Storage systems don’t fail overnight. They wear down, slow down, and eventually, they stop keeping up with your workflow. The tricky part is recognizing when that tipping point is near.
Maybe you’re noticing that issues are becoming more frequent. Maybe your team doesn’t trust the system enough to work at full speed. Or maybe you’re just hoping that nothing critical fails before you can budget for an upgrade.
The challenge isn’t just dealing with aging hardware—it’s knowing when “good enough” isn’t actually good enough anymore. So, how do you know it’s time for a refresh?
Regardless of which shared storage solution you use (EditShare’s or someone else’s), this is our take on the key signs to watch for, the questions you should be asking, and how to think about when it’s time to refresh your system.
What Happens to a Storage System After 5-7 Years?
It’s not just about age—it’s about workload. A production storage system isn’t just sitting there. It’s constantly reading, writing, rewriting, fragmenting, and filling up with massive files. And after 5-7 years, a few things start happening:
1. The Hardware Wears Down (And Becomes a Bigger Risk)
Storage systems aren’t built to last forever. Drives spin millions of times, SSDs wear out, and cooling fans run 24/7. Eventually:
Drives start failing. Even enterprise-grade HDDs have a finite lifespan, and after years of non-stop use, failure rates start to climb. The real risk isn’t just one drive failing—it’s multiple failures happening too close together, putting your media at risk.
RAID protection isn’t bulletproof. Most systems ship with RAID 6, which can tolerate two failed drives. But when a drive fails, it takes time to rebuild, and during that time, the system is vulnerable. If another drive fails mid-rebuild, data loss is a real possibility.
Rebuilds stress the system. The very process of recovering from a failed drive puts extra strain on the remaining disks, making cascading failures even more likely.
Think about it like a car that’s been idling for years without ever turning off. At some point, parts start wearing out. And the older it gets, the harder it is to find replacements. That brings us to the next issue…
2. Performance can potentially drop (Even If You Haven’t Noticed Yet)
At first, the slowdown is subtle. Then one day, you realize renders are taking twice as long. Here’s why:
File fragmentation increases. Video files aren’t small. Over time, data gets scattered across drives, making read/write speeds slower.
Capacity gets tighter. Running at 80-90% storage usage? That alone can slow performance by 50% or more.
New formats push old systems past their limits. Your storage was built for yesterday’s workflows. Today, it’s handling higher resolutions, heavier codecs, and larger files than it was ever designed for.
Software moves faster than hardware. Your system may technically still run, but much like a 7-year-old phone trying to run the latest OS, performance drops as software evolves beyond what your hardware was built to handle.
Bottom line: If your team is fighting dropped frames, sluggish exports, and unexpected slowdowns, your system isn’t keeping up.
3. You’re Probably Out of Support (And That’s a Risk You Don’t Want to Take)
Most storage systems have a support lifecycle. Once you’re past that window:
No more firmware updates. Security vulnerabilities pile up.
No guaranteed replacement parts. Older systems rely on components that may no longer be available.
No vendor support if things go sideways. At some point, you’re on your own.
And even if your system technically can run the latest software, newer features and updates are designed to perform best on newer hardware. The result? A system that once felt “screaming fast” starts feeling sluggish and outdated.
So How Do You Know It’s Time to Refresh?
It’s usually not one big thing—it’s a series of little frustrations that add up. Here’s what to watch for:
1. The Work Feels Slower
Video production isn’t just about skill – it’s about momentum. The best teams move fast – ideas flow, cuts come together, the energy is high. But old, slowing systems can easily kill momentum.
Like any form of electronic storage, media spaces can become overloaded, especially when they become a “dumping ground.” Millions of objects relegated to a project can make bootup, searching, and waiting for screens to load slower and more frustrating.
If your colorist spends more time fighting dropped frames than actually grading, your system is slowing you down.
If your render queue has turned into an overnight hostage situation, your system is slowing you down.
Unfortunately, this situation rarely improves on its own. Cameras aren’t getting less powerful. Files aren’t getting smaller. If your system is already limping, it’s not going to miraculously keep up with next year’s workflows.
2. When Downtime Becomes “Normal” (And the Bigger Problems You Don’t See)
Every production team has dealt with a crash at the worst possible moment. It happens. But when slowdowns, dropped frames, and storage bottlenecks stop being a rare annoyance and start feeling like part of the job, that’s when you have a real problem.
When your team saves after every small change because they don’t trust the system to hold up.
When “try restarting it” is the first response to any hiccup.
When a simple export means crossing fingers and hoping for the best.
3. When Your System Stops Fitting the Way You Work
It’s easy to think of a system refresh as a “nice to have”—until one day you realize your setup is actively making things harder instead of easier.
Your storage architecture was built for on-prem workflows, but half of your team is remote now.
Your editors keep running out of space because the system wasn’t designed for today’s file sizes.
Your infrastructure was optimized for HD, but you’re working in 4K and beyond—and it’s showing.
The Risk No One Talks About: Team Morale is Built on What You Tolerate
Nobody’s walking out the door just because you stretched your storage system another year. But every decision you make about your tech stack sends a message—whether you mean it to or not.
If the system is slow, unreliable, and frustrating—and everyone knows it—what does it say when leadership shrugs and moves on?
At the end of the day, you encourage what you tolerate.
Keep tolerating lag, breakdowns, and workarounds, and you’ll get more of them.
The only question is: How much longer are you willing to put up with it?
How has the transition gone since you came in as CEO?
Starting a new job is never easy, but it’s a lot easier when you’ve had the chance to know the business beforehand. Before stepping into this role, I worked closely with the EditShare team as a consultant, helping shape our strategy and getting to know many of our customers along the way. That experience gave me a deep appreciation for the challenges they face and how EditShare is uniquely positioned to help.
Now, as CEO, I’m not starting from scratch—it feels more like picking up where we left off. Those early conversations helped lay a strong foundation, and my job now is to build on that – to listen and to support the team as they do what they do best.
What excites you most about leading EditShare at this pivotal moment in the media and entertainment industry?
When I make big career decisions, I always look through three lenses: the market, the product, and the team.
The market: The demand for video content has never been greater. Whether creating a feature film, covering live sports, or streaming episodic content, video is the format of choice for nearly every audience. The stakes are high, and our customers’ work has never been more important.
The product: What excites me is how in-tune EditShare is with solving the frustrations creative teams face every day. The same inefficiencies I saw during my time at Harris—like wasted time and overcomplicated workflows—are still a problem, and EditShare has built tools to tackle them head-on.
The team: We have the right people to win in this market. My role as CEO isn’t about reinventing the wheel; it’s about helping us work a little more intentionally and consistently and focusing on listening to our customers.
How do you see EditShare evolving to meet the changing needs of our customers?
The way creative teams work is changing fast. Today, 80-90% of the teams we talk to engage in some form of remote work. They might be building editing teams across different cities or, like a few of our sports clients, editing on-site at the arena, then on the road, and then back at HQ.
That kind of flexibility demands fast, intuitive, and collaborative tools—and EditShare is already the natural choice for teams serious about remote workflows. When I look at our roadmap, I feel even more confident that we’re responding to this trend in the right way.
AI is another area where we see opportunities. Given it’s early, the challenge most teams face is figuring out where to start. We’re focusing on practical applications, like using AI to wrangle metadata. Automating tagging and organizing makes media more searchable and usable, freeing up time for teams to focus on what they do best.
What new innovations or product enhancements can customers look forward to under your leadership?
We’re doubling down on making remote collaboration feel natural—like everyone’s in the same room, even if they’re not. We’re working on giving editors real-time access to shared media, whether they’re in different cities, all together at HQ, on-site at a shoot, or working solo at home.
Another focus area is automation, especially for the front-end tasks that can bog teams down. If you’ve ever been frustrated by spending hours setting up folders, ingesting media, or organizing files before you can even start editing, you’re going to want to come see us at NAB this year. The things we can automate (and how we’re creatively applying AI to these problems) have me really excited.
How do you plan to foster deeper partnerships with media companies, post-production houses, and other key players?
I’ve been treating my first few months here as a “walkabout.” My goal has been to get out into the market, meet with as many customers and partners as possible, and listen. No big agenda. I just want to learn the truth about what’s working, what’s not, and where we can improve.
One thing I’m consistently hearing is that we need to do a better job sharing the success stories and workflows that others are using. There’s a lot of value in showing what’s possible and helping teams learn from each other. I think the word “community” is a little overused in the business world today, but it keeps coming up in our conversations as a team. And starting in 2025, our goal isn’t just to sell you technology – it’s to connect you to insights, ideas, and peers who can help you get better. You can expect more of that from us this year.
Brad with our California Channel Partners and Sales Team.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the media production industry today, and how is EditShare positioned to help overcome them?
One big challenge is complexity. Teams are under pressure to produce more, faster, and with fewer resources, and they often end up cobbling together tools and workflows that don’t always play well together. That’s where EditShare shines. We simplify the chaos. By bringing all your media into one place, connecting with a broad range of tools, and providing professional-grade reliability, we can free teams from all that troubleshooting and help them focus on creating.
Everyone’s talking about it, so I will, too: AI is both a challenge and an opportunity. Most teams don’t know where to start, and the key is to make it simple. We believe the best place to apply AI today is at the front end of the creative process, automating metadata tagging to make your media more searchable and usable. It’s a small change that has a big impact, and the customers we’ve helped take advantage of it are giving us great feedback.
Can you share a bit about your leadership philosophy and how it will shape EditShare’s company culture?
For me, leadership is about three things: listening, simplifying, and empowering. When people have clarity about where we’re going, why it matters, and what’s working that we can double down on, they do their best work. I believe my most important job is to provide and nurture that clarity.
Listening is the foundation. Whether it’s our customers or our team, I believe the best ideas come from understanding their challenges and opportunities. Simplifying comes next. It’s about cutting through the noise and keeping our focus on what really matters. Empowering follows naturally when people feel aligned and supported to execute.
At EditShare, I want us to build a culture where people feel free to innovate because they’re not weighed down by unnecessary red tape. And when we celebrate wins—whether it’s a big milestone or a small victory—it gives the team energy to keep going. Plus, let’s be honest, celebrating together is one of the best parts of the job.
What message do you have for long-time EditShare users and new customers alike?
To our long-time users: Thank you. You’ve been part of our journey every step of the way, and your trust has shaped EditShare into what it is today. We’re committed to continuing to make your workflows smoother and your creative process easier.
To new customers: Welcome. We’re excited to work with you and show you how EditShare can help you focus on what you do best: creating.
Whether you’ve been with us for years or are just starting out, our goal is simple: to be the partner you count on to help you do great work faster and with less hassle.
Milestone affirms EditShare’s commitment to data security and operational excellence
Boston, MA, 28 January 2025 — EditShare®, a technology leader that enables storytellers to create and manage collaborative media workflows, is proud to announce that it has been awarded SOC 2 Type II certification. This significant achievement underscores EditShare’s unwavering commitment to data security and operational excellence.
SOC 2 Type II certification is a rigorous audit that evaluates an organization’s information systems relevant to security, availability and processing integrity. Achieving this certification with no findings indicates that EditShare has met or exceeded the stringent standards set forth by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
This milestone marks EditShare’s first SOC 2 report following its 2023 merger with Shift Media, reflecting the organization’s unified commitment to excellence across its expanded portfolio. The certification encompasses the entire EditShare organization, as well as the MediaSilo, Screeners, and SafeStream cloud-native video solutions.
“Receiving SOC 2 Type II certification validates our relentless focus on securing our clients’ media workflows,” said Brad Turner, CEO of EditShare. “This accomplishment reflects our commitment to building innovative, secure, and reliable solutions that empower storytellers worldwide.”
This achievement, alongside recent advancements such as the Ultimate EFS Series and workflow upgrades showcased at the 2024 IBC Show, underscores EditShare’s commitment to driving innovation and addressing the evolving needs of media professionals. With SOC 2 Type II certification, EditShare continues to set the standard for secure, collaborative media workflows across the industry.
EditShare is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader empowering storytellers with collaborative media workflows designed for on-premise, cloud, and hybrid environments. Its scalable storage and collaboration solutions support media businesses at every stage of video production, from storyboard to screen.
With an open architecture, EditShare fosters workflow collaboration, third-party integrations, and content sharing across the entire production chain. Its high-performance, high-availability design meets the rigorous demands of media storage, management, and delivery. The comprehensive suite includes multi-tiered content storage for production and post-production, innovative asset and workflow management tools, and specialized features for content review, secure preview of pre-release materials, and the creation of customized branded pitch reels, ensuring a seamless and secure media production process.
