eye to M&E customer needs. Users already connect out of LA and New York, but new builds include Burbank, Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto this fall. Additionally, our fiber ring in Culver City offers special direct access for companies in the area. Culver City is also home to our on-campus PoP at NantStudios, a state of the art production facility.
100G Multi-Cloud Routing
Perhaps the most notable gap identified by the studios in the move to the cloud has been the difficulty in gaining seamless interoperability between Cloud Providers. Cloud Router— PacketFabric’s 100G multi-cloud routing solution unites a fragmented cloud ecosystem of different providers. Cloud Router enables M&E customers to more easily tie together the varying services and capabilities within those providers and, by extension, the multiple stages of production, collaborators, and vendors. By agnostically enabling access to multiple public clouds, users are no longer tied to the costly and impractical hair-pinning of traffic back through indirect pathways. PacketFabric Cloud Router is one of the options available through the PacketFabric portal, and it’s easy to provision along with the rest of our services.
The New Cloud Data Core
The new integrations result in an end-to-end cloud infrastructure that can be described as a “Cloud Data Core” for the industry. Regionalized object storage at the edge of our >50Tbps network will immediately address current M&E use cases and offer nimble access to both a private and public cloud of their choice via an automated, usage-based, and private virtual network. Meanwhile, users will bypass the public internet, save money, and take advantage of stable, secure connections.
Let’s Connect
We’re thrilled to have RSTOR join the PacketFabric family and look forward to working with our existing and future customers as work in the cloud continues to be empowered by disruptive connectivity. If you’re exploring how to remove friction from your emerging cloud architecture, let’s connect.
You can reach me at lisa.gerber@packetfabric.com or learn more on our website at https://packetfabric.com/production-pipeline-enablement
Thanks for reading!