Imagine losing everything – raw footage, final edits, metadata. Gone. For a media organization, these digital assets are the fuel that powers your creative vision, keeping you at the forefront of the industry. Yet, every day, these invaluable resources face threats from ransomware attacks, accidental deletions, and system failures. So how can you safeguard your assets and ensure workflows continue seamlessly, even when disaster strikes?
At Perifery, we have a saying, “If you haven’t got two copies, then be prepared…” – a stark reminder that storing a single copy of your assets isn’t enough. Archive media is often irreplaceable, and a single point of failure could bring your entire operation to a halt. Why risk it?
Having an additional, secure copy of your media assets ensures that your workflows continue uninterrupted, even in the face of unexpected disruptions. It’s not just about backing up data; it’s about building resilience into your production process so you can continue working - even if the lights go out.
Replication for business continuity
Data replication in media workflows is the simple yet powerful concept of replicating assets from one system to another. It is the process of creating real-time or near-real-time copies of your data and storing it in secure, separate locations. This means that if your primary storage fails or becomes compromised, you can switch to the replicated site and maintain operations. It’s essentially a safeguard that reduces the risk of downtime and data loss.
Object Matrix, the media-focused object storage platform from Perifery, keeps two instances of data in a cluster as standard. However, for complete continuity peace of mind, your storage environments should also be geographically separated. If a localized disaster (e.g., fire, flood) took hold at the primary site, destroying any assets in situ, data and workflows can be resumed from the secondary site or cloud location.
Case study: Perifery Ensures Business Continuity at MTA International Despite Devastating Fire
Replication vs recovery
It’s important to understand the differences between replication and recovery. Both are essential components of a robust business continuity/disaster recovery (BC/DR) strategy, but they serve different purposes.
Replication is about preventing disruption before it happens. By maintaining a mirrored copy of your data in a secondary location, replication ensures that your workflows can continue seamlessly if access to the primary site is lost. It is a proactive approach that keeps you operating.
Recovery, on the other hand, is reactive. If a disruptive event has already occurred, the recovery process helps you retrieve lost or inaccessible data. While recovery solutions are crucial for long-term data retention and archiving, they typically involve downtime while systems are restored.
If you’re after continuity-at-all-costs, then replication is the approach to focus on. Rather than waiting to restore your systems, and hoping that no data has been lost, you can simply switch to the replicated site and keep moving forward with your projects.
Why replication matters for media workflows
The media industry thrives on speed, creativity, and consistency. Audiences expect seamless content delivery, so downtime isn’t an option. Yet, the reality is that workflows can be disrupted without warning. Whether it’s a faulty connection, cyberattack, or power outage, the threat of interruption is always present.
Replication ensures a mirror-copy of your data is always available, allowing your team to focus on what they do best: creating and delivering exceptional content - without worrying about the “what ifs”.
Don’t leave your media assets to chance
At Perifery, we know how important your content and workflows are. Providing solutions like Object Matrix for business continuity, we work with you to provide complete confidence that your assets are protected and available. No matter what.
Contact us today to learn how Perifery can help you build a long-term storage strategy that’s as creative as you are.
