IT support for CGI, VFX and creative studios in Hampshire
Creative studios run on two things: the horsepower to render on time, and the trust of clients who hand you unreleased work. When a workstation drops mid-render, a project drive fills up, or a scene file will not open, you are not just inconvenienced, you are missing a delivery and testing a client’s patience.
Chronos Solutions has supported businesses across Hampshire since 2012, and because most of our work is delivered securely online, we look after studios right across the UK too. We keep the IT foundation under your creative pipeline fast, resilient and secure, so your artists can get on with the work.
The IT challenges creative studios face
Studios that produce heavy visual work share a distinct set of IT pressures. Four stand out.
Big files, moving fast
Scenes, plates, comps and renders are measured in gigabytes, not megabytes. Storage fills quickly, and the network between your artists and that storage has to keep up. When it does not, every save and every load turns into dead time no one is being paid for.
Render deadlines do not move
When a delivery is booked, a failed workstation, a full disk or a dropped network link is not a minor annoyance, it is a missed slot. In a studio, downtime is measured in shots that did not get finished and clients left waiting.
Client IP is the crown jewels
Studios routinely hold unreleased footage, brand assets and NDA-bound material. A leak or a breach is not only a technical problem, it can cost you the client relationship and the next contract. Protecting that work is part of winning it.
Powerful kit, no in-house IT
Most studios run demanding workstations and storage but have no dedicated IT person. Artists end up troubleshooting drivers, updates and backups instead of creating, and one struggling machine quickly becomes everyone’s problem.
What a creative studio actually needs from its IT
We do not sell a render pipeline, and we will not pretend to reinvent your creative process. What we do is make sure the technology underneath it is fast, resilient and secure, so the tools you already trust behave the way they should.
Fast, well-specified workstations
3D, VFX and editing work is only as smooth as the machine in front of the artist. The right specification, properly configured and kept up to date, is the difference between fluid work and a day spent waiting on the spinner. We specify and supply kit to match the demands of your work, not a generic office build.
Storage and networks that keep up
Large project files need storage with the capacity and speed to serve them, and a network that can move them between artists, storage and any render capacity without becoming the bottleneck. We design that around the size and shape of your actual projects.
Backup and versioning you can rely on
Losing a day of comp work or a corrupted scene file is expensive and demoralising. Reliable, tested backup and recovery means a mistake, a failed drive or a ransomware incident sets you back hours, not weeks.
Security around client work
Secure access, protected email and endpoints, controlled storage and dependable backup are what keep unreleased and NDA-bound material where it should be. It is also increasingly what clients and their security teams expect to see before they hand you the work.
Chronos looks after the IT your studio runs on, the workstations, storage, network, backup and security. We are an IT services provider rather than a creative-software or render-pipeline vendor, so we work alongside the tools and freelancers you already use, keeping the systems underneath them fast and dependable.
How our services map to a studio’s needs
We match the right services to the pressures above rather than selling a generic package and hoping it fits.
- Managed IT Services, day-to-day reliability and fast response. Proactive monitoring, patching and UK-based helpdesk support with defined response commitments, so a workstation that dies mid-render or a network that drops mid-deadline gets attention quickly, and lost production time is kept to a minimum.
- Hardware Sourcing & Consultancy and Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS), the right machines, predictably budgeted. We specify, source and configure workstations and storage to suit demanding creative work, on a predictable monthly cost that turns lumpy capital spend into a manageable operating expense.
- Private Cloud (PCaaS), resilience and secure storage. A dedicated, UK-hosted platform for project files and backups, with the performance and control of your own infrastructure, backed up and recoverable, without the capital cost of building and running your own server room.
- Cyber Security & Threat Management, protecting client IP. Layered protection, endpoint and email security, threat detection and response, and patch management, so unreleased footage and NDA-bound assets stay protected and you can show clients you take their material seriously.
- IT Asset Management, control over valuable kit. Tracks every workstation, drive, licence and piece of software through its lifecycle, so expensive equipment is accounted for, licences stay in order, and replacing or rebuilding a machine is quick when a deadline is looming.
You do not have to take all of these at once. Most studios start with managed support and the right workstations, then add cloud storage and security as projects grow.
A local IT partner, with national reach
Our office is in Odiham, minutes from Basingstoke, Hook, Fleet and Farnham, and we provide UK-wide remote support alongside on-site help when it is needed. We are a Hampshire company, but because so much of what a studio needs can be delivered securely online, we work with creative teams right across the country. When you call, you reach people who know your setup.
We work with established technology partners to deliver and support what we recommend. These are technology partnerships, not security accreditations.
These are technology partnerships, not security accreditations.
Frequently asked questions
Can you support our creative software, like our 3D, editing and compositing tools?
In most cases we support the systems, devices and connectivity your software runs on, keeping workstations, drivers, storage and networking healthy so your applications run reliably. We are an IT provider rather than a creative-software vendor, so we will confirm what we can support for your specific tools during a free assessment.
Can you handle the very large files and storage a studio needs?
Yes. Through Private Cloud (PCaaS), backup and properly specified on-site storage, we build storage that suits the size of your projects, with recovery you can count on. We will size it around your actual workloads as part of an assessment.
How do you help protect our clients’ unreleased work and IP?
We provide the technical foundation, secure access, endpoint and email protection, controlled storage and reliable backup, that keeps client material protected. Much of it is delivered through our Cyber Security & Threat Management service, and we work alongside your own NDAs and any client security requirements.
Do you supply workstations powerful enough for 3D and VFX work?
Through Hardware Sourcing and Hardware-as-a-Service we specify, supply and configure the right machines for your work on a predictable budget, rather than leaving you to guess at the specification.
What happens if a machine fails on a deadline?
Our managed support comes with defined response commitments so urgent issues are prioritised, and because we track your assets we can rebuild or replace kit quickly. We will agree the service levels that suit your studio as part of a free assessment.
Are you local to us, and do you work with studios outside Hampshire?
Our office is in Odiham, Hampshire, and we can attend on site across Hook, Odiham, Basingstoke, Fleet and Farnham. Because most of our work is delivered securely online, we also support studios right across the UK.
IT that keeps your studio rendering and your clients’ work safe
If you run a CGI, VFX, animation or post-production studio, we can help. We’ll review your current setup, talk through your storage, performance and security pressures, and give you clear, plain-English recommendations, with no obligation.