Case Study
LUMA Animation
Background
LUMA Animation, an Internationally renowned and awarded animation studio, in fact, the largest and most awarded visual effects studio in South Africa, is known for producing stunning animation, visual effects (VFX), and interactive experiences for clients around the globe, including Disney, Netflix and many of the top advertising agencies in the World.
As the studio's business expanded, the need for a scalable, high-performance network infrastructure became critical. Their existing firewall solution struggled to handle the increasing demands for high bandwidth, secure VPN connections, and seamless integration of remote workflows for both local and International employees.
Challenge
The growing animation studio required a robust and flexible solution to meet several specific needs:
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High-Bandwidth Performance: The network had to support powerful rendering processes and large file transfers, which are essential for their animation and VFX workflows.
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Secure and Reliable VPN Connections: With teams spread across International locations, they needed secure and reliable VPN access to ensure uninterrupted remote workflows.
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Scalability: As the studio continued to grow, they required a scalable network infrastructure capable of accommodating future expansion, including the integration of diverse ISP Gigabit internet connections. Additionally, with more than 200 servers integrated into their workflow, scalability and flexibility were non-negotiable.
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Redundancy and Uptime: Ensuring continuous network availability was crucial, given the critical nature of their global work.
Solution
The studio transitioned to 5th Mountain's Managed Firewall as a Service, which was deployed swiftly to address their growing connectivity and security needs. The key benefits of the solution included:
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High-Bandwidth Support: The service ensured reliable performance for rendering processes and large file transfers, integral to their animation and VFX workflows.
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Seamless, Secure VPN Connections: Remote teams, including International employees, could access the network without interruptions or latency issues, thanks to the robust VPN setup.
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Enhanced Uptime: The integration of two 1 Gigabit internet connections, each linked to different power feeds and service providers, provided the studio with continuous uptime for all remote connections, ensuring that critical workflows were never disrupted.
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Scalable Infrastructure: The system was built to scale as the studio continued to expand, with the capability to handle their increasing bandwidth needs and future growth plans.
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Intuitive Management Tools: A customisable Dashboard and Web Console allowed the studio’s IT manager to easily monitor and control the firewall in real time, ensuring smooth operation and rapid adjustments when needed.
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Expert Support: 5th Mountain’s support team consistently provided fast, expert assistance, ensuring that any questions or issues were resolved promptly.
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Powerful Next-Generation Firewall Security: The firewall delivers robust protection against cyber threats, featuring advanced security capabilities such as deep packet inspection (DPI), Layer 7 application control, and POPI-compliant TLS inspection. With intrusion detection and prevention mechanisms, it safeguards the studio’s valuable data and intellectual property, ensuring compliance and comprehensive security across all layers of the network.
Conclusion
By adopting the 5th Mountain Managed Firewall as a Service, LUMA gained the scalability, power, and reliability they needed to support their local and global operations.
With the combined expertise of 5th Mountain and LUMA's IT Manager, Martin Eddy, we have created a custom and exceptional network that both companies can be proud of - a true partnership and alliance.
