New eMAM Blog

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

eMAM Adds Cloud Storage Tier to HSM

Advancement of storage solutions has led to automation of storage and retrieval of data on many different types of devices and platforms. Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) is a data storage technique which automatically moves data between high-cost and low-cost storage media based on usage frequency. A simple two tiered system migrates files with little recent use from local media to tape or optical devices for long term preservation and protection of the content.

eMAM is a web-accessible Digital Asset Management (DAM) software system designed to organize, share, and collaborate with  digitized information such as audios, videos, images, documents and other digital files. In addition to the advancement in HSM, eMAM adds a third tier: cloud storage, offering more flexibility, reliability, affordability and higher availability of digital assets. HSM techniques add more power and efficiency to ingest, use and share different types of digital assets for effective collaboration, keeping the key factors of price, performance, capacity and usability into consideration.

Storage Flexibility of eMAM System

eMAM uses hierarchical storage to store frequently used data files on disk drives,  migrating them to LTO tapes if these files are not used for a certain period of time. As only infrequently used files are stored on tape, users do not notice a performance slowdown.  The possible amount of stored data is much larger than the disk storage capacity available.  Furthermore, LTO tapes are secure, private and encrypted. eMAM uses HSM to migrate assets that have not been used for a few weeks or months  to LTO tapes. Through the eMAM system, user now has a link to the HSM managed storage location, which can be used to access the file and migrate it back to the local storage. User need not be aware of how and where files are stored.

eMAM has built-in features like full restore, partial file restore, partial file delivery, archive/restore job prioritization, and so forth, to efficiently manage the archive. eMAM’s high speed search engine and metadata support allows end users to easily search and browse  the content from archive, and deliver needed  assets to editing systems, payout servers, external FTP, cloud platform  and other devices in the network.

Role of Cloud Storage

Cloud storage offers several benefits for sending and sharing content, including global reach and accessibility across multiple platforms, while serving as an additional archive location for backup.  Cloud storage through eMAM allows users to cost effectively and quickly share their content such as advertising material, marketing campaigns, presentations, dailies, and so forth as eBIN messages. Content is loaded at the recipient device from the nearest Amazon edge server location. Cloud storage is cheap, requires no personnel, has no physical presence, requires no environmental conditions, has backup and recovery systems, doesn’t require installation, and doesn’t require energy for cooling or power.

In most cases, storage selection is dependent on the workflow. For example, in order to manage efficient workflow that involves extensive graphic or video editing, high speed SAN storage is required. eMAM is designed to work in an environment where high speed SAN storage volume is shared between multiple editing clients through fiber channel connections. eMAM has built in features like project management, annotation, rough cut, EDL (edit decision list) management, approval, and so forth to effectively manage these workflow requirements.

Conclusion

With the exponential rise in the amount of content being produced each day, manufacturers are now offering most economical and feasible long-term storage solutions available for less than $100 to manage one TB of content with 99.99% availability. This archive storage leads to overall cost reduction by minimizing expenses on infrastructure, maintenance, labor etc. Additionally, the cost of owning third party software and various upgrades that are required to meet the challenges of ever changing technology landscape are taken care of by the service providers. Overall, these storage solutions offer reduced total cost of ownership, and increased return on investment in the long run.

By adding cloud storage tier to HSM, eMAM can manage various digital content workflows effectively. For eMAM users, this means great improvement in productivity and resource utilization. For an organization, this will lead to simplified resource sharing, reduced administrative workload and aid in support of business growth and change. There is much to gain from HSM techniques, and eMAM can show the way. 


Monday, May 14, 2012

An Efficient Way to Manage All your Digital Assets : A Review of eMAM™


Managing information such as audio, video, graphics, images, and documents in all their forms can be tricky when your company has a broad array of materials. It can be complicated to find the asset once you save it, as well as distribute it when you need to. It can also be difficult to have space to store it all whether you transfer it to digital or not. If like many organizations, you have thousands of assets, you might have a mountain of a problem on your hands when trying to best leverage all your information.
If your organization needs a way to manage your vast digital assets, as well as digitize those assets, then you probably want to review eMAM™.

Data conversion and storage

Empress Media Asset Management, LLC, founded in 2006, provides migration of tape based media to digital, digital asset management, cloud based digital data storage and mobile integration of that data to customers via eMAM™. eMAM allows users to migrate data from tapes and hard drives into a digital library that can be shared, and maintained by the customer through access via the web or as software housed on their own servers.
The service also offers live feed access, which can be converted into a variety of formats for embedding, or access via a wide range of connections. eMAM provides software for digital asset management, and cloud management, for mobile access. They can also assist with content distribution, aiding the customer in sending the digital media to any location specified, as well as make it available for download.

Digitizing, storing and distributing data

Anyone in the field of data management knows that preservation and access are the most important aspects of any kind of data management. Paper crumbles over time. Tape breaks down into chemicals and celluloid. Even digital media is only as stable as the server it is housed on. In other words, issues with keeping all kinds of data healthy, abound. With the technological breakthroughs in recent years, the push to digitize information and media has been strong. A paperless society is at our fingertips and eMAM is leading the way. The technology not only allows data to be migrated to more current media, but digitization allows for easier search and access options though search technology and tagging.
As tapes and paper start to degrade, the information contained within becomes unreadable and useless. Only recently, Sony announced that it was discontinuing manufacture of VHS tapes, with cassette tapes following soon after. As the media is no longer produced, the machines used to access them are also no longer produced. Just finding a VCR or tape player might mean a trip to Goodwill, rather than Radio Shack. For businesses and organizations with large collections of tapes, and “old-fashioned” media,  if their machine breaks, or if the media degrades, retrieval of the information is usually out of reach. Digitization of the media, converting the tapes, and other aging media before it breaks down is the best way to preserve the information.
Digitization also solves the problem of shrinking storage space. Many libraries are starting to embrace the eBook phenomenon due to this issue. Academic libraries are beginning to favor electronic academic journals over print versions for easier searchability. The fact that it will always be available to whoever needs access doesn’t hurt either. Multiple shelves of tapes, books and papers take up enormous space, while servers take up less space and store more information that is easier to find.
The biggest problem with digitization of tape and paper media is the time that must be spent to do it. Tapes must be allowed to play in real time, papers must be scanned, and all of this requires the time to do it. Few people have that kind of time, and few businesses have the manpower, thus they must employ digitization services. This is where eMAM steps in to fill that need.

eMAM was created for enterprise

If your business has large amounts of data that needs to be digitized, as well as stored for easy access then eMAM is for you. This service would best be used by companies and information management organizations, such as libraries, museums and foundations looking to convert records to digital format. The service allows virtually any quantity of data to be stored.
Organizations are learning the value of digitizing their data. Paying rent for real-estate to store physical goods just doesn’t make sense when the business can rent the service and the space to store these items digitally less expensively. Even as formats change, converting between two digital files is much easier than going from analog (tapes and paper) to digital, due to the man hours needed to physically handle the analog media.
Once something is in digital format, or originally created in digital format, conversion is a matter of pointing a computer to the file and allowing a program to work on the conversion. Furthermore, digital media, especially housed in the cloud, does not face the same risk of destruction due to the elements or accidental fires or floods. If your organization deals in information that must be preserved, you  need this service.

What can eMAM do for me?

eMAM will take your tapes, hard drives, media files, or even a live feed and transcode them into digital format and archive them on their servers. From there, the user can select how the media will be stored and distributed. The user can edit and manage the media within the server via secure access, and from there decide how the data will be arranged. eMAM allows for the data to be distributed via optical media, such as CD/DVD discs, embedding via the web and mobile access.
Customers have the option of licensing the software for management and access as well. This is useful especially for corporations that might have several people working on data maintenance for the company and need to collaborate on how that data appears and is used by their company. The service can also install its workflows module on your company’s systems as well.

The Basics: What does it look like?

The user can access the eMAM service via online portal, via eMAM Vault, or eMAM Enterprise. Every  interface is fairly monochrome and uncomplicated. Users can use it to search, edit and arrange their media fairly easily. Media can be tagged for easy search options, and the search feature allows for many different ways of searching, such as by content or date. Web browser access allows for content preview, including video in mobile browsers. The user can also arrange media in categories using a descending file system of their own making.
For groups with multiple users, the account holder can arrange user groups and access permissions, along with tracking and history. This feature is good for giving the user some idea of how the data is being processed and used. Users who are familiar with Windows filing systems and system windows should find the Director access program has a familiar feel.
Depending on whether you need a full on system, easy access, or a place to simply store your data will depend on what system you choose. The online system offers the ability to upload data in almost any type of format, and send content to many different devices such as Smartphones and tablets. You can brand and customize your experience in a multitude of ways. The eMAM Vault is a turnkey hard ware and software solution which offers media and entertainment companies or even churches and other non profits the ability to store large amounts of data for easy access and delivery. The enterprise solution offers everything you’ll need now and later for organizing all of your assets, as well as allowing you to share and send them to multiple places and you have the option to get the software, modular customized features that you can license or the entire system.

Pros and Cons

There’s very little to find at fault with a service that offers to digitize your media that would otherwise consume the time of a full time employee and make it available across platforms and on mobile devices as well. The ability to change and edit your metadata for searching and filing, to preview proxy files of your data, and arrange it as you need it is another plus. Cloud storage and access is a feature that will become standard in many services, making your data safe on remote servers, but also easily accessible from just about anywhere from many devices.
The only two downsides to eMAM™ is the lack of information about pricing, which is likely to be a bit high as are prices for most digital conversion services, and the lack of information on the website about certain types of digital conversions. However, when you consider the high cost of doing this in-house, the price isn’t that bad. (Not to mention the cost of real-estate to continue to store space clogging media that may become inaccessible through time.)
I talked via email with the COO, Mr. David S. Miller, who reports that prices vary depending on the services needed with the smallest offering well under 100,000 dollars and the software itself being around 50,000 dollars.. He also reports that certain print media, like newspapers, and film media such as microfilm can be converted to PDF, which removes a downside because many companies dating back into the 1950’s, libraries and archives, store information on microfilm, and conversion of this type of media would be extremely useful to these information organizations. Having that information digitized and searchable would be a great asset and offering this service makes it a great deal at almost any price as this information is invaluable.

Will it fit your budget?

The question you really need to ask yourself is this:  If I lose my documents and other data what are my assets worth? Certainly, this is not a service for a super small business, but for most midsized to large businesses with a lot of data to convert and store, the cost will be more than worth it. Consider the cost of converting data in-house, as well as the cost of storage. Not to mention, what it may be worth to your organization to be able to access information more easily. The main reason you have information is to use it, if it can’t be accessed and used, it’s worthless. eMAM offers a free trial of its web access and services, so that you can decide how useful it might be to your particular business.

Is it for you?

Depending on the nature of your data, and the need to preserve and access it, this service may be exactly what you need. To a business attempting to digitize their own media, especially tapes, be prepared to spend money on hardware and software for conversion, blank data discs or servers for storage and access, not to mention personnel time to have someone physically perform the conversion. For most organizations, completing this job will become the sole job description of a dedicated employee who will require a salary and benefits. In the long run, this service is likely the more cost effective option. eMAM also offers an enterprise solution that can be deployed to your server environment for added security behind your firewall.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

A Step Further- eMAM Integration with IBM LDAP


Many major organizations use LDAP to link staff and authorized computer system user information among various software systems so user data can be centrally controlled.   Our integration with LDAP means that user information need not be maintained separately in the eMAM system.
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) runs over TCP/IP, and is commonly used as a directory service for internet as well as, non-internet applications. IBM Directory Server offers LDAP, and eMAM is now integrated with IBM LDAP, for ease of security and efficient deployment of the system.
eMAM can use IBMLDAP to perform user authentication, and eMAM takes user properties from LDAP to provide the following benefits:

  • Security- Security on all levels of entry/exit/access to systems without the inconvenience of maintaining separate systems.
  • Centralized reporting- Centralized authentication servers are used so that users need to enter their existing credentials only once.
  • Reduced Cost- The system leads to cost reduction by lowering the number of calls to the IT help desk regarding passwords.
  • Reducing password fatigue- Password fatigue forces users to use the passwords that are not secure, and hence are vulnerable to cracking. The system reduces password fatigue from different user name and password combinations.
The aim of eMAM is to exceed customer’s expectations, and take their media asset management experience to a new level.

www.empressmam.com

eMAM Added support for frame accurate rough-cut and markers

Keeping up with technology trends, eMAM has incorporated frame-accurate rough cut video editing and video marking functionality using flash video through any standard web browser. Flash (FLV) files contain material viewable on most operating systems and web browser plugins.  Using Flash vp6, flv files offer high rates of compression and produce high quality videos for eMAM users.  The eMAM preview player uses flash video.   With the markers tab from the Director Interface, users can easily make marks and sub clips/rough cuts from any web interface.   The same functionality powers the partial restore feature.   Now this feature is fully frame-accurate.
Flash vp6t can be also be easily embedded in a webpage using our embed functionality..
eMAM now uses  Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), to become  a robust video player with t Progressive Download.
Using RTMP enables users to playback their media files even before the download is complete. This eliminates the delay caused by the downloading process while using eMAM, giving users a better experience, especially if the connection is slow.Files play quality from the user’s device will be  unaffected by bandwidth. 
By using RTMP, eMAM ensures persistent connection and low-latency communication. Another huge advantage of using this protocol is non-instantaneous playback of video, especially for long-duration content.
Empress Media Inc., is investing heavily on its eMAM solution and are in discussion with third party media streaming software providers in order to enrich its offerings

www.empressmam.com.