inMotion DVS is an Ottawa-based HD video production company working with corporate, government, institutional and broadcast clients. Company President Pat McGowan has been involved with technology in media production for more than 25 years. In that time, he has never received better customer service from a technology vender than the service he recently received from Small Tree, manufacturer of Ethernet-based shared storage solutions for Mac users.
“Small Tree has a very unique customer relations philosophy that isn’t really a philosophy because they back it up,” McGowan stated. “The ability for me to be able to touch a senior technology executive and have that executive take the time to work with me remotely to perform complex integration of our network is something I haven’t experienced before. It’s such a benefit to an end-user. It’s just ridiculous. In fact, I’m still sitting here with my jaw open.”
Experiencing difficulties with the facility’s former shared storage solution, McGowan contacted Small Tree to learn more about GraniteSTOR, its cost-effective, Ethernet-based shared storage technology. With 10 Final Cut editing stations consisting of 4 Mac Pro towers and 6 Macbook Pros, inMotion was looking for a solution that would enhance project management, allow editors to share footage and provide optimal flexibility in editing room usage. Additionally, having recently opened an office in Toronto, inMotion was hoping to implement shared storage technology that would enable projects to be accessed remotely.
After conducting thorough research, McGowan decided to install a 32 TB, 16 drive GraniteSTOR ST-RAID direct attached shared storage solution designed specifically for Final Cut users looking for economical, functional and easy to manage storage technology. Providing consistent performance over Ethernet networks, the low latency of Small Tree’s ST-RAID ensures there are no dropped frames. Furthermore, ST-RAID is scalable, which will enable inMotion to expand its system to accommodate future growth, if necessary.
“What we received from Small Tree was great hardware, great technical insight and most importantly, great service,” McGowan said. “I’ve never been serviced as well as I’ve been serviced by Small Tree…period.”
According to McGowan, Small Tree’s ability to deal with OEM partners is another substantial differentiator from its competitors.
“I’ve learned firsthand that Small Tree has the unique ability to deal with OEM partners at a very granular technology level,” McGowan continued. “We purchased an Edge-Core switch from them last year before deciding to install the ST-RAID. When it came time to install the GraniteSTOR solution, we knew we wouldn’t be able to use our existing switch. Small Tree talked to Edge-Core and got them to implement a design change within two weeks – that’s unprecedented. I attribute that response to Small Tree’s client focus, as it drives everything they do. They are like the small corner grocer with a global reach.”
Designer of simple-to-install, affordable Mac-based networking and shared storage products, Small Tree is the premier multi-port Ethernet networking technology provider for OS X customers, enabling cost effective Ethernet shared storage technology. For more information about the company and its products, please call 1-866-STC4MAC (1-866-782-4622), or visit www.small-tree.com or follow Small Tree on Twitter @smalltreecomm.
