Rapid genomic data analysis

Pure Storage is supporting the Health 2030 Genome Center with powerful and efficient storage solutions. The Genome Center, a Swiss center for genome sequencing and analysis, is working tirelessly on a key goal: enhancing the speed of DNA sequencing analysis to support rapid diagnosis.

The center’s need for transformation:

• The Center's bioanalysts perform DNA sequencing analysis that researchers and clinicians need for diagnosis: The goal is to harness the large amounts of data generated in the process to realize the full potential of sequencing technology to provide more personalized medicine, which results in more efficient treatments for patients. To achieve this, the Genome Center needed a powerful, efficient, flexible and scalable storage solution for its unstructured data. Pure Storage was able to meet and exceed their requirements.

• Infrastructure must be able to adapt accordingly to processed data amounts: Arnaud Hungler, head of IT infrastructure for the Genome Center, explained: "We have more and more DNA samples to sequence and analyze, which is a significant amount of data. Depending on the projects we are running, our storage needs can increase very quickly from zero to 200 TB and vice versa. Our infrastructure must be able to adapt accordingly."

• Pure Storage helps to improve storage performance and support new use cases: The Genome Center selected Pure Storage FlashBlade®, a leading unified fast file and object (UFFO) storage platform. Not only this, but the solution was deployed through Evergreen//One™, a true storage as-a-Service offering which can adapt to spikes in data volumes without requiring the overprovisioning of storage capacity on a day-to-day basis. 

Key benefits for the Center:

• Critical analytical data available ten times faster on the platform used by researchers and clinicians: "Thanks to Pure Storage, analytical data is available ten times faster on the platform used by researchers and clinicians, and transfer speeds have doubled. Clinicians can analyze data stored on our interface in real time without having to download it themselves, and diagnose patients faster and easier," Arnaud explained.

• Evergreen//One™ subscription allows the Genome Center to scale storage to meet ever-changing needs. This means it doesn’t need to pay upfront for 500 TB of data it only uses periodically. 

• Efficient on-demand customer support and user-friendly Pure1™ interface for storage management: The simplicity of the system saves the team countless hours on daily operational tasks.  

"High computing power and fast, easy access to results are critical for research and diagnostics at the Genome Center,” commented Turan Kara, Country Manager Switzerland at Pure Storage. “In addition, as is generally the case in healthcare, the highest level of data security and integrity must be maintained to meet regulatory requirements. All these are huge benefits for patients who want fast and efficient treatments – and can be sure that their personal health data is secure. We are proud to support the Genome Center in delivering personalized medicine through our high-performance solutions and unique consumption models," Kara concluded.