Back to Workflows
Media Production Team Streamlining Large Video Storage with Azure
Company Situation
The company is a media production team specializing in content development for major regional live events. Their small but focused team handles both stills and high-resolution video production, dealing with very large raw video files that require substantial storage and bandwidth. The team is currently limited to a handful of primary users, with occasional freelancers contributing content.
Existing Workflow
Currently, the team relies heavily on a mix of legacy file servers, USB and local hard drives, and SharePoint within their existing Microsoft 365 environment. Archive data is stored in Azure Blob storage but without direct user access. Video editing and content review are managed informally, primarily through email and manual file transfers. Freelancers must be granted full user accounts to upload files, and the team is tethered to an on-premises office environment to access large files, as VPN access to the file server is inadequate for their video workflows.
Issues with the Existing Workflow
SharePoint and existing cloud storage solutions are not optimized for extremely large video files (up to half a terabyte), making file transfers cumbersome and slow.
The team is forced to work on-site due to file server limitations and VPN bandwidth constraints, reducing flexibility and slowing turnaround times.
Lack of a formal review and approval process creates inefficiencies in collaboration.
Secure file exchange with freelancers requires giving them broad access to the system, raising security concerns.
The current approach limits productivity and the ability to scale content creation rapidly, especially during live events that require real-time editing.
How Shade Would Change Their Workflow
Shade would provide a purpose-built cloud workflow solution tailored for creative teams working with large media files. It would enable remote and on-location editing by removing the dependency on on-premises infrastructure. The platform’s secure file sharing capabilities allow freelancers to upload content via web links without requiring full user accounts, improving security and workflow efficiency. Shade’s system supports formalized review and approval processes, streamlining collaboration. Additionally, integration capabilities such as Single Sign-On (SSO) and user provisioning simplify administration and align with enterprise IT requirements.
Benefits
- Enables remote and in-field video editing, reducing project turnaround times during live events.
- Eliminates the need for physical presence in the office to access large files.
- Simplifies secure collaboration with freelancers without compromising system security.
- Streamlines content review and approval workflows, enhancing team productivity.
- Provides scalable, cloud-native storage optimized for large media assets.
- Supports enterprise IT standards including SSO and user provisioning for easier management.