At the heart of Dubai’s bustling media scene, Blinx is setting a new standard for digital storytelling. On a daily basis, they upload thousands of media files to an on-premise storage infrastructure and produce around 50 pieces of content in their NDI-based studio. But the team faced a critical challenge: their existing media storage solution couldn’t keep pace with the demands of their high-volume 4K video production workflow.
They needed a fast, reliable, and scalable shared storage solution that aligned with their vision for the future. That’s when they turned to EVO, and they never looked back.
High-performance Storage And Workflow For 4K Video Editing
“Before implementing EVO, we faced performance challenges with our old video production storage,” said Basel Al Rouh at Blinx. “Particularly during peak usage, multiple users accessing our on-premise storage system or working with large project files would slow everything down.”
“We needed a high-performance, post-production storage solution that could handle our growing volume of media assets, maintain consistent speed, and support a larger number of concurrent users without bottlenecks. EVO’s speed and ability to support heavy workloads were critical in addressing this need.”
While one of the primary factors in choosing EVO was its ability to deliver high total throughput and superior read/write speeds, system reliability was equally important to Blinx. They didn’t just need the fastest shared storage, but the most reliable storage for 4K video production.
Al Rouh explained: “In the past, when we experienced a disk failure with our previous storage system, the rebuilding process caused severe degradation in performance, rendering the storage almost inaccessible during that period. We needed a system that could maintain stability and functionality even during disk rebuilds. EVO offered the resilience we were looking for.”
Scalable Storage For Media Teams
Affordability was another decisive factor. Blinx needed to triple their online storage capacity—and improve performance—without breaking the bank.
With EVO, Blinx could increase their 4K video storage capacity at a fraction of the cost of other options they considered. Not only did they increase on-premise storage capacity by 300%, they also improved their entire post-production workflow, all at an affordable price. EVO’s scalable architecture allows Blinx to easily add capacity as their needs continue to evolve, ensuring a cost-effective solution for today and well into the future.
Interested in SNS EVO shared storage to improve your video workflow? Get a quote today.
Favorite EVO Features
While performance, reliability, and affordability won them over initially, there are many features that Blinx appreciates now that they use their EVO shared storage solution on a daily basis. EVO’s user-friendly administration is one of them.
“EVO stands out for its beautiful and easy-to-use management interface, which makes it easy to monitor and control storage resources without needing extensive technical expertise. We can quickly scale storage, manage user access, and maintain high performance. This simplifies day-to-day operations and keeps our team focused on production,” Al Rouh added.
“Additionally, EVO’s file transfer tool, Slingshot, has proven to be extremely useful for automating file transfers and streamlining our workflow. It allows us to automatically move large amounts of data efficiently across different storage systems.”
Compatibility Matters
From cameras to operating systems, EVO works with everything in Blinx’s forward-thinking studio.
“Another notable feature of EVO is the easy access from different operating systems,” Al Rouh continued. “Our team uses macOS and our servers are mainly Linux. EVO’s cross-platform compatibility ensures that everyone can collaborate seamlessly without the need for additional software or complex configurations.”
“While we work with various file types, all of our production is in 4K, and our infrastructure is entirely NDI-based, allowing us to handle video over IP with low latency and high-quality output. In terms of equipment, we utilize cinematic cameras, which align perfectly with our vision as a cutting-edge digital platform targeting Gen Z and youth audiences. Additionally, we have implemented an XR (extended reality) setup to enhance our production capabilities.” EVO’s widespread compatibility is important as Blinx continues to push the boundaries of digital storytelling in the Middle East and North Africa.
Recommendation For The Best Shared Storage
Given Blinx’s demands for performance, scalability, affordability, advanced features, and compatibility, they turned to their trusted local distributor, MediaCast, for guidance. “We worked closely with Blinx to understand their requirements, recommend EVO, and provide the expertise and local support needed for its implementation,” said Bala Menon, Sales Director at MediaCast. “This collaboration was key to ensuring EVO was the perfect fit for Blinx’s needs, surpassing other solutions under consideration.”
For Blinx, EVO has been essential in supporting production demands and continued growth. “If you’re considering SNS products and services, I highly recommend them based on our experience at Blinx,” said Al Rouh. “EVO has proven to be an effective choice, providing the reliability and speed we require to maintain productivity and streamline our workflows. And the SNS support team has been excellent, providing us with reliable advice and assistance whenever needed, which further adds to the value of the system.”
Schedule an EVO demo today to see how the high-performance, scalable storage solution can accelerate your demanding media workflow.