From Siloed Systems to Shared Success: The Benefits of Shared Storage
Part of the blog series on Collaborative Research IT Infrastructure
In our last post, we debunked the myth that shared infrastructure reduces research autonomy. In fact, we showed how a shared system can actually enhance flexibility by offering tailored environments, freeing researchers from the burdens of IT management, and fostering seamless collaboration across teams and institutions. With that foundation in mind, it’s time to look more closely at one of the most critical components of shared infrastructure: storage.
Research today generates enormous amounts of data, from raw experimental outputs to refined datasets ready for analysis. Managing this data effectively is no small task. Without the right systems in place, researchers face risks such as data loss, limited scalability, and unnecessary costs. Shared storage solutions address these challenges directly, providing not just space, but a strategic foundation for secure, efficient, and sustainable research.
Let’s first address a common misunderstanding that “shared storage” means everyone’s files end up in the same place. In reality, shared storage means we share the infrastructure, not the data. Each research group has its own secure, separate space for their data, but the underlying platform is common. Unlike isolated lab servers or external drives, shared storage systems are professionally managed and built with reliability in mind. They include features such as automated backups, replication, and monitoring, ensuring that data is preserved even in the face of hardware failures or unexpected disruptions. This peace of mind allows researchers to focus on discovery rather than worrying about whether their results will still be there tomorrow.
Cost efficiency is another major advantage. Instead of each research group investing in its own storage infrastructure, resources are pooled across the institution. This consolidation lowers per-unit costs and allows universities to invest in high-quality systems that would be prohibitively expensive for individual teams. Shared storage also scales easily—expanding capacity as projects grow, without the need for researchers to procure and maintain new hardware themselves.
Equally important is flexibility. Modern shared storage platforms offer multiple tiers tailored to different research needs. High-performance storage supports active datasets that require frequent access and rapid analysis, while lower-cost archival tiers ensure long-term preservation of completed projects or regulatory records. Researchers can move seamlessly between tiers, paying only for the performance and capacity they actually need at each stage of the research lifecycle.
Another key benefit is compliance. In addition to internal institutional data storage policies, certain research projects must meet strict national and international requirements—such as Canada’s National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships or the Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) policy. Managing these obligations individually is difficult and uneven, but shared storage makes compliance consistent across the institution. With centralized oversight, encryption, access controls, and professional monitoring built into the system, researchers can trust that their data is protected and their projects meet security obligations without extra effort on their part.
Shared storage also supports collaboration by making it easier to share datasets securely across departments and institutions. Standardized access controls and compliance measures ensure that sensitive data remains protected while still enabling the kind of data sharing that drives interdisciplinary research and open science.
In short, shared storage is more than a convenient place to put data—it’s an enabler of modern research. By combining reliability, scalability, cost savings, flexibility, and compliance into an enhanced collaborative environment, it provides a strong foundation for both everyday work and ambitious, large-scale projects.
Stay tuned for our next post, Scaling for the Future: Building a System That Grows with Your Research, where we’ll explore how shared infrastructure offers adaptability for evolving projects and prepares universities to leverage the next generation of research computing tools.
Written by Lucas Alcantara
Featured picture generated by Pixlr
