RUN Studios | Synology Inc.

13 TB

Weekly data production

40

Simultaneous video editors

100GbE

Total network bandwidth

Synology has replaced the majority of our storage infrastructure and we rely upon it to keep our data safe and secure. These servers are fast, secure, reliable and efficient machines.

Joshua Copeland, Director of IT, RUN Studios

The Challenge

Enabling high-capacity file storage and backup

After years of continued growth and diversification of services, the IT department at RUN Studios faced three mission-critical storage challenges that needed to be addressed to support the company moving forward.

First, the studio needed a more streamlined and efficient way to store historical production data, as well as backups of that data. With the team producing 13TB of new data on a weekly basis, slow upload speeds had began to limit productivity.

Secondly, RUN needed a system that would give the entire team lightning-fast access to large files in order to avoid waiting for file downloads while on a tight production schedule. Read/write speeds are critical for video editing and motion graphics work, so in order to maximize productivity, the system needed to support 4-5 employees working simultaneously over the network at any given time.

Finally, they were dissatisfied with their previous surveillance service, which locked them into a contract with their hardware provider, utilized poor-quality cameras, and prevented them from expanding the system with higher-quality equipment. They were looking for a flexible and cost-effective surveillance system that could grow with the company and allow them complete control over the setup.

The Solution

Streamlined file access and remote collaboration

Unified Storage and Backup Environments

For primary storage and backup of essential company data, RUN studios chose a high-performance all-flash Synology rackmount server. From there, data is sent to a set of redundant rackmount NAS servers in high availability to ensure that if one were to fail, operations would continue without issue. Next, data is copied to C2 Storage, Synology's cloud backup service for NAS, as well as LTO tape for long-term archiving

Support for demanding workflows with a 100G backbone

The new deployment needed to be both bulletproof and lightning fast. To that end, RUN installed custom employee workstations with 10GbE connections to a 100 GbE switch, which is in turn connected through an 80 GbE aggregate link to the primary server. This delivered download and upload speeds fast enough to keep up with RUN's hard-working designers and editors.

A flexible an adaptable surveillance solution

RUN replaced their existing surveillance system with Synology Surveillance Station running on an RS1619xs+ unit using 28 cameras on a segmented VLAN. This allowed RUN to scale up their surveillance system using whatever cameras best suited their needs, and provided them with complete control over their own security system. RUN also found that this system was more cost effective than other options available to them, delivering excellent value for their investment.

Workflow diagram for RUN Studios

The Benefits

Reliable, high-performance video production

Rather than struggling with numerous backup environments, RUN now centrally manages everything through a single console. Thanks to resource monitoring software from Synology, the IT team is able to keep a birds-eye view of CPU, memory, disk, and network usage in real time. In the event that a drive unexpectedly fails, data recovery is now quick and painless, giving RUN Studios some peace of mind.

With their new complete Synology network built out on enterprise fiber, RUN Studios now has sufficient network speed to easily support 35-40 employees producing 13TB of data per week with minimal latency or downtime. As a result, employees can get more done in less time, allowing RUN to take on a heavier workload and sustain more growth than was previously possible.

Finally, the implementation of Synology Surveillance Station has given RUN Studios full control over their on-site surveillance deployment. They are now able to monitor and manage the system remotely, ensuring that their employees and studio assets are kept safe at all times.

The Customer

RUN Studios began as a motion design studio in 2007, and has since expanded to become a full-service production studio. While they still have a strong foundation in design, the company now employs over 200 individuals, including film crew, editors, animators, and support staff.

Photos of RUN Studios in action