BUZZFEED'S BRANDED CREATIVE TEAM SUPERCHARGES BRANDED CONTENT PRODUCTION WITH STORNEXT
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CA SE STUD Y
BuzzFeed’s Branded Creative Team
Supercharges Branded Content
Production with StorNext
BuzzFeed needed a shared storage system to keep up with production schedules
for its branded content campaigns. The answer was a Quantum StorNext appliance-
based system that combines storage area network (SAN) with network-attached
storage (NAS) and preserves flexible options for future growth.
“
Quantum StorNext shared storage has
FEATURED PRODUCTS
dramatically increased our productivity by
letting our editors collaborate in real time,
”
so they can focus on creative ideas instead of
fighting with technical limitations.
Richard Klopfenstein
Post Production Technologist, BuzzFeed
LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVES software—288 TB of disk storage, 10 GbE
“One key differentiator
FOR SHARED STORAGE NAS connections used by some 25 editing
to BuzzFeed’s branded
The team knew they needed a shared storage workstations, and 16 Gb Fibre Channel
system to improve workflow, so they evaluated connections for the high-performance
content success is
several different approaches and spent nearly finishing work. The new system holds all the that they manage their
two months creating a proof-of-concept work in progress, provides bandwidth for business using real-time
test for a NAS-based workflow solution. The transcoding, and has the capacity to store performance metrics,
experience with that system, including its finished work, making it easy to reuse existing and need to be able to
performance and scalability limitations, led content for new ads.
manage their storage
the team to remain open to alternatives. They
IMT and Quantum’s solution instantly improved system the same way.
looked to IMT—a Los Angeles area integrator
the way branded content is created and StorNext Connect lets
with extensive experience in helping digital
managed. “Quantum StorNext shared storage
media organizations modernize workflows— them do that.”
has dramatically increased our productivity
for help in selecting the best solution. “IMT
by letting our editors collaborate in real time, Jason Kranitz,
suggested that we look at Quantum StorNext,
so they can focus on creative ideas instead of SVP Sales, IMT
but we were reluctant at first,” explains
fighting with technical limitations,” said Richard
“
Dan Munger, Video Technology Manager at
Klopfenstein, Post Production Technologist.
BuzzFeed. “We thought of it as being SAN
“StorNext gives us the high-performance
”
only and complex to set up and manage. Part
That was where the IMT Lab came into play. IMT said we could test the system with our of what we are committed to doing is getting
transfer speeds and playback resilience we need
to deliver content to our clients on schedule. By
data in their lab and they could set it up in a day. technology that supports our model—and that
removing any user experience issues, it directly
means avoiding solutions that require lots of
increases our ability to delight our clients. At the
Dan Munger – Video Technology Manager, BuzzFeed admin time.”
end of the day, our users 100% prefer Quantum
to the previous workflow.”
TEST LAB MAKES EVALUATION
FAST AND EASY
BuzzFeed is the world’s leading tech-powered across BuzzFeed’s platforms. Branded content ONGOING RELIABILITY AND ABOUT BUZZFEED
IMT revealed that StorNext offered more MANAGEABILITY CRITICAL
media company, with a cross-platform news and is an important element in the BuzzFeed
solutions than the BuzzFeed team realized. BuzzFeed is the world’s leading
entertainment network that reaches millions of experience, so it is important that it look and The overall reliability of the StorNext
S O LU T I O N O V E R V I E W “We explained that StorNext now supports a tech-powered media company,
people globally and constantly changes the way feel like the quality content that its audience environment has been an important bonus
∙∙ StorNext system
®
NAS interface as well as SAN and that it was with a cross-platform news
it finds and shares information. It mixes news expects from BuzzFeed. To help make that for BuzzFeed’s Branded Creative Team,
-- Xcellis® Workflow Director with based on an appliance approach that was easy and entertainment network
StorNext software and NAS license and entertainment that spreads very quickly happen, BuzzFeed provides top-tier creative minimizing admin overhead while keeping that reaches hundreds of
-- Quantum QXS™ RAID array to install and support,” says Joe Marchitto,
across different platforms, especially social and production services for its brand partners. productivity high and controlling costs. millions of people globally. The
-- StorNext Connect management IMT’s Director of Systems Architecture.
media. BuzzFeed’s growth and success are Richard explains, “StorNext’s reliability is a company produces articles,
∙∙ Brocade 6505 16 Gb Fibre switch As the company was planning to move the Even though the option sounded interesting,
∙∙ Cisco 9300 10 GbE switch the product of a set of very conscious business must-have in our 24-hour production cycle. lists, quizzes, videos, original
BuzzFeed studio to a new facility in Los BuzzFeed did not want to spend another two
decisions aimed at keeping the company Quantum keeps our systems up for months series, and brands including
KEY BENEFITS
Angeles, they realized it was time to upgrade months evaluating the product. “That was
dynamic, fresh, and relevant while relentlessly with minimum maintenance, and that keeps Tasty, the world’s largest social
the video production system used by the where the IMT Lab came into play,” says Dan. food network. The company is
∙∙ Collaborative data sharing dramatically using data and sophisticated metrics to shape our IT costs low, too.”
reduces the time needed to create and Branded Creative Team to provide more “IMT said we could test the system with our also home to BuzzFeed News,
reuse content for branded content. its future and support its branded partners. A key management benefit is StorNext
streamlined workflow and easier, faster data in their lab and they could set it up in a a global news organization
∙∙ Support for NAS and SAN interfaces
BuzzFeed content is viewed 9 billion times each collaboration. The old workflow system was day.” The results of the experiment convinced Connect, an administrative tool that simplifies focused on original reporting
provides an optimal combination of
performance and value. month across a variety of platforms including based largely on individual workstations with the team that StorNext was the right choice, installation and provides operational data and investigative journalism;
∙∙ Appliance approach simplifies purchase, about the storage systems. Its GUI discovers
installation, and ongoing management, BuzzFeed.com, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat local storage, which meant that to collaborate, and they made the decision to move ahead. and BuzzFeed Commerce, which
reducing administrative overhead. and Instagram. editors had to move files on removable drives storage and network resources, monitors develops social commerce
∙∙ Test laboratory hosted by integrator
from workstation to workstation. This hindered STORNEXT ENABLES COLLABORATIVE overall system performance, and provides products and experiences, as
partner IMT provided a fast way to test
the system with real data in real-world VIDEO EMERGES AS KEY DELIVERY ELEMENT WORKFLOW details on individual components, including well as licensing and other
sharing between members of the creative
conditions. FOR BRANDED PARTNER ADS
team, slowed production, and made it difficult The new BuzzFeed Branded Creative Team health checks and information about latency strategic partnerships.
∙∙ StorNext Connect provides an intuitive
way to monitor the whole system and its One of the important production tasks for to review content in real time with clients. solution includes StorNext Xcellis Workflow and loading. Reports are automatically
components to maximize performance BuzzFeed is helping its brand partners create Director—an appliance that hosts the StorNext generated and proactively delivered to
and uptime.
∙∙ Independent scaling of performance compelling video ad content that can be shown
and capacity, and support for archiving
provide flexibility to meet future needs
while keeping costs low.
www.quantum.com/customerstories
CASE STUDY
administrators and the service team to to give us flexibility in our workflow,” said ABOUT IMT
make sure that any issues are discovered Hilary Kempkers, Sr. Manager of Branded
Integrated Media Technologies,
and resolved as quickly as possible. Creative Post Production for BuzzFeed. Inc. (IMT) is a consulting,
“Clients consistently ask for the above- design, and systems integration
“One key differentiator to BuzzFeed’s
and-beyond, so flexibility is key!” company with offices in Los
branded content success is that they Angeles, Boston, and Dallas that
manage their business using real-time StorNext is designed to scale easily to specializes in providing business
performance metrics, and need to be able meet a wide range of potential changing consulting and TCO models for
to manage their storage system the same demands, including archive options on private, hybrid, and public cloud
workflow solutions. IMT serves
way,” says Jason Kranitz, SVP Sales, IMT. disk, tape, and the cloud. Dan Munger
the telecommunications, media
“StorNext Connect lets them do that.” says, “Investing in Quantum’s StorNext & entertainment, institutional,
long-term gives our department the and enterprise sectors with
FLEXIBILITY PROTECTS AGAINST scalability to tackle huge projects with a broad range of solutions
FUTURE CHANGES designed to drive new value and
confidence, and provides predictability for
efficiencies from technology.
BuzzFeed, along with its branded content our users and our clients, no matter what Customers rely on IMT to deliver
business, has enjoyed significant success the future brings.” mission-critical solutions and
because it has evolved in unexpected services focused on media
directions quickly while competitors technologies, storage, asset
stagnated. The team expects that the management, high-performance
computing, networking, and 24/7
future will bring more surprises, making
support. IMT’s operations are
StorNext’s flexibility especially important. segmented into three principal
“New technology constantly becomes businesses: Consulting and
available in new media, and Quantum Systems Integration Business,
Video Collaboration, and
provides consistent updates and support
IT Services. Inc. Magazine
ranked IMT as the 25th fastest
growing private company in the
Technology Services industry.
ABOUT QUANTUM
Quantum is a leading expert in scale-out tiered storage, archive and data protection. The company’s StorNext® platform powers modern high-
performance workflows, enabling seamless, real-time collaboration and keeping content readily accessible for future use and re-monetization.
More than 100,000 customers have trusted Quantum to address their most demanding content workflow needs, including top studios, major
broadcasters and cutting-edge content creators. With Quantum, customers have the end-to-end storage platform they need to manage assets
from ingest through finishing and into delivery and long-term preservation. See how at www.quantum.com/customerstories. www.quantum.com
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