Q. What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trend at the 2015 NAB Show?
A. We’ll see two significant technology trends at the show. The first is a continuing trend: the increase everywhere in high-resolution workflows. Last year, the buzz was related to being ready for 4K. Since then, 4K workflows have become reality, and people have learned how to address the new challenges it presents. As we go into the 2015 show, the shift toward higher resolutions continues, with more facilities working not only with 4K, but also with 8K.
The second big trend is somewhat newer, and it centers around the idea of the cloud being a more integral part of workflow. We’ve already seen the cloud become popular as an option for archiving — and, of course, Quantum offers products that support that model. Now, however, we are seeing the cloud in different areas of workflow. In particular, we’re seeing it being used to facilitate delivery. In fact, we think that the CDN model that has been established over the years will change as people go directly to the cloud. We also are seeing a rise in “true cloud” workflow, in which the cloud either will serve as a common repository available to multiple users and possibly multiple sites or, more likely, will be used by the larger population for sharing functions. We’ll see this approach, in a private cloud model, becoming very popular with media companies.
Q. What will be your most important product news?
A. The most important product news for Quantum will be our continued innovation in making the complete workflow seamless from end to end. Among the solutions that support seamless workflows is our new Q-Cloud offering, a series of solutions that takes users beyond the four walls of the facility and out to the cloud when it makes the most sense for a given workflow or application. With our new StorNext Pro Foundation solution, we’re also lowering the cost of entry for high-performance collaborative storage.
Q. How is your new product different from what’s available on the market?
A. Our new products revolve around our StorNext 5 collaborative storage platform, which is the enabler of end-to-end workflow proving intelligent management and seamless access to appropriate storage types at any stage in the workflow. For the user, this innovation means that it no longer matters if content is on a high-speed online store or Q-Cloud public cloud storage services; it remains visible and accessible. Our StorNext Connect tool set, which is shipping at this year’s show, simplifies the installation, discovery, management and monitoring of StorNext 5 environments. Enabling users to deploy or upgrade their StorNext systems and to identify and resolve issues quickly, StorNext Connect makes it easy to maximize performance and uptime of the complete storage solution.
Q. What is it about the NAB Show that brings you back every year?
I enjoy returning to the show each year to see the latest and greatest technologies — and the application of those technologies. The NAB Show also gives me the opportunity to get in touch with customers on a different level than at other shows. Quantum customers from all areas of the media market are at the show every year, and we value the unique opportunity to spend quality time talking to them and showing them our wares.
