We purchased NAS storage for Kyiv Independent — Your Support Is Now Safeguarding Ukraine's History
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Dear Supporters,
In July, you helped us buy network-attached storage (NAS) to preserve the Kyiv Independent's video archive. Today, the NAS digital storage system is up and running — ready to receive over 55 terabytes of footage.
When we started raising money for this digital storage system, we planned to buy only four hard drives (plus the enclosure that combines them into a single protected external unit) and add one new hard drive each year as we grew. But thanks to your overwhelming support, we raised $15,900 — enough to build a full-fledged storage system right away.
With those funds, we purchased a Synology DS1823xs+ NAS ($2,650) and eight Synology 3.5" 24 TB hard drives ($1,700 each).
Topping it up with a little of our own resources, we also added some extra RAM — the memory that lets the system handle many operations at once, caching data so it works quickly even under heavy use. That's what turns simple storage into a real workhorse for our video team: multiple people can use the storage system at the same time, on-site and remotely, downloading, uploading, and editing footage in parallel.
"It's important to us to know that all the products of our labor — the history we're recording — are stored safely in something that's ours," said Creative Video Director Jason Blevins.
Jason was the mastermind behind the project, working out the capacity we'd need and making sure the hardware would fit. In the weeks ahead, he'll be setting up the storage system and writing guidelines on how teams across the newsroom should use it.
"Once it's operational, all our work will be at our fingertips, ready to be put to good use telling Ukraine's story," Jason added.
None of this would have been possible without you. Now, whenever we watch the progress bar fill on another video upload, we'll be thinking of you — the people across the world who care that Ukraine's story is told by the people living it, and preserved for the future.
With gratitude,
The Kyiv Independent team
