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Hitachi NAS Platform Makes the “A List” for Highly Successful Visual Effects
Studio Requiring Rapid, Secure Data Movement
SUCCESSSTORY
Soho VFX is responsible for bringing stellar-quality, photo-
realistic visual effects to the big screen for some of the most
popular superheroes and storybook characters. Behind the
scenes is a cadre of talented artists and industry-leading
technology. A clustered Hitachi NAS Platform 3090 supports this
talent and technology. It supplies 102TB of Tier 1 serial-attached
SCSI (SAS) and 37TB nearline storage to ensure swift and
reliable data movement and storage.
INDUSTRY
Communications: Media and Entertainment
(Visual Effects)
SOLUTION
File and Content
Hardware
Hitachi NAS Platform 3090
 Hitachi NAS Platform continues to evolve with us, which is
huge because work demand is higher, timelines diminish, and we’re
asked to do more in less time. Things are constantly changing and
this technology platform is able to handle it every time. 
Allan Magled
Founder and Partner
Soho VFX, Toronto, Ontario
Soho VFXFounded in 2002 by Allan Magled, Berj
Bannayan and Mike Mombourquette,
Soho VFX was quietly handling animation
assignments for the Sci-Fi Channel televi-
sion programs. The company soon landed
the Dr. Seuss full-length animated film,
“The Cat in the Hat,” and subsequently
a leading visual effects assignment on
Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four.” Then, every-
thing changed.
As its film credits and the number of artists
on staff increased, Soho VFX grew from
fledgling startup into a well-known visual
effects house. The company became
known for delivering world-class quality,
innovation and professionalism. Today,
Soho VFX is a full-service media house
for 3-D animation and compositing, and
employs approximately 100 full-time staff
to manage its project workloads. The list
of credits for its visual effects is long and
impressive. Among the many standouts
are: “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”; “The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch
and the Wardrobe”; “The Twilight Saga:
Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and Part 2”; and
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” for 20th
Century Fox. The Studio’s current projects
slated for theatrical release in 2013 and
2014 include “47 Ronin”, “Robocop”, “The
Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, and “Jack the
Giant Slayer” for Warner Brothers, which is
a modern-day fairytale complete with the
hero, a giant and a princess.
A NAS Hero for Modern-Day
Data Movement
Outstanding business success led Soho
VFX to revisit its existing data storage
infrastructure. “When you start a com-
pany, there are things you know and so
many things you realize you don’t know
until you are juggling multiple project
deadlines. We got really, really busy after
SUCCESS STORY
the Narnia project. Our storage setup was
no longer ideal for how we needed to render,
process and store data. We did research, and
had some trial and error, before finding a great
solution with BlueArc,” says Magled.
To support its busy media workflow require-
ments, Soho VFX chose a single clustered
2-node BlueArc Mercury 110, now called
Hitachi NAS Platform 3090. Many companies
in the communications, media and entertain-
ment industry have turned to network attached
storage (NAS) to support the heavy bandwidth
requirements of production data and modern-
ize media workflows over networks. Capable
of instant connectivity using Ethernet over IP,
NAS systems can allow for faster file transfers,
retrievals and downloads.
The system was originally configured for
18TB of storage, which has been expanded
over time to handle the growth needs. At
present, the NAS system has 102TB of
SAS drives on Tier 1 to manage the main
production projects, and 37TB of SATA
drives for nearline storage for offloading
secondary elements of production.
Innovation at the Highest
Levels With Hitachi NAS
Platform
Today, BlueArc systems and technologies
are part of the Hitachi NAS Platform (HNAS)
family of products. The HNAS family provides
scalable, tiered network storage with FPGA-
based hardware-accelerated architecture
to meet highest performance and reliability
requirements. With very high data throughput
and IOPS, simplified network storage man-
agement, and built-in intelligence, HNAS helps
firms achieve lower total cost of ownership
with improved productivity and efficiency.
“From the very beginning, BlueArc was really
good to us. We were a small company and
the folks there genuinely seemed to care
about meeting our needs. We transitioned to
Hitachi Data Systems with the same quality of
support and reliability,” Magled says.
Soho VFX is also managing server virtu-
alization via a 3-server VMware vSphere
implementation and several VMware EXS
Servers, approximately 25 server instances
in total. Currently, the majority of these
server instances are run off the NFS back
end provided by the HNAS cluster. Hitachi
NAS Platform 3090 delivers best-in-class
performance and scalability, a centrally
managed storage pool, and increased
utilization and productivity. Using NFS in a
vSphere environment can simplify manage-
ment, especially as the number of virtual
machines distributed across multiple ESX
hosts grows.
 From an IT perspective, Hitachi has given us rock-solid,
high-end NAS performance that is managed and monitored
through an easy-to-use Web interface and backed by what
I consider the best support in the industry. 
Todd Smith
Head of Information Technology
Soho VFX, Toronto, Ontario
These images were created by Soho VFX for the movie, “Jack the Giant Slayer”, released by Warner Brothers, 2013.
3
“From an IT perspective, BlueArc has given
us rock-solid, high-end NAS performance
that is managed and monitored through
an easy-to-use Web interface. It has trans-
formed what was once a dedicated position
in the company into a manageable task for
an IT employee, even at scale,” adds Todd
Smith, head of information technology at
Soho VFX.
Fast, Reliable Data Movement
From a data management concern, Soho
VFX no longer worries about taking on too
many projects. “It’s not about how many
projects we’re doing, it’s more about how
much work we do on each film project, and
the complexity of that work. For example,
with ‘Jack the Giant Slayer,’ we are doing a
massive amount of visual effects work. To
be successful at this level, we have to be
able to move the data around. Data must
be readily available constantly, throughout
the making of the film. We need to have it
stored in a central location where everyone
can securely and instantly access it. As we
take on more work, we’re always storing
more, adding more. As movies become
bigger, the layers get larger. We have more
frames, more elements, and it truly comes
down to effectively moving and storing the
data assets,” explains Magled.
Soho VFX is considering another HNAS in
the near future for a collocation site to handle
backups. Smith mentions that he expects
to take advantage of BlueArc JetMirror soft-
ware for high-speed replication of production
data and fast failover in the event of disaster.
Because the BlueArc file system is object
based, all file system structures, metadata
and user data are stored as related objects.
BlueArc JetMirror uses native replication of
these object blocks to efficiently speed the
replication process, rather than having to
gather the separate objects associated with
a file before transfer.
“Hitachi NAS Platform continues to evolve
with us, which is huge because work
demand is higher, timelines diminish, and
we’re asked to do more in less time. Things
are constantly changing and this technology
platform is able to handle it every time,”
Magled finishes.
Innovation is the engine of change,
and information is its fuel. Innovate
intelligently to lead your market, grow
your company, and change the world.
Manage your information with
Hitachi Data Systems.
www.hds.com/innovate
A Look Ahead
Looking to keep innovating at the highest
levels in the industry, Soho VFX is consid-
ering how to also evolve internally. Magled
anticipates that industry expectations and
competition will continue to climb. He and
the rest of the Soho VFX team are confident
that HNAS will meet new challenges, too.
Corporate Headquarters
2845 Lafayette Street
Santa Clara, CA 96050-2639 USA
www.HDS.com
Regional Contact Information
Americas: +1 408 970 1000 or info@hds.com
Europe, Middle East and Africa: +44 (0) 1753 618000 or info.emea@hds.com
Asia Pacific: +852 3189 7900 or hds.marketing.apac@hds.com
© Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2013. All rights reserved. HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. Innovate With Information is a trademark or registered
trademark of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. All other trademarks, service marks, and company names are properties of their respective owners.
Notice: This document is for informational purposes only, and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning any equipment or service offered or to be offered by
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation.
SS-429-A DG February 2013

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Hitachi NAS Platform Makes the A List for Highly Successful Visual Effects Studio Requiring Rapid, Secure Data Movement

  • 1. Hitachi NAS Platform Makes the “A List” for Highly Successful Visual Effects Studio Requiring Rapid, Secure Data Movement SUCCESSSTORY Soho VFX is responsible for bringing stellar-quality, photo- realistic visual effects to the big screen for some of the most popular superheroes and storybook characters. Behind the scenes is a cadre of talented artists and industry-leading technology. A clustered Hitachi NAS Platform 3090 supports this talent and technology. It supplies 102TB of Tier 1 serial-attached SCSI (SAS) and 37TB nearline storage to ensure swift and reliable data movement and storage. INDUSTRY Communications: Media and Entertainment (Visual Effects) SOLUTION File and Content Hardware Hitachi NAS Platform 3090  Hitachi NAS Platform continues to evolve with us, which is huge because work demand is higher, timelines diminish, and we’re asked to do more in less time. Things are constantly changing and this technology platform is able to handle it every time. Allan Magled Founder and Partner Soho VFX, Toronto, Ontario Soho VFXFounded in 2002 by Allan Magled, Berj Bannayan and Mike Mombourquette, Soho VFX was quietly handling animation assignments for the Sci-Fi Channel televi- sion programs. The company soon landed the Dr. Seuss full-length animated film, “The Cat in the Hat,” and subsequently a leading visual effects assignment on Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four.” Then, every- thing changed. As its film credits and the number of artists on staff increased, Soho VFX grew from fledgling startup into a well-known visual effects house. The company became known for delivering world-class quality, innovation and professionalism. Today, Soho VFX is a full-service media house for 3-D animation and compositing, and employs approximately 100 full-time staff to manage its project workloads. The list of credits for its visual effects is long and impressive. Among the many standouts are: “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”; “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe”; “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and Part 2”; and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” for 20th Century Fox. The Studio’s current projects slated for theatrical release in 2013 and 2014 include “47 Ronin”, “Robocop”, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, and “Jack the Giant Slayer” for Warner Brothers, which is a modern-day fairytale complete with the hero, a giant and a princess. A NAS Hero for Modern-Day Data Movement Outstanding business success led Soho VFX to revisit its existing data storage infrastructure. “When you start a com- pany, there are things you know and so many things you realize you don’t know until you are juggling multiple project deadlines. We got really, really busy after
  • 2. SUCCESS STORY the Narnia project. Our storage setup was no longer ideal for how we needed to render, process and store data. We did research, and had some trial and error, before finding a great solution with BlueArc,” says Magled. To support its busy media workflow require- ments, Soho VFX chose a single clustered 2-node BlueArc Mercury 110, now called Hitachi NAS Platform 3090. Many companies in the communications, media and entertain- ment industry have turned to network attached storage (NAS) to support the heavy bandwidth requirements of production data and modern- ize media workflows over networks. Capable of instant connectivity using Ethernet over IP, NAS systems can allow for faster file transfers, retrievals and downloads. The system was originally configured for 18TB of storage, which has been expanded over time to handle the growth needs. At present, the NAS system has 102TB of SAS drives on Tier 1 to manage the main production projects, and 37TB of SATA drives for nearline storage for offloading secondary elements of production. Innovation at the Highest Levels With Hitachi NAS Platform Today, BlueArc systems and technologies are part of the Hitachi NAS Platform (HNAS) family of products. The HNAS family provides scalable, tiered network storage with FPGA- based hardware-accelerated architecture to meet highest performance and reliability requirements. With very high data throughput and IOPS, simplified network storage man- agement, and built-in intelligence, HNAS helps firms achieve lower total cost of ownership with improved productivity and efficiency. “From the very beginning, BlueArc was really good to us. We were a small company and the folks there genuinely seemed to care about meeting our needs. We transitioned to Hitachi Data Systems with the same quality of support and reliability,” Magled says. Soho VFX is also managing server virtu- alization via a 3-server VMware vSphere implementation and several VMware EXS Servers, approximately 25 server instances in total. Currently, the majority of these server instances are run off the NFS back end provided by the HNAS cluster. Hitachi NAS Platform 3090 delivers best-in-class performance and scalability, a centrally managed storage pool, and increased utilization and productivity. Using NFS in a vSphere environment can simplify manage- ment, especially as the number of virtual machines distributed across multiple ESX hosts grows.  From an IT perspective, Hitachi has given us rock-solid, high-end NAS performance that is managed and monitored through an easy-to-use Web interface and backed by what I consider the best support in the industry.  Todd Smith Head of Information Technology Soho VFX, Toronto, Ontario These images were created by Soho VFX for the movie, “Jack the Giant Slayer”, released by Warner Brothers, 2013.
  • 3. 3 “From an IT perspective, BlueArc has given us rock-solid, high-end NAS performance that is managed and monitored through an easy-to-use Web interface. It has trans- formed what was once a dedicated position in the company into a manageable task for an IT employee, even at scale,” adds Todd Smith, head of information technology at Soho VFX. Fast, Reliable Data Movement From a data management concern, Soho VFX no longer worries about taking on too many projects. “It’s not about how many projects we’re doing, it’s more about how much work we do on each film project, and the complexity of that work. For example, with ‘Jack the Giant Slayer,’ we are doing a massive amount of visual effects work. To be successful at this level, we have to be able to move the data around. Data must be readily available constantly, throughout the making of the film. We need to have it stored in a central location where everyone can securely and instantly access it. As we take on more work, we’re always storing more, adding more. As movies become bigger, the layers get larger. We have more frames, more elements, and it truly comes down to effectively moving and storing the data assets,” explains Magled. Soho VFX is considering another HNAS in the near future for a collocation site to handle backups. Smith mentions that he expects to take advantage of BlueArc JetMirror soft- ware for high-speed replication of production data and fast failover in the event of disaster. Because the BlueArc file system is object based, all file system structures, metadata and user data are stored as related objects. BlueArc JetMirror uses native replication of these object blocks to efficiently speed the replication process, rather than having to gather the separate objects associated with a file before transfer. “Hitachi NAS Platform continues to evolve with us, which is huge because work demand is higher, timelines diminish, and we’re asked to do more in less time. Things are constantly changing and this technology platform is able to handle it every time,” Magled finishes. Innovation is the engine of change, and information is its fuel. Innovate intelligently to lead your market, grow your company, and change the world. Manage your information with Hitachi Data Systems. www.hds.com/innovate A Look Ahead Looking to keep innovating at the highest levels in the industry, Soho VFX is consid- ering how to also evolve internally. Magled anticipates that industry expectations and competition will continue to climb. He and the rest of the Soho VFX team are confident that HNAS will meet new challenges, too.
  • 4. Corporate Headquarters 2845 Lafayette Street Santa Clara, CA 96050-2639 USA www.HDS.com Regional Contact Information Americas: +1 408 970 1000 or info@hds.com Europe, Middle East and Africa: +44 (0) 1753 618000 or info.emea@hds.com Asia Pacific: +852 3189 7900 or hds.marketing.apac@hds.com © Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2013. All rights reserved. HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. Innovate With Information is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. All other trademarks, service marks, and company names are properties of their respective owners. Notice: This document is for informational purposes only, and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning any equipment or service offered or to be offered by Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. SS-429-A DG February 2013