IT for small post-production houses.
Several clients, several projects and a client who asks who can see their footage. We set up the storage, access, review and backups so a small post house can answer that question without a scramble.
Quick answer
A small post house holds other people's footage, so it needs shared storage with per-client access, safe remote review, tested backups and clear answers to security questions. We set those up for post houses of about 2 to 25 people, on site in Los Angeles or remotely in the US.
What a small post house runs into.
- 01
Everyone can open everything
One big shared folder is easy to set up and hard to defend. When a client asks who has access to their project, the honest answer is "all of us", and that answer costs work.
- 02
Edit, color and sound all need the same media
Different rooms and different people work from the same project at different stages. A handoff by copying files means two versions of the truth and more storage used.
- 03
Remote review is improvised
Download links in email, unlisted uploads and screen shares work until a client asks for a watermark or an expiry date. A review process is easier to set up before the first sensitive project.
- 04
The security questionnaire arrives
Studios and streamers send questionnaires that ask about access, logging, backups and offboarding. A small shop that has never written any of it down loses days answering.
- 05
Finished projects have nowhere to go
Delivered work stays on active storage because nobody decided where it moves. The fast storage fills up and the archive is a drawer.
What we set up
For a small post house.
Shared storage with access by client and project
Folders and permissions that match your clients, so an editor sees what they are assigned and a freelancer sees one job. It also makes the security questionnaire easier to answer.
Remote review and remote editors
Review links with passwords, expiry and watermarks where your tool supports them, and a remote editing setup that keeps the original media inside your storage.
Backups and an archive plan
Active storage, a second copy, an off site copy and a place where finished projects move, with a restore test for each.
Security and onboarding you can describe
Multi-factor sign in, updates, disk encryption on laptops and a short written description of access, backups and offboarding that you can hand to a client.
If a client asks about TPN
We help studios get ready for assessments.
An independent assessor does the assessment, and each content owner decides what it requires. Our TPN hub explains it in plain English, and our content security page describes how we handle footage.
Before you hire anyone
What to ask any IT provider.
Ask us the same questions. A good answer is specific and can be checked.
Can you show how access is limited per client?
A permission screen or a written list by project, not a verbal assurance.
What do you log, and for how long?
A specific answer about access logs on the storage and remote access, and where they are kept.
How do remote editors reach protected footage?
Over an encrypted connection with multi-factor sign in, ideally without copying the originals to a laptop.
What happens to a client's files when a project ends?
A defined step: archive, verify the copy and remove from active storage.
Will you help us answer a content security questionnaire?
They can describe the setup accurately. They do not promise an outcome, because the client or an assessor decides.
Questions people ask
Can you make us TPN certified?
No. TPN assessments are done by an independent assessor, and each content owner decides what it requires. We help a studio get ready: a review of the setup, fixes and written policies.
How do you limit what a freelancer can see?
We set permissions by project on the shared storage and give each freelancer a named account. When the job ends we remove access and record it.
Do you provide the review tool?
We help you choose and configure one, often a hosted review service such as Frame.io or something your clients already use. The features available depend on the plan, so we check the current options with you.
Can colorists and mixers work remotely on client footage?
Often yes, with remote access to a studio machine or storage, multi-factor sign in and limited access. Whether it is acceptable for a specific client depends on that client's rules, which you should read before you start.
We are only four people. Is this overkill?
The setup scales down. Four people with several clients usually need per-project access, a tested backup and an offboarding checklist more than they need anything complicated.
Plug us in. Tell us what your studio runs on.
Tell us what you see on screen. A person on our production consulting team reads it and replies, usually with the first thing to check.
Keep reading
The short list of security steps a small creative studio can finish, mapped to CISA and NIST guidance.
Review links, comments, versions and approvals for clients, without emailing downloads.
The 3-2-1 rule for footage and projects, off site copies, immutability and restore tests.
Plain-English guides to the Trusted Partner Network and getting ready for an assessment.
How we handle client footage.
A plain checklist for small post houses preparing for a TPN assessment: scope, policies, network, access, content handling, people and the evidence to gather.
Before you send unreleased footage to a vendor, ask these content security questions, with notes on what a good answer sounds like and how TPN status fits.
How to archive a finished film: what to keep, how many copies, and how LTO tape, cloud storage and hard drives compare for storing masters and originals.
Describe your studio and we will take it from there.
A real person on our team reads every request and replies within one business day.