OpenDrives today announced that it has developed a "cloud connector," enabling its Media and Entertainment clients to backup critical data files from on premises OpenDrives storage systems to Microsoft Azure, the global-scale, trusted cloud platform. Industry-leading media production companies that rely on OpenDrives for content creation and archiving workflows will now be able to seamlessly integrate public cloud infrastructure into their production facilities as well as enable global file backup and disaster recovery between remote office locations. "OpenDrives is excited to work with Microsoft to offer cloud backup and disaster recovery solutions to our customers. By working with Microsoft, our team can enhance the OPUS Backup platform and offer customers a broad range of storage options," said Chad Knowles, CEO of OpenDrives.

This integration will allow OpenDrives clients to fully realize the cost-efficiencies and business continuity offered by cloud technologies. "Microsoft is excited to work with OpenDrives to provide end-to-end data storage solutions to Media and Entertainment customers," said Tad Brockway, general manager, Microsoft Azure Storage at Microsoft Corp. "By combining high-performance on premises storage from OpenDrives with Microsoft Azure Storage, media companies can have the right tier of storage for every workflow."

OpenDrives' Cloud Connector for Microsoft Azure is powered by OPUS Backup, an enterprise software feature included in all OpenDrives products and administered through OpenDrives' sleek user interface. This multi-threaded data mover can backup up to 10 terabytes per hour (or 2GB/s) between OpenDrives systems. OPUS Backup allows the storage administrator to send snapshots between OpenDrives storage tiers, to LTO libraries and now, into the cloud through its new integration with Microsoft Azure, making it a fully automated and destination-agnostic backup platform.

The superior efficiency and performance of OPUS Backup maximizes client ROI by allowing creative teams to dynamically move content between storage tiers based on software application, performance profile and access patterns ensuring that data is stored in the most cost-effective medium throughout the content lifecycle from ingest to transcode to editorial, finishing, distribution and archive.

As internet speeds advance, the cloud matures and video resolutions continue to grow, OpenDrives is committed to its track-record for innovation by partnering with companies like Microsoft to enhance its product offerings, integrate with the cloud and continue to push the boundaries of performance and efficiency in digital content creation.