Case Study: The Institute of Cancer Research achieves scalable, resilient multi-site research data storage with DataDirect Networks

Central Storage Enables Users to Collect and Analyze Active Research Data

The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, a world-leading cancer research centre with 140 research teams, needed a single, central storage service to support diverse scientific and clinical workflows. Researchers required a platform that could ingest massive datasets from instruments and next-generation sequencers, serve everything from laptops to GPU-based supercomputers, and support eight research divisions while meeting differing performance and delivery needs for scientists and clinicians.

DDN implemented a stretched GS7K cluster (2PB usable) with synchronous mirroring across sites and a 4PB WOS object tier protected by Global ObjectAssure erasure coding, connected via private 10Gbps links. The result is a scalable, highly resilient RDS that delivers fast access for demanding workloads, a single namespace with multi-site protection, and easier access to data for analysis and big-data modeling—putting ICR in a strong position to support future AI/ML growth and end-to-end data management.

Institute of Cancer Research

Paul Jeffreys

Digital Operations Program Lead