Spectra StorCycle Storage Lifecycle Management Software
Category Storage
Digital content is the lifeblood of media and entertainment organizations. To preserve it for the long run and maximize the monetization of archived content, professionals have been focused on optimizing their IT environments to achieve maximum efficiency in their data storage. Having fast remote access to archived content to search, restore, and create new stories for on-air operations has become an increasingly important source of revenue production. Furthermore, while there are a number of tools to organize and manage content, oftentimes unmanaged assets like raw content, graphics and still images reside outside of these traditional asset management applications and are located on disparate and siloed storage systems.Spectra’s StorCycle is a storage lifecycle management software developed to address the challenge of content storage and lifecycle management by identifying, migrating, accessing and preserving digital media assets for the entire lifespan of that data – be it short-term or forever.
StorCycle identifies file attributes of unmanaged assets and moves less frequently accessed content to any combination of cloud storage, object storage disk, network-attached storage (NAS) and object storage tape. The software initiates true content storage and lifecycle management by automatically scanning and moving digital assets based on creation date, age, size, or last access. With custom age filters, StorCycle effectively automates cleanup of production storage and helps optimize storage utilization by enabling users to trigger automated data migration based on a customized age range. This feature can be leveraged to limit storage expenditures during tough budget times. Moreover, it provides an easy access to the archived content of its users, and the ability to move content into and out of the cloud and between cloud buckets – making it possible for the users to take advantage of cloud services as part of their production tools, including collaborative workflows.With StorCycle software, users can manage archives remotely via Web UI and manually or automatically archive entire project-based directories and make additional copies for data protection, while maintaining familiar and consistent access to copied or migrated assets. Migrated data is easily accessible by users in a semi-transparent or transparent manner via HTML Links or Symbolic Links, and a web-based search. StorCycle stores content in open formats, such as CIFS or NFS file systems, LTFS tape or native cloud formats (S3), so that data is always accessible through StorCycle or independent of it.
Assets can also be migrated to the cloud for sharing or collaborative workflows. For best practices in media storage, StorCycle can also automatically make additional copies of data for disaster recovery purposes, including on tape (locally or remote) for physically separated air-gapped copies that protect data from ransomware. The software was designed so that recurring and popular migrations/tiering can be automated for easy and seamless workflows in production environments. StorCycle also provides a simple API to provide data analytics and intelligence to previously deployed applications, further optimizing intelligent storage and asset management. For organizations with multiple StorCycle installations, the software can link to other instances and provide a single search window – facilitating federated search for migrate/store projects across sites.
Finally, StorCycle can encrypt the data as it is moved or copied to a storage target(s), providing users with an easy method to protect all migrated data from network intrusions, such as ransomware attacks, by reducing accessible attack vectors.With StorCycle software, media and entertainment organizations can:•Eliminate the time consuming and repetitive task of cleaning production volumes•Search and restore assets at a moment’s notice•Manage and protect content in all stages of workflows•Collaborate in multi-site or hybrid cloud settings•Optimize investments in storageStorCycle’s modern approach to storage lifecycle management ensures digital assets are located on the right place at the right time, delivering affordable long-term protection and access to content while helping organizations to become more effective and efficient. For any organization facing the financial or operational challenges of managing an expanding amount of digital content, StorCycle effectively provides the means to automate the management of vast amounts of growing assets.
