Update: I wanted to update this post to bring it to the attention of some new folks in the ProMAX world. So many of us are working remotely, and the technology is improving. In fact, ProMAX is about to release a new option that falls under the "User to User Sync" category that will simplify how editors connect their media. Keep your eye out for our big announcement.
Over the past couple of years, editors and production teams have had to adapt countless ways to get their work done in a remote and now hybrid world. Even though every team has different needs, workflows, and deliverables, most have settled on a relatively standard set of solutions that usually work for most groups. Today, we discuss five of the most widespread options we see in action: shipping drives, VPNs, the cloud, hardware remote control, and user-to-user sync. This is the state of the remote workflow at the beginning of 2023.
There are various ways to access video files remotely, each with pros and cons. Shipping drives, for example, is a relatively simple solution but can be expensive and time-consuming. VPNs can be a more efficient way to access files remotely, but speeds can be unreliable and may only be able to handle large files with timeouts and resets. Cloud-based solutions are becoming more popular but may be less secure and often don’t offer the same performance and long-term cost predictability as a dedicated server. Hardware remote control installations can be a good option for larger teams but may be more expensive and require more technical expertise to set up and maintain. Finally, user-to-user sync is a relatively simple solution but requires an upfront hardware cost and some end-user setup, but it has predictable speeds and costs.
What are the pros and cons of shipping drives instead of using the internet to transfer data? The upsides of shipping drives are that it is a “known quantity,” we all understand what we’re getting when we ship or receive a drive, and it is a fast way to get a large amount of data from one place to another. The downside is that it is relatively expensive. In addition, keeping track of all the different drives and the multiple versions of files that un-synced duplication inevitably creates can be extremely messy.
Key Points
You need to know that shipping drives are usually a fallback option when the data set is too big or a faster remote option has failed consistently or has difficulty with a particular type of data. It’s typically just one component of a larger workflow and is usually paired with different cloud options and other solutions.
They are moving on to VPNs, a way to connect to a private network remotely. The upsides of VPNs are that they are secure and allow access to a private (usually corporate) network from remote locations. However, the downside is that they are slow and unreliable, with file sizes common to video production.
Key Points
VPNs can be used for lightweight “push and pull” operations where file sizes are hundreds of megabytes or a few gigabytes. However, once you cross into file sizes greater than 2-3GB, stability and speed often work against you. It should be mentioned that some companies invest heavily in Firewall/VPN-related equipment and employ specialists who configure and maintain those networks. This can result in instances where their VPNs can be pretty fast and reliable. However, that is quite rare, and those network investments are typically designed to support hundreds or thousands of standard users vs. even a few video-heavy users.
Cloud storage is a way to store files online so they can be accessed from anywhere. Commonly seen implementations of this technology are Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive. Another more specialized version of cloud storage is known as “object storage” and is built to store data for custom application access. Lucid Link is worth special mention in this category as they are a video-centric cloud object storage service with unique pros and cons.
Key Points
Cloud storage can be simple to use, but most services are not designed for video-sized files, leading to issues with timeouts that require time-consuming restarts of significant transfers. Cloud storage is also expensive and unsuitable for storing substantial amounts of data long-term due to reoccurring costs.
Remote Control Workflows involve remote controlling a workstation from a completely different computer in another location using the internet. These solutions again come in two distinct flavors, software and hardware enabled. Most software solutions need to be faster for practical use in a production environment, while hardware-based solutions can be challenging to spec and deploy and are typically quite expensive. In addition, even when properly configured, there is no way to remove the latency between machines physically separated by miles of internet infrastructure. This (even minor) lag can be exceedingly frustrating for people who do creative work and are highly sensitive to the timing and responsiveness of their software.
Key Points
Remote control workstations are typically expensive, complicated to set up, and laggy compared to a local workstation.
At ProMAX, we believe that the best way to sync and manage your data is to use a 'user-to-user sync,' which allows people to share data between them without going through a cloud service. The benefit is that once the system is set up, it is simple and quick, with predictable costs. In addition, once set up, users don’t need to change their existing workflow as data is replicated into the same folder for each user simultaneously, just like if they were working on a shared drive in an office.
Key Points
The most crucial aspect is that sync allows data sharing between users without using a cloud service. This can be beneficial because it is often faster, less complex, and less expensive than a cloud service.
In discussing the state of remote access for video teams, we reviewed the pros and cons of various remote access methods, including shipping drives, VPNs, cloud options, remote control workstations, and sync options. We conclude that there is no perfect solution but that combining contingencies is often the best approach.
Key Points
As we continue to embrace remote and hybrid work, it’s no longer enough to be able to work remotely. Efficiencies, simplicity of use, and cost control of these remote solutions will become defining factors of success for production companies in the future. Simply put, companies that utilize remote workflows effectively will create and maintain a strategic advantage over their competitors who use them poorly.
For a deeper look into how ProMAX is helping remote video editing teams go to https://www.promax.com/solutionsandservices.