Safeguarding research data is a top priority for scientific institutions and researchers in the digital age. With the exponential growth of data and the constant risk of data loss, a reliable disaster recovery plan is a must. Fortunately, cloud storage solutions provide secure, resilient, and flexible options for storing and protecting valuable research data. 

User story: organization specialized in genomics research 

Our research organization is home to a team of over 20 scientists who are committed to unraveling the mysteries of genomics. With the use of massively parallel DNA sequencing devices, they generate approximately 600-700TB of new genomic data for patients each year, along with an additional 100TB of research data and associated code. This massive amount of data is indicative of the rapid growth and complexity of the field, with estimates predicting that genomics research will generate between 2-40 exabytes of data within the next decade. 

Why does genomics involve so much data?  

In the early 2000s, the Human Genome Project catapulted human genomics into the mainstream. Each of our trillions of cells contains a complete copy of our DNA blueprint, the genome, with most cells having two copies comprising approximately 6 billion DNA letters. 

As researchers work to uncover the mysteries of the human genome and its impact on health, they are generating vast amounts of genomic data. To give you an idea of the scale, a single human genome sequence would fill billions of DVDs worth of storage space. By 2025, it's estimated that storing all the genome-sequence data generated worldwide will require a staggering 40 exabytes. 

The analysis and interpretation of vast amounts of genomic data require specialized computational tools and software. Aligners help determine the position of individual DNA sequences on a reference genome, while variant callers identify genetic differences between individuals. These differences can range from small variations in a single DNA letter to larger chromosomal abnormalities, offering valuable insights into inherited disorders, cancers, and other diseases.  

Why is backup so critical for genomics research?  

Researchers handle vast amounts of data daily, and some operations may require incremental processing, such as refining previous results by reprocessing a larger dataset. To prevent the loss of daily progress and enable scientists to restore projects from any given day, implementing a solid backup policy to a high-capacity storage like Wasabi is essential. With Wasabi, they can archive data to another Wasabi cloud bucket, allowing for on-demand retrieval.  

Benefits of cloud backup for scientists: 

Cloud backup is becoming increasingly popular among researchers and institutions due to its numerous benefits. Here are a few of the key benefits: 

• Data protection - By backing up your research to the cloud, you can avoid disasters by preventing data loss in the event of device theft, accidental deletion, or system failure, cyber-attacks and more.  

• Accessibility - Cloud backup allows you to access your research from anywhere, any time, and on any device. This feature is particularly useful for researchers who work on multiple devices or travel frequently. 

• Immutability – In some cases, researchers may be tempted to compromise their data integrity for a number of reasons and risk incurring data loss. However, this can have severe consequences, such as research rejection and can even endanger people's lives. Cloud backup leverages data immutability to ensures that your data is safe and secure, and you can restore it to its previous state if necessary.

Overview of the Miria Backup and Wasabi Cloud solution

• Atempo’s Miria - a file-oriented data management platform that simplifies the backup of petabyte-scale storage. With Miria, you can back up and recover all unstructured file storages, reduce backup windows, and restore files or full storage content quickly. Miria also scales as your data grows, allowing you to manage billions of files and petabytes of data with ease. Miria Backup offers advanced features like FastScan for high-performance backups and incremental forever backup for efficient storage utilization. 

• Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage is a low-cost, high-performance cloud storage service that provides quick uploads and downloads, reducing backup windows and increasing recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO). Wasabi also offers S3 Object Lock for immutable backups, protecting your data against ransomware or accidental deletions. With Wasabi, you can test and restore your backups without fear of egress fees, making it an ideal solution for researchers and institutions looking for a cost-effective and secure cloud backup solution. 

• Atempo + Wasabi Cloud Backup Solution – low cost, immutable backups, secure, flexible and comprehensive data protection and recovery 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, safeguarding research data is essential for scientific institutions and researchers. By leveraging cloud backup solutions like Miria Backup and Wasabi Cloud, organizations can protect their valuable research data from loss, ensure its accessibility and integrity, and empower researchers to focus on advancing scientific knowledge without worrying about data security. 

With Miria Backup and Wasabi Cloud, your research data is in safe hands, allowing you to focus on what matters most—advancing scientific discovery and innovation.