NAB: Isilon Nets Big Storage Deals
By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/16/2007 7:53:00 AM
Storage supplier Isilon is hitting NAB with two large network contracts already in its pocket.
The Seattle-based firm, which had a successful IPO last December, is announcing today that both NBC Universal and Discovery Communications will use the Isilon IQ clustered storage system to store reams of digital media content.
NBC Universal, which has used Isilon storage for sports production applications since the 2004 Olympics in Athens, has chosen Isilon IQ as its primary system to store and access its online archive of media programming including entertainment TV and production, movies, news, and sports. Isilon IQ will replace legacy digital data tape archive systems at NBC.
“It allows for a massively scalable container, and helps them put better content on-air faster,” says Isilon CEO Steve Goldman.
Under a multi-year deal, NBC Universal plans to deploy multiple Petabytes of Isilon IQ clustered storage in its main production and broadcast operations centers in Los Angeles and New York. NBC will also use Isilon IQ as a primary storage solution for its high-definition coverage of the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing.
Isilon is also announcing a contract with Discovery, which will use Isilon IQ as a central repository for media content. Installing Isilon will allow Discovery to consolidate video-on-demand and DVD content, as well as tape archive content, into a central pool of content that it will repurpose for multi-platform distribution using Anystream Agility software. Discover will also rely on Isilon’s SyncIQ replication software for disaster recovery purposes.
Goldman says that Isilon’s OEM (original equipment manufacturer) deal with Harris Broadcast , under which Harris resells Isilon storage bundled with its Nexio servers, has been very successful, as it has raised Isilon’s brand awareness and allowed it to leverage Harris’ extensive distribution network. He adds that Isilon may pursue other OEM deals as it looks to expand its footprint in the broadcast space.
“I see room for lots more partnerships,” says Goldman.
