Case Study

Imation Systems, an industry leader in digital storage solutions, solved a major archival issue for Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, Inc. (AIB). Founded in 1969 as a non-profit organization, AIB is the nation’s largest regional interfaith cable television network. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, AIB provides faith-based communities and non-profit service organizations access to a vast audience of viewers as well as over $1,000,000 of donated services.

The SituationAIB produces approximately 70 gigabytes of programming per day in various formats and also accepts programs submitted by clients for broadcast. Between in-house and client programming, AIB operates with a minimum of 3.8 terabytes of data and video programming each day. In order to preserve all its records, the network needed a cost-effective and scalable storage system for long-term data retention and management.

The Challenge AIB was operating without an effective storage solution for its data; however, Pat Williams, Vice President of Operations for AIB, and her team knew exactly what they needed. “We began looking for a storage solution for up to 30 terabytes of data at a price we could afford,” she explained. “Operating as a non-profit means we have to carefully analyze every purchase. We needed a cost-effective solution that would also save us time, freeing up the IT team to work on other key projects.”

Williams and her colleagues spent a good deal of time manually backing up data each week—one hour to backup business data to tape and three hours to backup video files to disc. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to backup all the video because of technology and time constraints,” she continued. “Video is our business, so the archival process is crucial. We began looking for a cost-effective and scalable solution that wouldn’t require manual intervention or intense oversight.”

The SolutionAIB now uses the Imation InfiniVault Active Archive Storage Appliance Model 30 to store all its data and video. “Imation backs up and stores our business-specific information as well as data and video in editing, playback, and archiving, which means every bit of data is preserved,” Williams explained. “Separate vaults were created for the specific needs of those four business areas, enabling our staff

AIB solves archiving issue with cost-effective and scalable Imation InfiniVault™ Active Archive Storage Appliance solution

AT-A-GLANCE

Organization:Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, Inc.

Industry:Broadcasting

Application: Preserve and archive mission-critical business data and video.

Solution: Imation InfiniVault Model 30

Software:Symantec Backup Exec; ChronoSync; Final Cut Server

Imation Enterprises Corp., 1 Imation Way, Oakdale, MN 55128.3414 USA Ph: 651.704.4000 Fax: 651.537.4675 www.imation.com © Imation Corp. Imation, the Imation logo and InfiniVault are trademarks of Imation Corp and its affiliates. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. (03.09.12)

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to protect and retrieve important information. While this solution meets our needs at the current time, our long-term plan is to install a duplicate Imation system offsite for disaster recovery purposes.”

Williams said choosing Imation was easy. “We reviewed several available technologies, including cloud array,” she said. “We decided on-site hardware was best for AIB, and Imation offered the most cost-effective, scalable, and easy-to-use solution. We were also impressed with Imation’s RDX disks, which have a 30-year shelf life, far exceeding competitor’s products. The actual hardware implementation was seamless, and I would rate the entire acquisition process as outstanding.”

The BenefitsProtects video archives: AIB’s financial viability is directly related to successful programming. The broadcasting network can now store vast amounts of video, as well as all its business data, easily and efficiently. “With Imation, we have peace of mind,” Williams said.

Ensures scalability for the future: Imation InfiniVault is the only storage system designed to manage increasing amounts of information over extended periods of time. As AIB’s programming continues to develop, the InfiniVault offers infinite capacity for expansion with RDX removable disks.

Saves time and money: Before implementing the Imation InfiniVault solution, the IT staff at AIB spent several hours each week on manual backup procedures. That process is now automated, saving hundreds of hours each year and enabling the staff to focus on other projects. The Imation InfiniVault comes fully equipped with exactly what the IT team needs to manage data for the long term and it saves AIB money as well. There is no extra cost for software features and RDX disk drives can be added when storage grows without having to purchase expensive disk management tools or a new system infrastructure.

Questions? Contact us at:Phone: 651-704-7777Website: www.scalablestorage.com

“ We chose Imation because it was the most cost-effective and scalable solution for our long-term storage needs ... Imation gives us peace of mind.

”—Pat Williams

VP of Operations, Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters