The Science Cloud Cometh

Mankind is currently engaged in some of the most important scientific research of our age: the search for the elusive Higgs particle to validate our modern understanding of physics; genomic sequencing to enrich our understanding of life on Earth; and the global monitoring and hopefully prediction of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes to better defend us from catastrophes.

These monumental scientific undertakings have very different goals, but one important thing in common: the huge amounts of data that must be processed efficiently in order to yield accurate results. Unfortunately, the advanced computer infrastructure required to handle this Big Data is expensive and requirements are growing rapidly. International organizations such as CERN, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the European Space Agency (ESA) that are engaging in scientific research need constant expansion in their infrasturcture to keep delivering the processing capacity they rely on. Without access to the right resources, researchers within these organizations are potentially held back.

The answer to this dilemma may lie in today’s most innovative technology trend: cloud computing. By taking advantage of our powerful cloud computing platform, these public sector research organizations can access the computing resources they need at a competitive cost and without the need to constantly procure and scale cumbersome in-house IT infrastructures. With this dynamic in mind, a consortium of European cloud computing companies and research organizations launched HELIX NEBULA, the ‘Science Cloud,’ with the dual purpose of fostering a healthier economic climate for the cloud whilst giving the public sector access to innovative technology to promote research and scientific progress.

As one of the commercial partners involved in this historic undertaking, CloudSigma is providing research organizations with the storage and compute power they need via our public cloud service, thereby taking the strain off of onsite servers. The other commercial partners are Atos, Capgemini, Interoute, Logica, Orange Business Services, SAP, SixSq, Telefonica, Terradue, Thales, The Server Labs and TSystems, along with the Cloud Security Alliance, the OpenNebula Project and the European Grid Infrastructure (EGI.eu).

Our flexible cloud places no restrictions on server sizes, software or networking, and offers a fully scalable and customizable infrastructure that is perfect for the unpredictable nature of research science and the high volumes of data produced on a daily basis. By tapping into CloudSigma’s public cloud, organizations like CERN, ESA and EMBL can continue to better the world through research and accelerate their computing processing expansion.

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About Patrick Baillie

Patrick is co-founder of CloudSigma, and comes from a career working in Investment Banking Technology, as well as having previously ran his own business.