Broadcaster's Conference Showcases Storage Vendors

11:00 AM -- Did storage vendors effectively demonstrate their technology solutions at IBC?

This year at the International Broadcaster's Conference in Amsterdam, vendors demonstrated their wares -- many wares. IBC is a prime conference venue for hardware and software vendors to demonstrate their offerings that provide technology to the entertainment and broadcast industries.

DataDirect Networks, Isilon Systems, Quantum, and Rorke Data are a few of the storage and storage software vendors who provided demos of their various products. The storage vendors worked hard to demonstrate their products as part of an overall business solution.

For example, DataDirect Networks gave a clear overview of how its storage system works with Apples Final Cut Pro software so they can support more than 30 uncompressed HD workstations in real-time from a single storage system. This kind of capability, and the ability to articulate how its technology works, enabled this vendor to shine at the conference.

Quantum provided a clear view of how its StorNext workflow and archiving software works seamlessly across heterogeneous server and storage platforms. While Quantum is just starting to make inroads in the entertainment and broadcasting industry, I expect them to continue to do well and build a strong presence.Isilon Systems and Rorke Data provided good overviews of their storage hardware and demonstrated the products with various software products using the storage.

The Trainer Test: I, for one, am glad to see storage vendors finally able to demonstrate how their products work within an overall user system. Far too many conferences have come and gone where all we see are talking heads and brochures. Vendors should keep up the good work, because users truly do want to see technology in action. Indeed, storage vendors demonstrated their technology solutions at IBC. We look forward to more conferences as informative as this one.

— Tom Trainer is founder and president of analyst firm Analytico. Prior to founding Analytico, Trainer was managing senior partner at Evaluator Group, and has also worked at EMC, HDS, Auspex, and Memorex-Telex during his 30-year career in IT.

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