Dominic Harland, CEO of GB Labs, on Revolutionizing Media Storage Solutions Ahead of IBC 2024

NebulaNAS is GB Labs' game-changing cloud storage solution. It provides users with cloud flexibility, on-prem-like performance, global access and collaboration, and enterprise security. Designed by media professionals exclusively for production use, NebulaNAS helps organizations be more efficient and manage costs more effectively due to the solution’s increased workflow flexibility, massive scalability, minimal training requirements, and global collaboration capabilities. NebulaNAS is unique in several ways:

Media Centricity — NebulaNAS was developed by media professionals for media professionals. Its file system is uniquely designed to support third-party asset management applications and editorial and effects workflows, regardless of file size, format, or bit rate. By managing and serving up only the pieces of a file the artists and editors are using instead of the whole thing, the NebulaNAS file system supports ultrafast media access regardless of where the file and user are located. This is NebulaNAS’ special sauce.

Cloud Flexibility — Based on this unique media-driven file system, NebulaNAS operates from a distributed cloud storage architecture, giving users the flexibility inherent in cloud solutions. Instead of being locked into on-prem storage or enduring a never-ending cycle of forklift upgrades, media companies can rely on NebulaNAS to grow as their requirements grow. NebulaNAS can also interoperate with GB Labs on-prem storage and NVMe, so creatives can mount drives locally and from the cloud, mirroring existing work styles.

Local Performance — To end users and administrators, NebulaNAS resembles an on-premises NAS solution with three critical differences. First, artists and editors interact with NebulaNAS regardless of their location. Files are instantly available; people simply mount drives and experience local performance. Second, users can collaborate on the same content concurrently as if they were in the same office. Finally, end-users continue using their customary creative and management applications as they always have; there is little learning curve for using NebulaNAS.

Global Collaboration — NebulaNAS supports users working in an office, from home, in a hotel room, on location, and even from a plane. They access only the parts of the file they need, and because of this unique capability, multiple users can collaborate and access the same parts of the file. NebulaNAS manages the latest interaction, ensuring only one version of the content is maintained in the cloud.

Enterprise Security — NebulaNAS uses several different types of security. First, it runs on a distributed cloud environment, spreading bits of data files across thousands of servers. This dramatically improves performance and resiliency, ensuring work can continue even if a server experiences an outage. NebulaNAS provides 11 nines of uptime. Second, it maintains file access and credential control regardless of the user’s location. Third, AES 256-bit encryption protects files in flight and rest. Administrators can wipe files remotely even if a user is not connected to the system. Finally, the NebulaNAS audit management system maintains historical data showing who interacted with which files, when, and from what location.

Broadcasters will continue to embrace cloud technology for its flexibility, lower cost of ownership, and financial and operating models. Speed and agility will continue to define requirements, as no one can afford to stay invested in or maintain static and unbending workflows. We will also see continued use of workers far from newsrooms or broadcast and production facilities. Sports, news, and live events are occurring at a breakneck pace, meaning broadcasters must deploy solutions that enable their ever-changing workflow requirements.

GB Labs is pioneering cloud-based storage that users can operate as if it were on-premises storage. This means it is easy to deploy, expand, ultrafast, and ultra secure—all critical elements broadcasters need.

On-prem storage is not keeping up with changes in the media production industry. The creative team works from home or any number of other places ... and clients want to view content remotely. Artists and editors, regardless of location, must be able to access content from anywhere and work with anyone at a moment’s notice. Supporting creative collaboration has never been more challenging. Productions are shooting more and more content, and keeping track of it is more complicated. Securing content is more critical than ever, especially for film, TV, and streaming content.

At the same time, deadlines have no wiggle room, so reliability is paramount. Because budgets are always stretched thin, the solution must be affordable. It also has to be easy enough for everyone to use. No one can afford to spend weeks learning new solutions.

Those are just the challenges NebulaNAS was built to solve.

NebulaNAS is a low-risk, media-designed cloud storage solution for organizations dealing with rapid change in their operations. It is future-proofed for tomorrow’s needs and can support dozens of formats, workflows, and applications. It was designed by media professionals who focus exclusively on media production and will not break the bank or come with many financial and operational surprises once installed. It also provides the ease of use that users expect, such as simply mounting a local drive.

NebulaNAS secure cloud storage is accessible from anywhere in the world. Editorial and VFX teams can work from anywhere as if they were all in the same room. NebulaNAS is unique because anyone can start a project at the office, close it down, go home or to another location, mount the volume, and start working again without relinking or fear of working with out-of-date files—no uploading to/downloading from VPNs, proxies, or websites. Producers can also bring on freelancers who live in any location and get them working with the media rapidly and securely without needing to ship a drive.

Because we’re just launching NebulaNAS, it’s a little too early for case studies, but we have received great feedback from our beta testers on the product’s performance and flexibility.

Sustainability is very important to us as we go through our design process. Let me give you just a couple of examples of how we support environmental responsibility. NebulaNAS was designed from the ground up to support near real-time collaboration. Since users, regardless of location, can work together, you do not need to copy and maintain multiple files or send them out for distribution. Needless to say, file duplication reduces storage capacity and the power required to support larger disk capacity. This is not just 1:1 savings; most media organizations make at least three copies of content, so we generate 3x savings in storage and power in the most practical measurements. I could also highlight our efficient file management capabilities, ability to reuse on-prem compatible storage systems, and smart cashing capabilities, all leading to more efficient and sustainable storage solutions.

GB Labs Stand 7.A09a in the Hall 7 GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Pavilion