TMD integrates Disk Archive ALTO with Paragon archive

Hall 2 B59, IBC 2016, Amsterdam: TMD, the leading provider of media asset management systems for digital and physical assets, has partnered with Disk Archive Corporation (DAC, Disk Archive) to add the ALTO to the storage options for TMD Paragon archive solution.

ALTO is a replication-based, high-density cold storage platform which removes the need for cumbersome tapes and expensive clustered storage for large volumes of archive storage. Disk Archive ALTO’s unique MAID-III architecture uses a Massive Array of Independent Disks to create a non-linear alternative to LTFS tape storage. Paragon manages the online, offline and vault storage replicas in the same way as barcoded tapes. That results in a scalable and flexible archive platform that can expand on demand, based on locally sourced commodity disks, from a few terabytes to hundreds of petabytes. The ALTO replication technique allows disks that are not actively reading or writing to be taken offline, dramatically reducing power consumption and greatly extending disk life to deliver ultra-low lifetime operating costs.

Award-winning Paragon is a simple-to-implement archiving solution from TMD. Users can choose from any combination of LTO tapes, including the latest LTO-7 format, cloud storage, and now Disk Archive ALTO. The Paragon solution is scalable from small office storage systems to large multiplatform enterprise systems and includes browse-resolution proxy generation, clip selection and partial restore.

“ALTO storage is very attractive for the sort of applications we see for Paragon, which routinely need fast access to clips,” said Tony Taylor, chairman of TMD. “ALTO gives the speed boost of random disk access, while being easy to deploy and easy to maintain. It is a great addition to our offering.”

Alan Hoggarth, founder and CEO of Disk Archive, added “Broadcasters and media companies are generating ever more content, which must be securely preserved, but may only be infrequently accessed. The challenge is to find an easy and cost effective way to store it. ALTO combines the fast data storage and retrieval of non-linear disk storage with the outstanding security offered by replication. Power savings of up to 70 MWh per petabyte per year and “century-class” data life represent a significant reduction in costs to the business, and an important reduction in carbon footprint that most major broadcasters and many data centers aspire to. 

The new solution, featuring Paragon with ALTO storage, will be demonstrated at IBC2016 (Amsterdam, 9 – 13 September) by TMD on Stand, 2.B59 and by Disk Archive on Stand, 8B38i.