Customer Story, Data Protection

ABOOK Studio: From Data Disasters to Creative Peace of Mind

Taipei-based ABOOK STUDIO chose iodyne Pro Data to protect precious assets and boost post-production efficiency by 50%.

This customer success story is the courtesy of our reselling partner, GETOP. To read it in Chinese, click here.

The Team: A premier studio committed to excellence

In the vibrant landscape of Taiwan’s visual arts and commercial photography, ABOOK Studio, expertly led by the talented Joshua Lin (林炳存), has earned a stellar reputation as a “Titan of Fashion Photography” and “Master of Visual Arts.” With a passion for creating stunning commercials, music videos (MVs), and print media visuals, the studio partners with top domestic and international artists as well as prestigious global brands. Director Lin consistently shapes the visual aesthetics of our times.
 
To exceed client expectations, ABOOK Studio utilizes state-of-the-art cameras like ARRI, RED, and Blackmagic, delivering breathtaking ProRes footage in resolutions up to 8K. However, while striving for artistic brilliance, the studio also navigates challenges in post-production storage performance and data security.

The Challenge: Overcoming data safety bottlenecks and nightmarish losses

Before adopting iodyne Pro Data, ABOOK Studio relied on traditional RAID arrays paired with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) as their primary storage solution. Director Lin recalls, “We often hit bottlenecks in post-production, especially when editing and color grading with DaVinci Resolve 19.”
 
“Loading footage took ages, high-resolution playback stuttered, and the software struggled during multi-track editing or when applying complex effects. Real-time preview during color grading was impossible, not to mention the lengthy rendering and transcoding times.”
However, what kept the team up at night was the critical issue of data security. “For us, data safety is our number one priority!” emphasized Director Lin. Painful past experiences remain vivid: one hard drive failure resulted in the loss of 30 years’ worth of irreplaceable precious footage – even after spending a fortune on recovery, only half was retrieved. Another chilling incident occurred right after the actors left the studio, when the crew discovered a hard drive failure that destroyed the freshly shot work.
 

“These experiences taught us that simply chasing large capacity or low prices is far from enough.”

That’s why, even after evaluating budget-friendly, high-capacity NAS options, they strategically focused on solutions that prioritize data integrity above all else.

Searching for the right storage solution: A commitment to security and performance

After suffering devastating data losses, ABOOK Studio was extremely rigorous in searching for a new storage solution, putting data security as the highest priority. iodyne Pro Data’s end-to-end AES-XTS-256 hardware encryption and enterprise-level data protection mechanisms like RAID-6 perfectly met their stringent practical security requirements, providing the desperately needed assurance after multiple data disasters. Furthermore, the optional Pro Data Power Converter combined with PAGlink batteries, seamlessly supplied power during outages to ensure safe data writing and proper shutdown, effectively acts as a built-in UPS function, adding another critical layer of protection for data security.
 
But security alone didn’t meet all their needs. For the ABOOK Studio team, working with 4K and 8K ProRes footage required a solution that also delivered outstanding performance. Enter Pro Data, utilizing advanced NVMe over Thunderbolt technology. This cutting-edge approach guarantees exceptional access speeds and facilitates multi-client collaboration, making it the ideal choice for real-time editing and color grading. Unlike traditional NAS solutions that can be constrained by network speeds, Pro Data shone in high-speed applications, promising significant enhancements for their workflow.
 
Ultimately, the unique combination of top-tier security and extreme performance made iodyne Pro Data the clear choice for ABOOK Studio’s Mac Studio and DaVinci Resolve setup. Director Lin shares:
 
“The enterprise-level protection from Pro Data gives us incredible peace of mind, and its impressive performance convinced us it could genuinely keep pace with our increasingly high-spec projects.”

Post-production, transformed: A Working Drive that improved efficiency by 50%

ABOOK studio designated Pro Data as their primary high-speed online Working Drive in their post-production workflow, which is centered around a Mac Studio running DaVinci Resolve 19. They currently configure Pro Data with a RAID-6 Container. Through iodyne’s unique Transactional RAID-6 technology, data and parity information are transparently and intelligently distributed across all 12 internal NVMe M.2 SSDs. This setup not only ensures outstanding data security but also makes maintenance a breeze by automatically signaling when modules need replacement. Additionally, Pro Data’s flexibility allows them to create a separate RAID-0 container Scratch Disk, on the same unit, for maximum read/write speeds for specific tasks as needed.
 
The impact is instant.
 
“The most direct feeling is just ‘Fast!'”
Ching, Senior Editor at ABOOK Studio says, “Whether it’s loading footage, high-resolution playback, multi-track editing, or color grading, everything has become incredibly smooth. Especially the export speed – compared to before, overall work efficiency has increased by at least 50%!”

Measuring twice, buying once: A strategic move for a busy studio.

What truly impressed ABOOK Studio was Pro Data’s outstanding durability and sustained performance. iodyne’s professional-grade RAID technology dramatically reduces Write Amplification—a critical factor affecting SSD lifespan. This means it can last up to ten times longer than standard consumer SSDs, which is fantastic news for film and television post-production that involves repeated read/write operations. Unlike many external SSDs that may suffer performance degradation (throttling) under heavy load, Pro Data provides stable high-speed throughput 24/7, even during the most intensive workloads. The result? A lower total cost of ownership and significantly greater reliability.
 
“This is clearly a game-changer in the realm of storage, plagued by short lifespan, and single-use solutions. Pro Data delivers security and speed that remain reliable even under prolonged, demanding use.”
Moreover, Pro Data’s built-in automatic health monitoring system keeps an eye on the status and lifespan of all M.2 SSDs. Users can opt to connect to the iodyne Cloud service, which proactively provides reminders and even orders replacement modules when needed. This smart preventive maintenance management eliminates the need to constantly worry about hardware status, allowing teams to focus on what they do best—focusing on the creative process!
 
Currently, Pro Data plays a core role in the post-production stage for ABOOK. Looking ahead, Director Lin also expressed great anticipation for Pro Mini. Its portability will enable them to bring iodyne’s high performance and security to the shooting location, a more complete and secure workflow from pre-production through post-production.

The takeaway: What truly drives a top-tier production is high-efficiency and peace of mind.

Director Lin emphasizes the remarkable transformation iodyne Pro Data has brought to ABOOK Studio. The “peace of mind” we now enjoy comes from its robust, multi-layered data protection— from encryption, RAID, access control, to health monitoring. This solution has freed us from the worries of past data losses. Additionally, “significant efficiency gains” allow our team to spend less time on technical delays and more time embracing the art.
 
This not only substantially optimizes project timelines and costs but, more importantly, strengthens ABOOK Studio’s core competitiveness. Pro Data serves as the key engine, enabling the consistent production of outstanding visual works. With its remarkable performance and smart management features, ABOOK’s talented team is poised to thrive, delivering exceptional results even in a fast-paced, high-pressure market.
 
iodyne Pro Data and Pro Mini are available to purchase in Taiwan with our valued reseller GETOP:
 
(Phone) 02-7720-9899
Official Website www.getop.com

Are you a Pro Data Creator? Drop us a line at [email protected] and let us know how we can support your vision!