Biscardi Creative Media Chooses Small Tree

Atlanta-based Biscardi Creative Media (BCM) was faced with a positive dilemma – an abundance of post-production projects, including three feature length documentaries and an episodic television series. With three edit suites each equipped with its own local storage, the challenge for BCM in taking on these projects was in successfully managing workflow efficiency. To ensure that project deadlines were met and client satisfaction maintained, Walt Biscardi, founder and president of BCM, installed a flexible and cost-effective shared storage solution to maximize his team’s productivity.

Biscardi, a 19 year veteran of broadcast and corporate video production, commissioned Bob Zelin, a respected independent video engineer with more than 30 years experience in the television industry, to assist with implementing new shared storage technology to improve his small post-production facility’s workflow. Zelin immediately recommended installing Small Tree‘s Edge-corE ES4524D 24-port Gigabit Ethernet switch and PEG4 4-port Ethernet card, a part of Small Tree’s new GraniteSTOR product line, to take advantage of the Ethernet connections already running across BCM’s three suites.

Before adding the shared storage, and bringing each suite’s iMac into play so the facility would have six Final Cut Pro workstations, Biscardi thought he would need to install Fibre Channel throughout his facility. Concerned by the cost associated with Fibre Channel – Biscardi estimates it would have cost him $45,000 to install, not including connecting the iMacs – Biscardi was amazed by the savings he would achieve by utilizing the Small Tree equipment as well as the results – running six real-time streams of compressed HD across Gigabit Ethernet.

When the installation was complete, BCM was set up with a 16TB shared storage array that cost a total of $20,000. The cost savings from installing the shared storage solution over Fibre Channel enabled Biscardi to purchase much-needed new HD monitors for the facility.

"Everybody’s focused on saving money now, so whether your facility is big or small, the shared storage technology from Small Tree is ideal for improving workflow and efficiency without breaking your budget," Biscardi said. "Additionally, you cannot overvalue their customer service and expert knowledge."

"As is typical when installing technology, we encountered a number of problems that needed to be worked through," Biscardi continued. "What wasn’t typical was how Small Tree handled these problems. Even though the problem wasn’t with their equipment, they took charge of making sure the problem was handled accordingly. So instead of asking that we call another vendor for help with that vendor’s equipment, Small Tree called them directly to come up with a solution. Without a doubt, Small Tree provides some of the best technical support in the industry."

Along with cost savings, one of the biggest benefits to this shared storage solution, according to Biscardi, is the system’s flexibility. If BCM needs more storage in the future, Biscardi simply needs to connect another chassis. This expandability is critical for new facilities or those looking to grow because you can start with two computers and a small array and then add more computers when necessary.