Architecture Firm Slashes 20% Off Storage Costs and Improves Productivity with Nasuni NAS Gateway
LA-based JERDE replaced on-premise storage and backup with Nasuni hybrid cloud NAS gateway to provide seamless access to project files across time zones.
The Challenge:
JERDE is a visionary architecture and master planning firm that designs unique places – delivering memorable experiences and attracting millions of people every day. Nearly 1 billion people visit JERDE-designed places every year.
Los Angeles-based architecture firm JERDE, has 100 staff in offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore, and its works include a number of landmark Las Vegas buildings including the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, the Bellagio, and the Wynn Las Vegas.
Local project offices help them provide a consistent experience for all their clients, but it came with tremendous effort transferring large CAD files from various locations around the world. Version controls, collaboration, and the sharing of data was challenging for this fast-paced international firm. JERDE CIO, Joe Marando, said “workflows have really changed…the amount of data has grown immensely because of the complexity of the architectural software, which is mostly a lot of unstructured data with some links between some of it.” In addition, Marando added “we now have people working together globally on projects…they’re not in the same building anymore.”
The Solution:
JERDE selected Orange County based, Consiliant Technologies and their strategic partner, Nasuni, to solve these challenges.
By moving to a Nasuni NAS Gateway and utilizing the Microsoft Azure Cloud, JERDE can now share data faster, anywhere and everywhere they have local offices. In addition, they saved 20% on their storage costs, cut down on backup times and costs, and increased productivity and security, with data available faster and more securely (files are encrypted while in transit).
Project Requirements:
We saw a need to have all staff working on the same file structure and the same data. The ability to leverage the time zones was critical to us to work seamlessly between the offices.

The Results:
The bulk of JERDE’s data resides on Microsoft Azure cloud, but the most recently used data is also held locally in cache. By using the Nasuni Filer System, JERDE files are instantly replicated to the Microsoft Azure Cloud, while locally caching active files to provide faster data access.
Staff can access their data remotely on all their devices, including iPads and mobile phones. Another big benefit is that previously the organization had to manage all its own on-premise storage and backup, it now largely doesn’t. And according to Marando, that brought total savings of about 20% on storage and backup costs.
Lastly, Nasuni is scalable, flexible and ready for expansion. As new offices are added around the globe, Nasuni Filer Systems can be set up and ready to go within hours to provide immediate access to the files they need, when they need it.
Quotes:
“Transitioning to Nasuni provided real value for JERDE and their entire global workforce,” said Consiliant President, Dave Cerniglia, “all without disrupting project activity and increasing productivity for their employees.”
Dave Cerniglia, Founder & CEO – Consiliant Technologies
“It means we can be working on something at 5pm in LA and make saves, then someone in China at a client site in the morning (their time) can pull up a walkthrough and make changes from there.”
Joe Marando, Chief Information Officer – JERDE
Ready To Improve Your Company’s Productivity?
If you would like more information on Nasuni NAS Gateway or have a similar challenge and would like to speak to one of our highly skilled engineers.