Research Infrasctructure

Part of the blog series on Collaborative Research IT Infrastructure

In our first post, we discussed the challenges universities face with fragmented IT systems and the need for unified solutions. Here, we explore the specific issues that arise when research teams independently manage their IT infrastructure.

Research IT infrastructure often develops in response to immediate needs, resulting in uncoordinated solutions across departments. This patchwork approach limits interoperability and visibility, isolating teams and stifling collaboration opportunities.

Researchers excel in their fields, but managing IT demands specialized knowledge. Critical tasks like ensuring security, applying updates, and maintaining backups are often overlooked. This leads to vulnerabilities, data loss, and project delays that research teams are ill-equipped to address.

Modern research generates data at an unprecedented scale. Storage solutions patched together to meet short-term needs often become too expensive, insecure, or simply inadequate as projects grow. These limitations are particularly evident when researchers need to share data with collaborators. Consider a scenario where a researcher has collected a large dataset on a personal server but needs to provide access to an external collaborator. Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) may require that the data remain on a university-approved system. However, the server’s setup lacks the robust infrastructure to facilitate secure sharing, such as proper user management or a dedicated interface for external access.

To overcome these limitations, the researcher might use built-in services to expose their data over the internet. While convenient, such solutions often bypass institutional IT controls and lack the comprehensive security measures necessary for protecting sensitive research data. From an IT perspective, this approach introduces risks: the server operates as an isolated node with unknown management practices, limited auditing capabilities, and no integration into the broader university security ecosystem. Additionally, if the server is connected to the university’s local network, any vulnerabilities could potentially extend beyond the server to the institution’s wider infrastructure.

Alternatively, the researcher might attempt to migrate their dataset to an approved system within the university, only to face challenges such as delays in provisioning, insufficient computational resources, or incompatible tools. These barriers can slow research progress and, in some cases, discourage collaboration altogether.

The risks of managing IT infrastructure without institutional support become even more pronounced when researchers receive confidential data from collaborators under MTAs. These agreements often include strict provisions to safeguard sensitive research data, with severe legal and reputational consequences for non-compliance. If a researcher stores such data on a makeshift server with inadequate security controls, the liability extends beyond the research group to the entire department or university.

In the event of a breach—whether due to outdated software, weak access controls, or insufficient monitoring—the fallout can be catastrophic. Confidential data leakage not only jeopardizes the integrity of the research but also exposes the institution to potential lawsuits, loss of trust, and damage to its reputation. Furthermore, responding to a breach requires significant resources, from forensic investigations to notifying affected parties and implementing remediation measures, all of which could have been avoided with a more secure and compliant infrastructure.

Students and early-career researchers often shoulder the burden of IT management. While this can foster technical skill development, it frequently distracts from their primary academic goals. As these systems grow in complexity, maintaining them consumes valuable time that could be spent on research. Moreover, when these individuals leave, institutional knowledge is often lost, perpetuating inefficiencies.

Isolated IT systems hinder collaboration and drive costs up due to duplicated efforts. Shared IT infrastructure allows universities to pool resources, reduce expenses, and enhance capacity. Institutions with robust, scalable IT systems are better positioned to secure funding and partnerships, enabling them to tackle complex challenges and remain competitive.

Managing IT independently may seem like a quick way to move ahead, but it often leads to inefficiency, security vulnerabilities, and reduced productivity. All of these hinder collaboration and jeopardize the integrity of the research environment.

Looking Ahead: Toward a Smarter Solution

Shifting to shared, collaborative IT infrastructure offers a sustainable path forward. Consolidating resources can reduce costs, improve security, and provide scalability. More importantly, it improves data management, data sharing, and creates a foundation for advanced tools like machine learning and large-scale data analysis. A well-managed infrastructure empowers researchers to focus on advancing knowledge while fostering collaboration and innovation.

Stay tuned for our next post, where we’ll explore these benefits in detail.

Written by Lucas Alcantara

Featured picture generated by Pixlr

In today’s data-driven research environment, universities face a growing challenge: while researchers excel at pushing the boundaries of knowledge, they often face challenges managing the technology that supports their work.

Many university research teams still operate on isolated, improvised systems for computing and data storage—servers tucked in closets or offices, ad-hoc storage solutions, and no consistent approach to backups or security. These isolated systems may meet immediate needs but often creates inefficiencies, security risks, and lost opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

In this blog series, we’ll explore how research teams at universities in general can benefit by identifying their community commonalities and consolidating their IT infrastructure. A unified system, professionally managed by a dedicated research IT team, brings enhanced security, greater scalability, improved collaboration, and increased efficiency to researchers, allowing them to focus on discovery, not IT overhead. We’ll break down the benefits of this shift and how it can help research institutions thrive in today’s data-intensive landscape. Specifically, we will describe how a Collaborative Research IT Infrastructure might help University of Guelph researchers meet their IT needs while freeing up researchers’ time to focus on their core research objectives rather than the underlying IT infrastructure.

What You Can Expect from This Series

Post 1: The Problem with Doing It All Yourself

We’ll kick off by examining the issues that arise when research teams manage their own IT infrastructure—uncoordinated systems, security vulnerabilities, inefficient storage, and the burden of maintaining it all. We’ll explore the risks and costs of decentralized research IT infrastructure and the toll it takes on research productivity.

Posted on Nov 29 and available here.

Post 2: Why a Shared Infrastructure Makes Sense

Next, we’ll explore the advantages of moving to a shared research compute and storage system. From cost savings to enhanced security and easier scalability, we’ll show how a well-managed, shared resource pool can transform the way researchers handle data, computations, and infrastructure, giving them access to state-of-the-art tools and adding scalability by leveraging idle capacity from other research groups.

Post 3: Debunking the Myths: Research Autonomy in a Shared System

A common concern is that adopting a shared infrastructure means losing control. In this post, we’ll discuss how a collaborative system can actually increase flexibility, offering tailored environments for different research needs, while freeing researchers from the technical burdens of IT management. We’ll also explore how it fosters easier collaboration across departments and institutions.

Post 4: The Benefits of Shared Storage

Research generates vast amounts of data, and managing it efficiently is key to success. This post will look at how shared storage solutions offer more than just space—providing reliable backups, cost-effective scaling, and multiple storage tiers to meet various research needs, from active datasets to long-term archives.

Post 5: Scaling for the Future: Building a System That Grows with Your Research

As research projects evolve, so do their IT demands. This post will highlight how shared infrastructure offers scalability and adaptability, ensuring that universities can support growing data and computational needs. We’ll also discuss how investing in shared systems today sets universities up to leverage future advancements in research computing.

Post 6: Transitioning to a Shared System: Key Considerations

In our final post, we’ll discuss key considerations for the University of Guelph to explore the move to a shared research compute and storage system. We’ll look at the importance of securing sustainable funding, fostering consensus across departments, and navigating shared governance to ensure all voices are heard. Additionally, we’ll examine how existing organizational structures influence the establishment of dedicated roles for managing this infrastructure. This discussion aims to highlight the factors that can guide a smooth transition toward a collaborative research IT environment.

The Case for Change

By the end of this series, you’ll have a clear understanding of why shared research infrastructure is the future for universities. We’ll show that this approach isn’t just about technology—it’s about improving collaboration, safeguarding data, and ultimately empowering researchers to focus on what really matters: driving innovation. Join us as we explore the journey from siloed systems to shared success.

Written by Lucas Alcantara

Featured picture generated by Pixlr