BC Cancer Agency Implements Network Appliance™ Storage Solution to Manage and Protect Critical Research Data
Sunnyvale, Calif. and Mississauga, Ontario
- June 28, 2004 -- BC Cancer Research Centre, the
internationally recognized bioinformatics research arm of Canada's
BC Cancer Agency Genome Sciences Centre, has implemented
NetApp® enterprise storage solutions to better manage its
ever-expanding databases, provide critical data access and
recovery, as well as reduce technology infrastructure costs. The
independent research conducted at the BC Cancer Agency Genome
Sciences Centre is part of a growing pool of data made available to
the international scientific community, where continuous uptime and
access to information are vital.
The BC Cancer Agency's research focuses on reducing the incidence
of cancer and improving the quality of life of those living with
cancer through intensive scientific research at the molecular level
called bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is the science of developing
computer databases to facilitate biological research. The BC Cancer
Agency chose NetApp as its storage provider in order to achieve the
security, scalability, and high availability it requires when
supporting its research data.
Protection, Backup, and Access
Finding a flexible means of allocating and managing storage without
disruption was essential to the numerous ongoing genome sequencing
projects. At any given point, the BC Cancer Agency team will have
numerous genome mapping and DNA sequencing projects running in a
Linux® environment. The Agency deployed the NetApp
FAS960
enterprise data storage system to manage over 16 terabytes of vital
information created by a project team of 200 research
collaborators. Additionally, a
NearStore®
system was implemented to protect and provide backup and restore
capabilities as well as rapid access to information. The
performance provided by NetApp gives BC Cancer Agency a distinct
advantage by letting it keep up with the needs of its scientists,
and the NearStore system offers cost-effective access to
information and data security in the event of a problem.
"Since our research produces a vast amount of data, we needed a
storage solution that allows us to go about the business of
genomics and bioinformatics without the worries of data loss or
accessibility," said Mark Mayo, Systems Coordinator, BC Cancer
Agency Genome Sciences Centre. "We were recently in a situation
where we came close to full capacity; before NetApp solutions were
deployed this would have been an issue. Instead, our FAS960 allowed
us to install an additional two-terabyte shelf without a second of
downtime or any risk to the data itself."
"Using Network Appliance solutions, BC Cancer Agency Genome
Sciences Centre also benefits from a knowledgeable and responsive
support team," said Benny Cifelli, District Manager, Network
Appliance Canada. "While ease-of-use and self-sufficiency are vital
features, BC Cancer Agency can also rely on the NetApp
AutoSupport
system and certified personnel to continuously monitor the overall
health of their storage solution."
As BC Cancer Agency's data volumes increase, NetApp will continue
to work with them to manage their infrastructure in order to
sufficiently meet their needs. Network Appliance and BC Cancer
Agency are also working on incorporating iSCSI capabilities into
the solution for added scalability and flexibility.
About BC Cancer Agency
The BC Cancer Agency Genome Sciences Centre, a member of the
Provincial Health Services Authority, has a mandate to reduce the
incidence of cancer, to reduce cancer mortality, and to improve the
quality of life of those living with cancer. Research at the BCCA
plays an important part in improving cancer control by generating
new knowledge.
About Network Appliance
Network Appliance is a world leader in unified storage solutions
for today's data-intensive enterprise. Since its inception in 1992,
Network Appliance has delivered technology, product, and partner
firsts that continue to drive "The evolution of storage.™"
Information about Network Appliance solutions and services is
available at
www.netapp.com.
NetApp, the Network Appliance logo, and
NearStore are registered trademarks and Network Appliance and The
evolution of storage are trademarks of Network Appliance, Inc., in
the U.S. and other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of
Linus Torvalds. All other brands or products are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be
treated as such.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under U.S. Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995
The statement regarding incorporating iSCSI capabilities into the
solution is a forward-looking statement within the means of the
U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements include any statement regarding future
events or the future financial performance of Network Appliance,
Inc. that involves risks or uncertainties. In evaluating these
statements, readers should specifically consider various factors
that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from
those indicated, including without limitation: continuing decline
in the general economic conditions, customer demand for products
and services, customer acceptance of product architectures,
increased competition, and other important factors as described in
Network Appliance, Inc. reports and documents filed from time to
time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its
mostly recently submitted 10-K and 10-Q.
Press Contacts:
Katryn McGaughey
Network Appliance, Inc.
408-822-3856
katrynm@netapp.com
Nicole Adams
BC Cancer Agency
604-877-6272
nadams@bccancer.bc.ca