Digital Preservation for BioMedical Machine-Generated Data & Research

HPSS and Spectra Logic: Unparalleled High-Performance Storage for Demanding Environments

Digital Preservation for Biomedical Machine-Generated
Data & Research

Life Science data sets are growing exponentially due to ever-expanding advances in biomedical research technology. Instruments such as electron microscopes, DNA sequencers and spectrometers, among hundreds of other instruments, create petabytes to exabytes of data per year. Once the data is collected, it is filtered, analyzed and shared. In all of these steps, the data must be safely and securely stored and archived. Spectra Logic works with many research universities and life science customers to build a seamless and cost-effective way to store multiple data workflows that can adhere to varying retention requirements.

Problems

Large amounts of data that should never be deleted
Data cannot be recreated, so multiple copies must be made
Research can take years or decades and data needs to be available
Data must be shared with other groups or organizations
Inactive data is taking up space on primary storage

Solution Description

In an ideal environment, data will transfer to both scratch and backup simultaneously. Data is moved to an accessible tier of storage after a determined amount of time. Multiple copies can be made to ensure data is available and shareable if needed.

Key Benefits

Achieves unlimited scalability with disk and tape
Complements primary storage with a perpetual storage tier, lowering overall cost of data ownership
Monitors and migrates data intelligently across multiple storage devices and media types
Maintains fast access for all users anywhere
Provides a familiar interface to archived data
Delivers open standard technology
Makes a cloud copy easily for backup and disaster recovery

Life Science Workflow with Machine-Generated Data

The agency must select a world-class infrastructure that meets global standards. Our Spectra Logic solution helps us preserve research data that is vital to increasing Korea’s science capacity, ensuring the means to create new knowledge from which significant societal transformations are derived.

– Research Assistant, Korean Science Agency

Use Cases

The Spectra solution easily fits into research facilities for HCS (High Content Screening), Neurobiology Miniscope, Flow Cytometry, Transgenic Animal, Genomics, Stem Cell and Protein Studies, and more.

Being a not-for-profit organization, OMRF has an especially strong emphasis on financial stewardship. The Spectra solution was a good fit. Not only in terms of financial considerations like affordability, product functionality and value for cost, but also because we like to engage in long-term relationships with our vendors, and Spectra has proven to be a trusted advisor when helping us solve our data storage challenges.

– Brent Keck, Chief Information Officer, OMRF

We have to store a lot of data for long periods of time. A single microscope can capture 10TB of data in as little as a few hours, and a published breakthrough on cancer research can take anywhere from a few years to a couple of decades. The BlackPearl^® and tape solution from Spectra provides a scalable and cost-effective way to store multiple data workflows with varying retention requirements.

– Jeffrey McDonald, director of IT, Hormel Institute at University of Minnesota

Our storage needs double approximately every two years. Therefore, scalability is extremely important and with Spectra Logic’s libraries we know we can scale up with the simple addition of frames. We know our investment is protected and that our archiving and DR infrastructure will grow with us.

– Dean Flanders, CIO, FMI