Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Deploys Isilon IQ

Isilon Systems, Inc. announced that the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), a nonprofit biomedical research institute, has deployed Isilon IQ as the primary repository for its entire next-generation genome sequencing and analysis workflow.

Using Isilon scale-out NAS, OMRF has unified both its DNA sequencing pipeline and virtualized computing infrastructure onto a single, high performance, highly scalable, shared pool of storage, simplifying its IT environment and speeding time-to-results. With Isilon IQ, OMRF can scale its storage system on-demand to meet the rapid data growth and unique performance demands of its mission-critical workflow, increasing operational efficiency and decreasing costs in an effort to identify genetic precursors to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Lupus and Sjogren’s Syndrome.

"With the introduction of next-generation sequencing technology and server virtualization, our research has experienced an unprecedented influx of genetic information," said Stuart Glenn, software engineer, OMRF. "However, to maximize both our infrastructure investment and the value of our genetic data, we needed a storage solution capable of keeping pace with our data growth and powering our virtual data center without the burden of costly upgrades and tedious data migrations. Traditional storage simply wouldn’t do, but with Isilon, we have a solution in place capable of powering our research today – and far into the future."

In its efforts to identify more effective treatments for human disease, OMRF employs an Illumina Genome Analyzer and Linux compute servers running the VMware ESX virtualization software application. With its previous NAS system, OMRF would have been forced to migrate genetic information back and forth between disparate data silos, slowing sequencing runs and depriving its virtual servers of the data access and high throughput necessary to realize the full potential of virtualized computing.

By deploying Isilon scale-out NAS, featuring its OneFS operating system, OMRF has created a single, highly reliable central storage resource for its entire next-generation sequencing workflow, enabling it to cost-effectively manage rapid data growth, while simultaneously providing its virtualized Linux servers with high data availability and a single point of management to maximize performance and simplicity. With Isilon IQ, OMRF can process genomic data faster and more accurately than ever before, enabling a greater rate of discovery while still reducing storage management.

"OMRF has long history of creating new breakthroughs in biomedical research and today their work continues to support the fight against life-threatening diseases," said Sam Grocott, senior director of product management, Isilon Systems. "By using Isilon IQ to simultaneously power their next-generation sequencing workflow and maximize their investment in server virtualization, they are demonstrating that when it comes to high-performance file-based applications, Isilon is the clear choice."