From Siloed Systems to Shared Success: Why a Shared Infrastructure Makes Sense
Part of the blog series on Collaborative Research IT Infrastructure
In our last post, we talked about the problem with researchers ‘DIYing’ their IT infrastructure, and today we’ll explore a few benefits that researchers and institutions can have for going with a shared IT infrastructure.
As research grows increasingly data-driven, the challenges of managing IT infrastructure independently are becoming harder to ignore. Moving to a shared research compute and storage system offers a smarter alternative—one that delivers tangible benefits for researchers and institutions alike.
One of the most immediate and impactful advantages of shared infrastructure is the significant cost savings it provides. When research teams maintain individual systems, the result is often a costly duplication of servers, storage solutions, and software licenses, all of which could be streamlined. Consolidating these resources into a shared infrastructure eliminates redundancy, maximizing efficiency and freeing up funds for other priorities. Institutions benefit further from economies of scale, leveraging bulk purchasing power for hardware, software, and support contracts to secure better pricing and reduce per-unit costs.
Beyond acquisition, shared systems also optimize resource utilization. Individual servers in isolated labs often sit underutilized, wasting potential. Shared infrastructure ensures resources such as computing power and storage are dynamically allocated, meeting real-time demands and avoiding waste. Maintenance becomes simpler and more cost-effective, with IT teams focusing their efforts on managing one cohesive system instead of troubleshooting fragmented setups. This professional oversight reduces costly downtime, ensuring researchers face fewer disruptions and can work more efficiently.
The financial advantages of shared infrastructure extend to scalability. Research demands are rarely static, and shared systems allow institutions to scale resources up or down cost-effectively. Instead of requiring research teams to over-purchase hardware or anticipate growth inaccurately, shared infrastructure adapts seamlessly to evolving needs, accommodating projects of any size without costly piecemeal expansions.
While cost savings are crucial, shared infrastructure also protects institutional investments by ensuring compliance with essential guidelines such as the Canadian Federal Government’s National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships Risk Assessment Form and the Government of Canada’s Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern policy. These guidelines demand rigorous safeguards for sensitive research data, international collaborations, and access control. A unified system streamlines compliance by applying consistent security protocols across the board, simplifying risk assessments, and ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements. Proactive monitoring within a shared infrastructure mitigates risks such as unauthorized access or affiliations of concern, safeguarding research integrity while protecting the institution’s reputation and funding eligibility.
In addition to enhancing security and compliance, shared systems amplify research potential by making cutting-edge tools more accessible. Advanced technologies for data analysis, machine learning, and computational modeling—often cost-prohibitive for individual teams—become available through pooled resources. This accessibility fosters innovation, attracts top talent, and strengthens the institution’s competitiveness for grants and partnerships, further justifying the investment in a shared system.
Ultimately, transitioning to a shared infrastructure isn’t just about reducing costs or addressing security concerns; it’s about creating an environment where researchers can focus on advancing knowledge without being bogged down by IT challenges. A shared, professionally managed system enables institutions to optimize resources, ensure compliance, and support groundbreaking research, positioning them to thrive in a rapidly evolving academic and technological landscape.
Stay tuned for our next post, where we’ll debunk the myths around research autonomy in a shared system.
Written by
Lucas Alcantara
Featured picture generated by Pixlr
