How March Networks Achieved 80% Video Storage Cost Reduction with Amazon S3

How March Networks Achieved 80% Video Storage Cost Reduction with Amazon S3

In the realm of video surveillance, managing and storing vast quantities of data presents a significant financial and operational challenge. As video quality improves and retention policies extend, the costs associated with traditional on-premise storage solutions can skyrocket, hindering innovation and profit margins. This article explores a remarkable case study: how March Networks, a global leader in video surveillance and business intelligence solutions, strategically leveraged Amazon S3 to dramatically overhaul its video data storage infrastructure. By migrating to the cloud and adopting a sophisticated tiered storage strategy, March Networks didn’t just optimize its operations; it achieved an impressive 80% reduction in video storage costs, setting a new benchmark for efficiency and scalability in the industry.

The mounting challenge of video data

For a company like March Networks, which develops and provides advanced video surveillance systems, video data is the lifeblood of its business. However, the exponential growth of this data—fueled by higher resolution cameras, longer retention periods, and an expanding customer base—presented an increasingly complex and expensive problem. Traditional on-premise storage solutions, typically comprising large arrays of hard disk drives and network-attached storage (NAS) systems, were becoming unsustainable.

The challenges were multifaceted. Firstly, the capital expenditure (CapEx) required to continuously purchase, install, and upgrade hardware was substantial. Each expansion project demanded significant upfront investment, often leading to overprovisioning to accommodate future growth, which meant paying for unused capacity. Secondly, operational expenditure (OpEx) was equally burdensome. Managing these on-premise systems involved considerable IT overhead, including power consumption, cooling, physical security, maintenance, and regular data migration to newer hardware. Furthermore, ensuring the high availability and durability of this critical video data required complex redundancy strategies, adding further layers of cost and complexity. March Networks needed a solution that could scale effortlessly, reduce costs, and enhance data resilience without compromising performance for active data.

Transitioning to the cloud with amazon s3

Recognizing the limitations of their existing infrastructure, March Networks sought a more agile and cost-effective approach. Their search led them to Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service), a highly scalable, durable, and secure object storage service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). The decision to transition to the cloud was driven by several compelling factors inherent to S3’s design.

One primary appeal was S3’s unparalleled scalability. With S3, March Networks could store virtually unlimited amounts of video data without needing to predict future storage requirements or invest in physical infrastructure. This elastic capacity meant they could pay only for the storage they actually used, eliminating the inefficiencies of overprovisioning. Another critical benefit was durability. S3 is designed for 99.999999999% (11 nines) of durability, meaning data stored is highly protected against loss through built-in redundancy across multiple facilities. This significantly surpassed the durability and redundancy March Networks could practically achieve and maintain with on-premise systems, simplifying their data protection strategies. Furthermore, S3’s robust API allowed for seamless integration with March Networks’ existing video management software, enabling a smooth migration path and continuous operation.

Strategic implementation and storage class optimization

The core of March Networks’ success in achieving significant cost reductions lay not just in adopting S3, but in a sophisticated strategy of storage class optimization. Amazon S3 offers various storage classes, each designed for different access patterns and cost points. March Networks meticulously categorized its video data based on how frequently it needed to be accessed and for how long it needed to be retained. This allowed them to implement intelligent lifecycle policies, automatically moving data between classes as its access frequency diminished.

For actively viewed or recently recorded video, March Networks likely utilized S3 Standard, which offers high performance and frequent access. As data aged and became less frequently accessed, lifecycle policies automatically transitioned it to more cost-effective tiers like S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA) or S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access (S3 One Zone-IA). For long-term archiving of compliance-critical footage, data was moved to S3 Glacier or S3 Glacier Deep Archive, which offer extremely low storage costs with longer retrieval times. This tiered approach ensured that they were always storing data in the most cost-efficient class relative to its utility. This granular control over storage costs, coupled with the elimination of hardware refresh cycles and operational overhead, was the driving force behind their 80% cost reduction.

Here’s a simplified overview of how different S3 storage classes might have been utilized:

Beyond cost savings: additional benefits and future outlook

While the 80% cost reduction in video storage was a monumental achievement for March Networks, the benefits of their migration to Amazon S3 extended far beyond just finances. The cloud-native approach brought about significant operational improvements and opened doors for future innovation. Data durability and availability were dramatically enhanced, significantly reducing the risk of data loss and ensuring continuous access to critical surveillance footage. The operational burden on their IT staff was also greatly reduced, as AWS now managed the underlying infrastructure, patching, and scaling. This allowed March Networks’ internal teams to focus on higher-value tasks, such as developing new features for their video management software and improving customer experiences.

The inherent scalability of S3 also means March Networks is well-positioned for future growth, regardless of how much video data they need to store. This elasticity supports their global expansion and the adoption of new technologies like AI-powered video analytics, which often generate even more data. By shedding the constraints of physical storage, March Networks gained agility, resilience, and a future-proof foundation for continued leadership in the demanding video surveillance market.

Conclusion

March Networks’ journey to achieve an 80% reduction in video storage costs with Amazon S3 is a compelling testament to the transformative power of cloud adoption when executed strategically. By moving away from a CapEx-heavy, operationally intensive on-premise storage model, they embraced a flexible, scalable, and highly durable cloud infrastructure. The key to their success lay in understanding their data access patterns and meticulously leveraging Amazon S3’s diverse storage classes, enabling them to match data to the most cost-effective tier. This strategic optimization not only resulted in substantial financial savings but also liberated their IT resources, enhanced data resilience, and provided an agile platform for future growth and innovation. For any enterprise grappling with the escalating costs and complexities of massive data storage, particularly in data-intensive sectors like video surveillance, the March Networks case study offers invaluable lessons on the strategic advantages and profound efficiencies achievable through a well-planned cloud migration.

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Image by: Trace Le
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