Attinis Productions Ltd
It's been so easy to use DSM to add or configure features (and we were especially delighted with DSM 4.3 when the update automatically installed) that we are always finding new features and uses for our Synology, but at the same time, it can always be left and depended on to work away silently in our network room. Where Attinis.com is the futurology of talent, Synology has shown us how talented their Network Attached Storage can be! Henrietta Slater, Atttinis Productions Ltd.
The Company
Attinis Productions is a UK artist management and production company within the music industry, and is also involved with various associated digital projects within television. As well as developing talent through the traditional avenues the company was one of the first to feature an online talent search. The website, www.attinis.com is a one stop shop for potential up and coming artists (or people with other related talents) to upload their work, get seen and heard by the people that matter, receive mentoring advice, blog, and social network with each other. For some, dreams can turn to reality - three young groups are about to launch onto the music scene - all found via Attinis - and are already being touted as "the next big thing".
The Challenge
Within the busy office day to day and with the increasing online presence, there has been a greater need to store large amounts of data. Music tracks sent by both prospective talent hoping to work with Atttinis and from the world class Attinis production team for the existing talent roster needs to be logged and stored - and able to be recalled back for review purposes or if the talent has an appearance or concert where they need the music to perform with. Large amounts of video footage is also stored, as Attinis record everything the artists do in 'reality TV style' in case it is needed to help promote them via TV, the press or via attinis.com. Furthermore, the data needs to be kept securely, with backups and accessible to various staff all at the same time.
The Solution
In the quest to solve the data storage nightmare, Attinis went to Synology who immediately recommended the RS812RP+ unit. To be able to go from having lots of data stored across various computers to having one sleek and powerful system that does it all has been amazing. Whilst primarily used for data storage, it has certainly opened the team's eyes, that so much more can be done with the Synology NAS such as the Audio Station, Media Server and Cloud Station - and the team look forward to exploring that. The website and email system can even be hosted on it too! The future can certainly be seen with Synology. The server even reports that it is in good health or when it needs to be maintained, so the team can rest assured that important files are safe, secure and ready to be accessed by anyone in the offices – meaning it helps the business run smoothly.
The Benefits
As a result of working with Synology, Attinis has found the solution suggested (RS812RP+) has solved all of the problems they had encountered. They have been especially pleased with the DiskStation Manager software which is easy to use and enables access to all required features.
In terms of storage and accessibility they now have one server that can be accessed by everyone quickly and easily. The File Station application has helped tremendously for employees to upload and download data – as well as previewing audio and video files from within the software. The Synology unit has four hard drive bays and is currently used with two in a RAID 1 configuration – meaning that anything stored is also backed up (mirrored) to another physical drive. The HDD S.M.A.R.T feature monitors the health of the drives so if required, it's easy to replace and restore a drive if anything malfunctions without losing data or uptime.
Online backup is also important, knowing that whatever happens to the physical storage, a virtual copy of data still exists. This is where DSM's vast library of easy to install applications is so useful. With a choice of Hi-Drive or Glacier cloud backup apps, Attinis choose to mirror the drives to the cloud and schedule a regular backup of any changes automatically.
There was initial concern about security, privacy risks and unauthorised access – especially when working in an always online, cloud connected world. This is especially crucial when working with creative people like writers, producers and artists who need to all be assured their work is treated with the respect it deserves – a client's demo music file uploaded one day could easily become the next big number one hit record. DSM's various network security features like encrypted HTTP connections, Auto IP block, and Firewall mean that the data is safe in the knowledge that those who shouldn't be able to access the data cannot. In terms of security, virus' and malware are not an issue due to the extensive library of Synology apps. By downloading Antivirus Essential, the Attinis team can easily configure and schedule a regular virus scan so that they know the software is on guard in the background and protected against any infection which could potentially disrupt the business.
"It's been so easy to use DSM to add or configure features (and we were especially delighted with DSM 4.3 when the update automatically installed) that we are always finding new features and uses for our Synology, but at the same time, it can always be left and depended on to work away silently in our network room. Where Attinis.com is the futurology of talent, Synology has shown us how talented their Network Attached Storage can be!" says Henrietta Slater, Atttinis Productions Ltd.
In terms of storage and accessibility they now have one server that can be accessed by everyone quickly and easily. The File Station application has helped tremendously for employees to upload and download data – as well as previewing audio and video files from within the software. The Synology unit has four hard drive bays and is currently used with two in a RAID 1 configuration – meaning that anything stored is also backed up (mirrored) to another physical drive. The HDD S.M.A.R.T feature monitors the health of the drives so if required, it's easy to replace and restore a drive if anything malfunctions without losing data or uptime.
Online backup is also important, knowing that whatever happens to the physical storage, a virtual copy of data still exists. This is where DSM's vast library of easy to install applications is so useful. With a choice of Hi-Drive or Glacier cloud backup apps, Attinis choose to mirror the drives to the cloud and schedule a regular backup of any changes automatically.
There was initial concern about security, privacy risks and unauthorised access – especially when working in an always online, cloud connected world. This is especially crucial when working with creative people like writers, producers and artists who need to all be assured their work is treated with the respect it deserves – a client's demo music file uploaded one day could easily become the next big number one hit record. DSM's various network security features like encrypted HTTP connections, Auto IP block, and Firewall mean that the data is safe in the knowledge that those who shouldn't be able to access the data cannot. In terms of security, virus' and malware are not an issue due to the extensive library of Synology apps. By downloading Antivirus Essential, the Attinis team can easily configure and schedule a regular virus scan so that they know the software is on guard in the background and protected against any infection which could potentially disrupt the business.
"It's been so easy to use DSM to add or configure features (and we were especially delighted with DSM 4.3 when the update automatically installed) that we are always finding new features and uses for our Synology, but at the same time, it can always be left and depended on to work away silently in our network room. Where Attinis.com is the futurology of talent, Synology has shown us how talented their Network Attached Storage can be!" says Henrietta Slater, Atttinis Productions Ltd.
Recommended Models
- RS812RP+
Recommended Features
- File Station
- Antivirus Essential