In companies and broadcasting companies, vast amounts of data come and go beyond what ordinary people think. It is natural that business data or research and development data processed by employees accumulates in companies, and tens or hundreds of hours of video content are created every day in broadcasting companies.
Simply retaining data is quite daunting, but the bigger thing is that many people have to find and use the accumulated data from time to time for work. It is clear that it will be difficult to do anything properly by storing data on the HDD like a normal person and retrieving and using it only when necessary.
Therefore, most companies and broadcasters are looking for ways to store and use data more efficiently.
NAS useful for corporate data backup and sharing
Companies often work in teams of as few as a few people, or as many as tens of people. It is essential to share various documents and video files if several people are working together.
A typical example is Network Attached Storage (NAS). It is very convenient because it is possible to simply store business data or share it in real time using a network without any restrictions on location.
Although PCs can solve the problem of location restrictions considerably by using network folders, NAS is far superior in terms of convenience as it can directly execute or edit stored files and can also be accessed from mobile devices such as smartphones.
On the other hand, a NAS is equipped with an HDD just like a PC, but a slightly more special one is used. Because NAS is several times smaller in size compared to PC, the space for installing HDD is limited. Therefore, HDD for NAS is designed to be more durable than HDD for general PC.
Seagate’s HDD for NAS, ‘IronWolf’, is equipped with an RV (Rotational Vibration) sensor to detect vibrations generated outside the HDD and adjust the rotation speed of the platter (the disk on which data is recorded), and the head ( Adjust the position of the microscopic contacts that read and write data on the platter surface.
Also, the MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) is 1.2 million hours and the annual recordable data capacity is 300 TB (terabyte), so it can withstand recording five times more data than a general PC HDD.
Broadcast content with a large capacity is ideal for corporate storage
Broadcasting companies always have an enormous amount of data that cannot be compared with general companies. Considering that the capacity of recording FHD quality video with a smartphone for just one hour exceeds 10 GB (gigabyte), broadcasters that use multiple cameras every day to shoot numerous videos in 4K or higher quality need more than 1 PB (petabyte) of storage. You need to be able to smoothly digest the broadcasting business.
Of course, the vast amount of video data of broadcasters is difficult to handle even using NAS, so it is recommended to use large-capacity enterprise storage for smooth backup and broadcasting work.
Enterprise storage is configured by installing dozens or hundreds of HDDs, and through this, capacity of 1PB or more can be easily provided. Of course, simply because the storage capacity is large, it is difficult to quickly back up the video data generated every day or find it in a timely manner. Block Storage) products also exist.
Object storage divides files into pieces called objects and stores them in a single storage to identify them with a unique ID, while block storage divides files into blocks and distributes them across multiple storages to identify them with a unique ID.
Seagate has ‘Data Storage Systems’ as storage for businesses. It is characterized by being able to optimize key elements such as storage types, controllers, and software from the ordering stage to the customer’s use.
In particular, Seagate participated in the 30th International Broadcasting, Media, Sound, and Lighting Exhibition (hereinfollowing referred to as KOBA 2022) held this year and introduced the data storage system, and also introduced functions optimized for the broadcasting system in cooperation with broadcasting industry companies.
The data storage system uses Seagate’s ‘Exos’ HDD, designed for data centers and the cloud. Helium, which is only one-seventh the density of air, is injected inside to reduce heat and vibrations compared to general HDDs. Special techniques such as ‘Balance’ (PowerBalance) were applied.
Infinitely expanding storage in various fields
The frequency of storage usage is increasing as time goes by for companies that are in trouble when data is leaked to the outside or broadcasters who always handle vast amounts of video data. However, as in the past, the data capacity is so large that it cannot be covered by simply adding HDDs, and as a result, it is difficult for users to properly back up or search for the desired data.
As the amount of data enjoyed by people increases, data from numerous companies and broadcasters is also expected to continue to increase in the future. .