IBM Aims To Take Complexity Out of Media Storage

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IBM’s (NYSE: IBM) rolling out a new assessment service geared to help enterprises get a better grip on storage using a propriety framework that evaluates everything from architecture complexity to future data growth. IBM said it’s specifically targeting film production, entertainment and other media companies.

Management Complexity Factor for Media (MCF for Media) includes a six to eight-week evaluation process that results in a customized program that lists out recommendations for two to three years of storage management.

Such niche service offerings are gaining ground as vertical markets, such as healthcare and entertainment, wrestle with demanding storage requirements and want better technology to improve data retrieval and more efficient data processes.

Friday’s product announcement also illustrates how vendors are tweaking specific products for specific customer needs.

“As media companies move deeply into digital technologies, their use of and reliance on data storage has become profound,” Charles King, principal analyst, Pund-IT, told InternetNews.com.

“In addition, storing, retrieving and managing these files are inherently complex, resulting in a need for tailored solutions like IBM MCF for Media,” he added.

As King noted, the media service falls in line with IBM’s strategy of leveraging its hardware, software and service offerings into industry-specific solutions. In this case IBM is leveraging its acquisition of NovusCG last October.

IBM said it’s invested more than $18 billion on public acquisitions since 1995. One of its most recent buys was Arsenal Digital Solutions, a tenured online backup player.

“The new solution should spark new business opportunities for IBM, and also highlights how NovusGC technology assets play a central role in MCF for Media,” said King.

An IBM release said media companies “are facing a double-edged sword,” when it comes to digital media storage needs, citing increasing data loads and the drive to optimize efficiency.

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