The Frontline Club Uses MatrixStore From Object Matrix

Object Matrix has supplied Paddington, London, UK-based charity The Frontline Club with its disk-based archive solution, MatrixStore. The multi-purpose data protection solution provides a secure archive for the club’s 40 year archive of content shot by journalists on the frontline of the worlds most dangerous conflict zones.

Access to this historical and important content is limited in its current tape based format and longevity has also proved a concern.

Vaughan Smith, Journalist and Founder of The Frontline Club stated:" With the tapes reaching the end of their life and with limited financial resources I needed to find a hard disk solution that was robust enough to protect this unique archive into the future. MatrixStore’s data self- healing is an overwhelmingly impressive feature and I wasn’t prepared to trust hard disks without it."

"In a largely Apple Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Server workflow, the MatrixStore cluster will act as a central repository for the clips making them accessible from every desktop in the club and eventually allowing us to share the content with the wider world through a web interface", added Vaughan.

With assistance from post-production consultant, Jonathan Eric Tyrrell, and Object Matrix the Frontline Club is beginning the process of digitising and protecting clips that may not have been seen or used in 20 years. Jonathan remarked the project, An increasing number of organisations require a system to manage digital media archives. For some these assets are the backbone of the organisation and provide a source of income. The archive at the Frontline Club has a deeper importance, these are stories gathered at the risk of very real peril – ask Vaughan to show you the mobile phone that saved his life. It’s also special because the voices are independent and offer a different perspective on the events that shape our lives. In that respect their value cannot be underestimated. The Final Cut Server and MatrixStore solution is a good fit for The Frontline Club and will ensure the work of the members will be both accessible and secure for generations.

The solution installed at Frontline Club consists of a three node MatrixStore cluster and Object Matrix client tools that ensure the integrity of data stored and self healing in the case of component failure. Extra storage can be added by adding a few components. The MatrixStore provides users with a keyword search tool to search through stored material and metadata. The scalable nature of The MatrixStore makes it the solution for today’s digital workflows.

Nick Pearce, co-founder of Object Matrix, commented:" From our first meeting with Vaughan we knew we wanted to work with both himself and the club. We built MatrixStore to enable organisations big and small to manage their content effectively with very little management. Vaughan does not have the resources nor the time to manage terabytes so he chose MatrixStore to do that for him. We look forward to working closely with the Frontline Club in the future and contributing to its ongoing success."