BT has said that it is working together with Aspera, Inc., a creator of next-generation data transport technologies that move the world’s data at maximum speed, to integrate their innovative file transfer technology into BT for Life Sciences R&D, the first cloud service designed to enable collaboration within the life sciences industry for increased R&D productivity.
 
Life sciences companies are currently facing a daunting “data deluge” produced by experimental runs in this industry. They need to optimise, manage, transfer, store and protect the vast quantity of data that is being created. To optimise the constant movement of that data, BT for Life Sciences R&D Connect builds on BT’s global network and will now leverage Aspera’s unique fasp high-speed transfer technology, providing secure, predictable and scalable transfers regardless of the size of data, the distance between the endpoints and network conditions.
 
Aspera’s patented fasp protocol eliminates the fundamental bottlenecks of conventional file transfer technologies. It provides high-speed, reliable end-to-end transport over public and private networks fully utilising available bandwidth, independent of network delays and is able to deal with extreme packet loss. Built around that protocol, Aspera’s software delivers data transfers that are up to 1000 times faster than traditional technologies, managed through an intuitive user interface, with real-time visual monitoring and bandwidth utilisation and sharing controls, and secured through sophisticated authentication, data encryption and data integrity verification.
 
Bas Burger, president Global Commerce in BT, said: “While tens of billions of dollars of revenue are under threat through loss of patent exclusivity and as the number of new drugs entering clinical trials is dropping, new opportunities are emerging for companies able to access the most compelling, meaningful and insightful scientific data. This requires enriched collaboration, bringing together scientists and resources from all around the world. The terabytes of data required to run experiments are way too large for normal file transfer technologies, often leading to the need to physically transport hard disks between continents. Not a secure, fast or efficient way to share data. Our cloud-based Life Sciences for R&D platform brings speed, flexibility, compliance and security to R&D processes, independently from location. Scientists will be delighted by the competitive advantage brought to our platform by the combination of Aspera’s technology with the breadth and depth of the BT Connect portfolio of intelligent network solutions.“
 
Michelle Munson, co-founder and CEO of Aspera, said: “Life Science companies have been unable to take advantage of the cloud as a strategic alternative to building out expensive datacenters because of concerns over regulations and security, and the limitations in traditional networks and transfer applications that prevented them from transferring big research data. BT has delivered a highly secure cloud solution which also meets their stringent regulatory needs, while Aspera powers the use of the BT cloud by enabling the fastest file transfers at global distances supporting researchers worldwide.”