LABORATORY INFORMATICS


Advancing laboratory thinking with cloud technologies


THERMO FISHER’S JAMES PENA GIVES HIS THOUGHTS ON HOW SCIENTISTS CAN ADVANCE THEIR RESEARCH GOALS THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CLOUD TECHNOLOGY IN THE LABORATORY


organisational structure and what they want to achieve. Essentially, cloud infrastructures provide flexible solutions to scale IT systems in a way that matches a company’s growth strategy, ultimately saving costs and providing greater operational efficiencies. Cloud systems drive a reduction


in costs primarily by shifting from a capital expenditures-based (CAPEX) IT infrastructure to an operating expenses (OPEX) system. An OPEX strategy allows companies to avoid the high costs of buying expensive hardware, facilities and IT expertise that often becomes redundant after several years due to new technological advances. OPEX-based leasing strategies allow companies to only purchase the amount of storage and computing capabilities they need, providing the flexibility to adapt to their specific requirements at a given time, without the added complexity of maintaining and replacing hardware every few years. In terms of cloud adoption,


companies can avoid the one-size-fits- all technologies and cherry pick the


“Cloud systems drive a reduction in costs”


Organisations in the life science sector have been gradually progressing their digital


transformation journeys over the past decade, but the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a period of rapid change as companies explored and implemented new digital technologies to future-proof their business. With a shift to more remote working practices, technologies like video conferencing, remote access and virtual private networks (VPNs) have leapt to the forefront of company strategies to ensure successful business practice. Indeed, a survey of 800 executives by McKinsey in May 2020 found that 48 per cent of companies accelerated the digitisation of their customer and supply chain interactions due to the impact of the pandemic, while 67 per cent invested in automation and artificial intelligence. One key technology within many


companies’ digitisation strategy is cloud-based data storage and access systems. These solutions promise


20 Scientific Computing World Autumn 2021


improved scalability and flexibility in data management, allowing companies across a range of sizes and applications to tailor their cloud set-up according to individual needs. However, implementing these systems in laboratories can often be challenging and may fall short of its significant potential to connect the different software and hardware systems that scientists use daily. So, what are the different cloud


deployment strategies and services available to organisations, and how can companies futureproof the digital connectivity of laboratories by building well-architected cloud networks? Here, we discuss the factors companies should consider when choosing the correct set- up for their organisation.


The value of cloud infrastructures When companies are looking to develop a solid cloud infrastructure, it’s important to focus on how the system can be integrated into their particular


exact services they need to progress their digital journey, whether it be by connecting directly to the cloud, across multiple clouds or taking advantage of a multitude of services, including laboratory integration, data analysis or business intelligence technologies. In essence, this allows companies to adapt their cloud systems in a manner that reflects their unique business model.


It’s all about choice: multiple cloud integration services The flexibility of cloud systems comes from the availability of different services that offer varying degrees of cloud- based infrastructure. There are three primary service models: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). These models offer increasing cloud involvement, ranging from mixtures of cloud-based servers and data storage and in-house app development systems with IaaS and PaaS models, all the way to fully cloud-based packages, like SaaS. A customer has access to a category


of components, such as servers, routers, gateways and so forth, and can choose how they want their IT systems configured. IaaS systems, for example, allow simple VPN access to secure, private data


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