SVG Sit-Down: LH Computer Services’ Doug Cole on Addressing the Growing, Evolving Demands for Storage

As storage needs increase, where media lives and when it moves becomes more important

Doug Cole, president, LH Computer Services, a value-added reseller of video-storage solutions, sat down with SVG to discuss how storage requirements have changed throughout the sports-production industry, from collegiate programs to the major leagues; how today’s solutions can address those needs; and what questions should be asked today to ensure storage ecosystems are prepared for tomorrow.

LH Computer Services’ Doug Cole: “Teams are definitely planning for their future 4K, 8K, and beyond.”

LH Computer Services may not be a familiar name to many. Give us an overview of what you do and what differentiates you from other resellers as well as dealing direct with storage manufacturers.
LH Computer Services has been in business over 30 years providing enterprise-class, high-performance, reliable, scalable, and affordable storage solutions to support the evolving needs for media workflows. We provide white-glove support before, during, and after any implementation. We have outstanding reference customers in both the NBA, NCAA, NHL, and MLB Networks.

Give us some examples of the work that you’ve done in the sports industry.
LH Computer Services has provided and supported storage solutions for full workflows at the Miami Heat, Duke Blue Devil Network, Middle Tennessee State University, and more.

We spoke a few years ago just as the country was coming out of the COVID pandemic. That period saw a massive increase in storage needs. What have you seen since that time that has changed how organizations address their storage needs?
Workflows and remote editors/users play a much bigger role since COVID. While many organizations are now back in their respective facilities, it’s still necessary.

IP-based production has grown rapidly in sports and other industries, such as houses of worship. What have you seen in the shift from SDI to IP?
With the increased speeds of IP going into 10 Gb/25 Gb and beyond, IP workflows are becoming much more common.

High-performance storage solution from LH Computer Services at work

Obviously, as time marches forward, the amount of content that needs to be stored increases. Has there been a shift in when media moves from online to nearline storage?
Nearline storage is becoming best practice as storage needs grow. Teams may keep the current year of video on faster storage for immediate needs and then slide to nearline and/or LTO tape or object storage for long-term archiving. Managing this workflow under one pane of glass is important.

For your existing clients, have you seen a change in how often and how much additional storage they need to add?
With teams shooting in 4K and 8K, the video-storage needs are growing and at a fast rate. Hard-drive sizes and LTO tape-density capacity has helped support the growth.

What would you say is the ratio of storage solutions being sold for HD vs. 4K, or are folks buying for their potential 4K future?
Teams are definitely planning for their future 4K, 8K, and beyond. Faster storage on the frontend, including SSD and NVMe, has helped keep up with the demanding speeds required. High-capacity nearline SAS drives still play a key part of the nearline-storage workflow.

There are more choices for storage than ever. How has that impacted the systems that you design and install?
I agree that there are many options to choose from when architecting storage workflows. We like to keep with our core vendors that provide performance, reliability, and scalability coupled with great pricing and, most important, outstanding support.

What considerations should an organization make today with regards to its storage requirements?
Reliability and overall TCO is ultra-important, along with affordability. LH Computer Services is a small business and offers great pricing and long-term white-glove support.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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