Why Video Storage Is Different--An Introduction for IT Professionals

Introduction
Video workflows are very different than the enterprise applications that IT organizations are accustomed to deploying and supporting. Large video files and demands for fast access and real-time performance result in requirements for highly scalable storage systems with enormous bandwidth, consistently low latency and the ability to effectively support highly specialized video applications.

Attempting to force-fit traditional enterprise storage into a video workflow introduces the risk that the IT organization will have dissatisfied users unable to work trouble-free with the tools of their trade. Further, IT may face support challenges resulting from attempting to deploy storage where it simply was not designed to go.

This paper is intended to introduce IT staff to the unique nature of video applications and workflows, and to illustrate the unique requirements of shared storage for video workflows.

The Strange World Of Video Workflows

In the enterprise world you may be accustomed to focusing on applications, such as CRM, ERP, and email, and core elements such as databases and virtualization technologies. Though unstructured content is gaining in importance, in the enterprise world data is often block-oriented, and the relevant performance measure is frequently transactions per second.

The world of video is different. In the video world the focus is on workflows, where various specialized video applications are utilized almost like stations of an assembly line to process and distribute video content. In such an environment, it is critical to quickly move large video files between different systems in the workflow. Thus the key performance metrics are around latency and bandwidth, not transactions per second. read more...