SAN/NAS? Which way to go?

[BOPVideo]

We're in the planning stages of shifting our workflow to a tapeless one and are wanting to put a mass storage system in place to accomodate four workstations editing HD video, (P2 video from Panasonic 300's).

I am trying to find another government agency who is using a SAN/NAS in their workflow so I can come up to speed on what to look for, what to watchout for, and maybe some reccomendations.

Thanks.

[Ktallakson]

I have many customers asking the same question... The question you asked about "SAN/NAS which way to go" leads to more questions. How many systems will you have hooked up to this storage? Does more than one system need to see a video clip at the same time? Will the SAN or NAS replace your existing storage or just be a repository? Do you re-use clips in new productions. How much storage do you need? How do you search for clips and how would you like to search in the future? These questions will help determine which way is best. A SAN allows real time transfer of data between machines. If you do not need to share material a NAS is a much more affordable way to access the clips from multiple stations. Sorry to have so many questions... I can tell you how my other customers have gone based on the answers

Thanks,
Kent Tallakson
http://www.workhorsesi.com

[NoahKadner]

Yeah what's the budget? If I had to do a nice SAN without totally breaking the bank I'd start with something like:

http://www.getactivestorage.com/overview-es.php

Noah