Learn about how Agence France-Presse rises to global news media demands by using IBM storage solutions for optimal flexibility, performance and cost-effectiveness. To know more, visit http://ibm.co/TaLb6Q.

1. Case Study
Media & Entertainment
IBM Systems and Technology
Regarded as one of the oldest press agencies in the world, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) has delivered in-depth news coverage for more
than 175 years. Based in Paris, France, AFP draws from a network of
200 bureaus in 150 countries, providing news on politics, sports,
entertainment and other topics. AFP delivers news to clients ranging
from TV networks such as BBC and CNN to websites such as Yahoo!
and Google.
Addressing increasing demands for digital news
media
One challenge faced by AFP was the need to respond to growing client
demands for digital news media. According to Laurent Cervera, storage
and virtualization architect at AFP, “Each day, we produce about 5,000
text dispatches, 2,500 photos and 200 videos, as well as about 100
graphics. During major events, such as the Olympic Games, we can
produce as many as 10,000 photos and 200 videos.” Not only is it
challenging for AFP to handle the exponential data growth, but it also
can be difficult to ensure high performance of agency storage resources
while keeping up with client demands. Reliably delivering news media
to clients with minimal interruption is critical to AFP’s business.
AFP needed to take a new approach to its storage strategy, increasing
its focus on growing client needs for media. Instead of relying on its
existing storage area network (SAN) infrastructure—made up of
monolithic high-end and midrange storage arrays that were difficult to
manage and scale—AFP decided that using smaller storage arrays with
better management capabilities could improve storage flexibility and
cost-effectiveness, and also satisfy storage performance requirements
Agence France-Presse
rises to global news
media demands
Using IBM storage solutions for optimal flexibility,
performance and cost-effectiveness
Overview
The need
Agence France-Presse (AFP)—needing a
new approach to store growing digital
media volumes—adopted a strategy
based on small storage arrays designed
to ensure high performance and
scalability.
The solution
The agency implemented IBM®
Storwize® V7000 storage systems and
evaluated IBM Storwize V3700 storage
systems. AFP also used IBM System
Storage® Easy Tier® and IBM System
Storage SAN Volume Controller.
The benefit
AFP deployed a Storwize V7000 system in
one day using one technician in response
to video demands during the 2012
Olympic Games; the IBM solution
provided improved scalability and
reduced costs.

2. 2
Case Study
Media & Entertainment
IBM Systems and Technology
driven by client demands. Cervera says, “With this configuration, we
can dedicate a small array to a large volume of photos and videos, and
another small array to indexes and databases. This configuration can
help us to achieve high performance while significantly reducing our
storage costs.”
Approaching storage from a different angle
After consulting with IBM and carefully considering its options, the
agency implemented IBM Storwize V7000 systems. According to
Vincent Louvel, manager of storage, virtualization and backup facilities
at AFP, “We needed a system capable of storing our multimedia data so
we could bring richer content to our customers. We selected Storwize
V7000 arrays because they offered great performance and excellent data
compression.” Ideal for smaller arrays, the Storwize V7000 also enabled
easier management with reduced administration. Regarding the
systems’ simplified management and scalability, Cervera says, “The
IBM solution allowed us to expand storage easily, little by little, which
was much better than our previous large architecture that was overly
complex.”
After AFP deployed nine Storwize V7000 arrays, IBM offered the
agency the chance to evaluate the new IBM Storwize V3700 systems as
part of a beta-testing program. AFP took advantage of this opportunity
and quickly recognized that the Storwize V3700 could provide
impressive benefits for management, flexibility and efficiency in a
smaller footprint.
Currently, AFP is using several features on its Storwize V7000 systems.
Thin provisioning enables AFP to purchase capacity as needed—
thereby reducing disk costs. Nondisruptive migration helps AFP to
migrate data between storage arrays without interrupting data access.
AFP also leverages IBM System Storage Easy Tier technology on the
Storwize V7000 to optimize its deployment of solid-state drives (SSDs)
and to further reduce disk costs.
The agency uses IBM SAN Volume Controller on its Storwize V7000
and Storwize V3700 systems to perform mirroring, creating a
redundant storage architecture. This helps AFP ensure reliability to
meet client demands without interruption.
“The IBM solution allowed
us to expand storage easily,
little by little,which was
much better than our
previous large
architecture that was
overly complex.”
—
Laurent Cervera, storage and virtualization
architect, Agence France-Presse

3. 3
Case Study
Media Entertainment
IBM Systems and Technology
Providing cost-effective flexibility and
scalability
After deploying Storwize V7000 arrays, AFP realized several benefits
impacting the agency and its clients. The systems’ scalability helped
AFP to easily expand storage capacity according to its fluctuating client
needs. For example, AFP added a storage array to accommodate the
increased client demands for videos during the 2012 Olympic Games—
an expansion that required only one day of installation by a single
technician. Regarding the user interface behind the simplified
installation and management, Louvel says, “We really like the Storwize
graphical interface. It is very modern and user-friendly.”
The high density of the Storwize V7000 disks enabled AFP to reduce
both its storage footprint and its disk costs. The system also
demonstrated impressive flexibility, with multiple small arrays proving
to be ideal for the agency’s grid-computing approach.
Future deployment of the Storwize V3700 systems at AFP’s remote
offices will help the agency achieve its storage goals on another level,
enabling consolidation and sharing of more data with an adaptable,
low-cost, high-performance storage platform. The Storwize V3700
provides AFP with advanced software capabilities usually found in more
expensive storage systems, giving the agency the flexibility to provide
media storage for specific data types or for certain geographic regions.
“With the Storwize V3700, we have the disk density and flexibility that
will enable our storage capacity to evolve,” says Louvel.
The ease of installation and use provided by the Storwize V3700 has
demonstrated a management advantage for AFP. The Storwize V3700
includes an interface similar to the one found with SAN Volume
Controller, which the IT staff was already familiar with. “Everything is
graphical and clear. You don’t need to study for five years to manage
your storage,” says Cervera.
Continuing to stay ahead of global media
demands
Having now formed a strong partnership, AFP plans to continue
working with IBM to meet the evolving storage needs of the agency
and its clients. In Storwize systems, AFP has found the right set of
capabilities to help it stay ahead of the digital news media curve and
deliver rich content in a demanding global environment.
Solution Components:
Hardware
• IBM® Storwize® V7000
Software
• IBM System Storage® Easy Tier®
• IBM System Storage SAN Volume
Controller

4. © Copyright IBM Corporation 2012
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November 2012
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For more information about Agence France-Presse, visit: afp.com/en