SeqWright Deployed Isilon NAS

Isilon Systems announced that SeqWright has deployed Isilon scale-out NAS as an end-to-end storage solution for its full range of next-generation genomic sequencing services. By combining Isilon’s X-Series, NL-Series and Backup Accelerator, SeqWright has created a comprehensive solution for every stage of its DNA sequencing workflow – from primary storage, to nearline archival, to tape backup – accelerating time-to-results without requiring full-time storage administration. With Isilon scale-out NAS, SeqWright can process more large-scale sequencing projects in less time, improving operational efficiency and increasing its capacity for new business.

"Our pharmaceutical and bioscience customers rely on our next-generation genomic services to deliver results faster, more accurately and at less cost, making data performance and availability critical to our operations," said Dr. Fei Lu, CEO, SeqWright. "With Isilon IQ, we can power every stage of our workflow with one, seamlessly integrated solution, enabling us to deliver more accurate results in less time, while accommodating previously unattainable levels of new business."

SeqWright is a full-service, nucleic acid technology contract research organization with services ranging from molecular biology, to microarrays, to next-generation genomics. Prior to deploying Isilon IQ, SeqWright’s multiple DNA sequence capture devices from Applied Biosystems and 454 Sequencing began to overwhelm its homegrown direct-attached storage systems, limiting data access and sequencing performance, while requiring time- and resource-intensive storage management. Partnering with systems integrator Unique Digital, Inc. SeqWright has deployed Isilon IQ, featuring its OneFS operating system, to unify all of its DNA sequence capture devices on a single file system, significantly increasing workflow performance and accelerating time-to-results. With Isilon scale-out NAS, SeqWright’s scientists can access genomic data from multiple locations simultaneously without slowing data transfer or archiving. Additionally, Isilon IQ provides the high reliability necessary to meet the regulatory requirements of SeqWright’s pharmaceutical and bioscience customers, which often require long-term data storage up to 15 years or more.

"Next-generation genomic research is providing unprecedented insight into the causes of human disease, enabling a new wave of medical breakthroughs" said Sam Grocott, vice president of marketing, Isilon Systems. "With the world’s leading bioscience and pharmaceutical corporations frequently turning to companies like SeqWright to provide faster, more accurate DNA sequencing, the pressure to deliver is higher than ever before. By using Isilon scale-out NAS to process more projects in less time and with greater accuracy, SeqWright is proving that when it comes to leading-edge genomics, Isilon is the only way to go."

In combination with an Isilon IQ 36000X cluster powering SeqWright’s multiple DNA sequence capture devices, Unique Digital leveraged a secondary Isilon IQ 36NL cluster for nearline archival, with Isilon’s asynchronous data replication software SyncIQ replicating data between the two clusters. Additionally, SeqWright is using Isilon’s Backup Accelerator integrated with CommVault Simpana software to seamlessly backup mission-critical data from the 36NL cluster to tape for disaster recovery purposes. By using Isilon as an end-to-end storage solution for every stage in its genomic sequencing workflow, Unique Digital and SeqWright have created a highly reliable, easy to manage data management system that reduces costs, eliminates risk and improves productivity.

"At Unique Digital we look to address the entire storage infrastructure lifecycle, providing our customers with end-to-end solutions that increase productivity and eliminate risk," said Andy Pratt, president, Unique Digital. "Isilon is the perfect fit for SeqWright, as its tiered product lines and seamless integration with CommVault software enables us to deploy a complete solution from initial sequence to final backup, ensuring SeqWright can focus on delivering groundbreaking research and not on managing storage."