UBC Research Storage Finder

Finding suitable storage for research data can be quite challenging. Amongst data classification, access need, and size requirements, researchers often find themselves lost through the list of available options. The UBC Research Storage Finder tool is designed to assist researchers in finding available solutions for research data collection, computing and storage. It includes solutions offered by UBC Information Technology (UBCIT),UBC Advanced Research Computing (ARC), UBC Faculty of Medicine (FoM), Population Data BC (PopDataBC), The BC Children Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), Michael Smith Health Research BC and The Digital Research Alliance of Canada (The Alliance).

Before using this tool

  • It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the UBC Information Security Standard U1 – Security Classification of UBC Electronic Information.
  • This tool does not cover solutions for data depositing and destruction. Please visit the UBC Library Research Management Data page for more information about this subject.
  • Solution options may vary depending on your project requirements and other solutions may be available outside those proposed by this tool. It is recommended that you consult with our Research Data Management expert before signing up for a specific solution.
  • It is recommended that you consult with an Information Security and Privacy expert when planning a research project that will process and store confidential, personal or identifiable information. 

Find a Storage Solution

Recommendation

UBC ARC Sockeye

UBC ARC Sockeye (“Sockeye”) is a high-performance computing platform available to UBC researchers across all disciplines. With nearly 16,000 CPU cores and 200 GPUs, Sockeye is designed to significantly increase UBC’s computing capacity and supplement the national platform for digital research infrastructure (DRI) in order to meet the immediate needs of UBC researchers. 

Best for: Storage of data that is being actively processed on the system.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk: High-Risk & Very-High Risk
Default project space: 5TB
Default scratch space: 5TB. Scratch should be used only be used during compute time. This storage is not backed up and may be subject to purge.
Note: This service is not a storage-only offering and is only suited for those with computing resources as their primary requirement. For large data storage, consider UBC ARC Chinook.

More information: https://arc.ubc.ca/ubc-arc-sockeye

UBC ARC RONIN

Part of the ARC Cloud Platform, UBC ARC RONIN (“RONIN”), is built on RONIN and powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). RONIN is a user-friendly web application that allows researchers to harness powerful AWS cloud infrastructure without learning complex details of cloud computing. ARC has worked directly with RONIN to configure this platform to address the needs of the UBC research community.  

Best for: Storage of data that is being actively processed on the cloud.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk & Medium Risk
Default project space: customizable
Note: This service is not a storage-only offering and is only suited for those with computing resources as their primary requirement. This solution has an associated cost.

More information: https://arc.ubc.ca/arc-cloud-platform-ubc-arc-ronin

The Alliance Arbutus Cloud

The Arbutus system is an OpenStack cloud, with an emphasis on hosting virtual machines and other cloud workloads. Its powerful storage and compute capabilities are designed to support researchers processing, sharing and storing massive data sets. With 1.6 PB of storage available in a triple-redundant configuration and 7,640 CPU cores across 290 nodes, Arbutus can store the equivalent of 10 million eight-drawer filing cabinets worth of text and process calculations thousands of times faster than a desktop computer.

Best for: Active data storage and processing.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk & Medium Risk
Default project space: Customizable
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation.

More information: https://docs.alliancecan.ca/wiki/Cloud

The Alliance Cedar

The Cedar system is a heterogeneous cluster, suitable for a variety of workloads. With over 3.6 petaFLOPS of computing power, Cedar has greater computational power than the entire fleet of Compute Canada’s aging legacy systems combined. It has large memory nodes — up to 3 terabytes — as well as on-node storage and GPU nodes and it’s designed to run multiple simultaneous jobs of up to 1280 CPU cores each.

Best for: Active data storage and processing.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk & Medium Risk
Default project space: 1 TB and 500K files per group
Default scratch space: 20 TB and 1M files per user. Scratch should be used only be used during compute time. This storage is not backed up and is subject to automated purge of older files.
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation.

More information: https://docs.alliancecan.ca/wiki/Cedar

The Alliance Beluga and Narval

The Béluga system is a heterogeneous multi-purpose supercomputer with four principal components: a CPU subsection, a GPU subsection, data-storage devices and a high-speed interconnect linking together the other three subsystems. Béluga was designed for a variety of workloads and is situated at ÉTS in Montreal. It is named for the St. Lawrence River’s Beluga whales. The CPU has 700 Intel servers, providing 28,000 compute cores of Intel Skylake generation. It’s comparable to 10,000 high-end laptops bundled into the same computer room.

Best for: Active data storage and processing.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk & Medium Risk
Default project space: 1 TB and 500K files per group
Default scratch space: 20 TB and 1M files per user. Scratch should be used only be used during compute time. This storage is not backed up and is subject to automated purge of older files.
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation.

More information: https://docs.alliancecan.ca/wiki/B%C3%A9luga/en

The Alliance Graham

Named after Wes Graham, the first director of the Computer Centre at Waterloo, the Graham system is a heterogeneous cluster, suitable for a variety of workloads. The parallel file system and external persistent storage are similar to the Cedar System’s, but the interconnect is different and there is a slightly different mix of compute nodes. The Graham system is entirely liquid cooled, using rear-door heat exchangers. Graham was designed to support multiple simultaneous parallel jobs of up to 1,024 cores in a fully non-blocking manner. This system has a total of 41,548 cores and 520 GPU devices, spread across 1,185 nodes of different types. 

Best for: Active data storage and processing.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk & Medium Risk
Default project space: 1 TB and 500K files per group
Default scratch space: 20 TB and 1M files per user. Scratch should be used only be used during compute time. This storage is not backed up and is subject to automated purge of older files.
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation.

More information: https://docs.alliancecan.ca/wiki/Graham

The Alliance Niagara

The Niagara system was the 53rd fastest supercomputer on the Top500 list in June 2018 and is now at 76th. It is a homogenous cluster owned by the University of Toronto and run by SciNet and is intended to enable large parallel jobs of 1,040 cores and more. It was designed to optimize throughput of a range of scientific codes running at scale in an energy efficient way. It is a cluster of 2,016 Lenovo SD530 servers, each with 40 Intel Skylake at 2.4 GHz cores or 40 Intel CascadeLake cores at 2.5 GHz. 

Best for: Active data storage and processing
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk & Medium Risk
Default project space: Determined per group allocation
Default scratch space: Determined per group allocation. Scratch should be used only be used during compute time. This storage is not backed up and is subject to automated purge of older files.
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation 

More information: https://docs.alliancecan.ca/wiki/Niagara

UBC Data Centre Co-Location Service

The University Data Centre (UDC) is a Service Offering providing Core Computing infrastructure space for Researchers and Faculty/Administrative units with clearly defined and scalable costs. This service is available to researcher looking to host hardware such as server, data storage appliances,and other components.

Best for: Hardware hosting.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Note: Research projects are required to provide and maintain hardware hosted within the UDC.

More information: https://it.ubc.ca/services/web-servers-storage/data-centre-co-location-service

Recommendation

UBC ARC REDCap

The REDCap platform is a secure web application for building and managing research data collection instruments. The platform is specifically designed to support online or offline data capture for research studies involving Personal Information and designed from the ground up to provide separation of this information from study information.

Best for: Data collection and active data storage including sensitive data.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Note: ARC REDCap storage is available only for the duration of the allocation and should only include data collected via the platform. It should not be used for long term storage.

More information: https://arc.ubc.ca/redcap

UBC FoM REDCap

Faculty of Medicine REDCap is a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases. It is specifically designed to collect research data, although it can be used for any type of data collection. This service is available to Faculty of Medicine faculty and staff. Collaborators from other institutions can also access the tool if sponsored by a Faculty of Medicine research team.  

Best for: Data collection and storage of health research data.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Note: UBC FoM REDCap storage is available only for the duration of the allocation and should only include data collected via the platform. It should not be used for long term storage.

More information: https://restech.med.ubc.ca/our-services/electronic-data-collection/

UBC FoM OpenSpecimen

OpenSpecimen is a bio-banking platform used to collect, store, process, annotate and distribute bio-specimens. This service is available to Faculty of Medicine faculty and staff. Collaborators from other institutions can also access the tool if sponsored by a Faculty of Medicine research team.  

Best for: Data collection, storage, processing, annotation and distribution of bio-specimens.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk

More information: https://restech.med.ubc.ca/our-services/biobanking/

UBC Survey Tool

The UBC Survey Tool is provided by Qualtrics. It is an easy-to-use, top-tier survey tool platform that offers a wide range of features. It complies with the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) because the survey data is kept secure and is stored and backed up in Canada.

Best for: Data collection and active data storage.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk & Medium Risk
Note: UBC Survey Tool storage is available only for the duration of the allocation and should only include data collected via the platform. It should not be used for long term storage.

More information: https://it.ubc.ca/services/teaching-learning-tools/survey-tool

Michael Smith Health Research BC REDCap

The REDCap platform is a secure web application for building and managing research data collection instruments. The platform is specifically designed to support online or offline data capture for research studies involving Personal Information and designed from the ground up to provide separation of this information from study information.

Best for: Data collection and storage of health research data.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Note: This solution's storage is available only for the duration of the allocation and should only include data collected via the platform. It should not be used for long term storage.

More information: https://healthresearchbc.ca/bc-support-unit/info-and-resources/information-for-researchers/

BCCHR Clinical Research Support

BCCHR is offering a number of fully supported solutions for data collection, analysis, management and storage. Through their services, BCCHR work tirelessly to create an environment where excellent clinical research thrives. Their expert staff and specialized facilities support more than 1,000 active research projects involving patients on the BC Children's Hospital campus.

Best for: Data collection, processing and storage of health research data.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Note: This solution's storage is available only for the duration of the allocation and should only include data collected via the platform. It should not be used for long term storage.

More information: https://bcchr.ca/about-us/how-we-support-research/clinical-research-support

 

Recommendation

UBC TeamShare Storage Service

The TeamShare Storage Service allows faculty and staff to securely store and share files with colleagues internal to UBC. This low-cost service allows researchers to mount shared storage drives to their devices, and is accessible when connected to the UBC network.

Best for: File storage.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default storage space: Minimum 20GB with associated cost.

More information: https://it.ubc.ca/services/web-servers-storage/teamshare-storage-service

UBC ARC Chinook

UBC ARC Chinook is an object storage platform available to UBC researchers by application. It is well suited to support research with sizable unstructured data, back-up and log files, and data generated from scientific instruments. With an initial 5 PB of storage, Chinook is an integral part of UBC’s efforts to significantly increase storage capacity to meet the immediate needs of UBC researchers and supplement the storage resources available through the national platforms.

Best for: Object storage and sharing (e.g.: unstructured data, back-up and log files, and data generated from scientific instruments).
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default storage space: Customizable
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation. This solution is not intended to replicate existing block storage resources such as UBC TeamShare or other mounted network storage systems.

More information: https://arc.ubc.ca/chinook

UBC Data Centre Co-Location Service

The University Data Centre (UDC) is a Service Offering providing Core Computing infrastructure space for Researchers and Faculty/Administrative units with clearly defined and scalable costs. This service is available to researcher looking to host hardware such as server, data storage appliances,and other components.

Best for: Hardware hosting.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Note: Research projects are required to provide and maintain hardware hosted within the UDC.

More information: https://it.ubc.ca/services/web-servers-storage/data-centre-co-location-service

 

Recommendation

UBC Microsoft OneDrive

Microsoft (MS) OneDrive is a file hosting and synchronization service operated by Microsoft, as part of their suite of MS 365 applications. MS OneDrive allows users to securely store, share and synchronize files and folders from anywhere at any time.

Best for: File storage and sharing.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default storage space: Up to 1TB.

More information:
https://it.ubc.ca/services/web-servers-storage/microsoft-onedrive
https://arc.ubc.ca/microsoft-onedrive-and-teams-research

UBC Microsoft Teams

Microsoft (MS) Teams is a collaboration tool for groups to create content and share the information they need to work together. The tool is operated by Microsoft as part of their MS 365 suite. MS Teams enables users within the University to connect via instant messaging, video conferencing and online meetings while simultaneously working together on a document in real-time.

Best for: File storage, sharing and collaboration.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default storage space: Up to 25TB

More information:
https://it.ubc.ca/services/email-voice-internet/microsoft-teams
https://arc.ubc.ca/microsoft-onedrive-and-teams-research

UBC TeamShare Storage Service

The TeamShare Storage Service allows faculty and staff to securely store and share files with colleagues internal to UBC. This low-cost service allows researchers to mount shared storage drives to their devices, and is accessible when connected to the UBC network.

Best for: File storage and sharing.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default storage space: Minimum 20GB with associated cost

More information: https://it.ubc.ca/services/web-servers-storage/teamshare-storage-service

UBC ARC Chinook

UBC ARC Chinook is an object storage platform available to UBC researchers by application. It is well suited to support research with sizable unstructured data, back-up and log files, and data generated from scientific instruments. With an initial 5 PB of storage, Chinook is an integral part of UBC’s efforts to significantly increase storage capacity to meet the immediate needs of UBC researchers and supplement the storage resources available through the national platforms.

Best for: Object storage and sharing (e.g.: unstructured data, back-up and log files, and data generated from scientific instruments).
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default storage space: Customizable
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation. This solution is not intended to replicate existing block storage resources such as UBC TeamShare or other mounted network storage systems.

More information: https://arc.ubc.ca/chinook

The Alliance Nearline Storage

Nearline is a tape-based filesystem intended for inactive data. This storage solution is available to The Alliance compute system allocation owners and storage default storage space may vary based on need and associated platform.

Best for: Long-term and inactive data storage.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk & Medium Risk
Default storage space: May vary based on compute platform; please see this page for details: https://docs.alliancecan.ca/wiki/Storage_and_file_management#Filesystem_quotas_and_policies
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation.

More information: https://docs.alliancecan.ca/wiki/Using_nearline_storage

PopDataBC CaraSpace

CaraSpace provides a safe, secure place for researchers to store and analyse their data, while ensuring that privacy-sensitive data remains protected. CaraSpace is available to an individual researcher, research team or organization needing to store sensitive personal information (e.g. health records).

Best for: Active data storage.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default project space: 500Gb with associated cost.
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation. Data stored must have been legally obtained and proof of the authority to store and or use the information must be provided.

More information: https://www.popdata.bc.ca/secure_data/CaraSpace

UBC Data Centre Co-Location Service

The University Data Centre (UDC) is a Service Offering providing Core Computing infrastructure space for Researchers and Faculty/Administrative units with clearly defined and scalable costs. This service is available to researcher looking to host hardware such as server, data storage appliances,and other components.

Best for: Hardware hosting.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Note: Research projects are required to provide and maintain hardware hosted within the UDC.

More information: https://it.ubc.ca/services/web-servers-storage/data-centre-co-location-service

Recommendation

UBC HomeDrive Storage Service

The Home Drive Storage Service provides a system for UBC faculty and staff to securely store their files within the UBC Data Centre. This UBC IT managed service is available when connected to the UBC network, and the contents of it is only accessible to its owner.

Best for: File Storage.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default storage space: 20GB (free) and up to 100GB (with associated cost)

More information: https://it.ubc.ca/services/web-servers-storage/home-drive-storage-service

UBC Microsoft OneDrive

Microsoft (MS) OneDrive is a file hosting and synchronization service operated by Microsoft, as part of their suite of MS 365 applications. MS OneDrive allows users to securely store, share and synchronize files and folders from anywhere at any time.

Best for: File Storage and Sharing.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default storage space: Up to 1TB

More information:
https://it.ubc.ca/services/web-servers-storage/microsoft-onedrive
https://arc.ubc.ca/microsoft-onedrive-and-teams-research

UBC ARC Chinook

UBC ARC Chinook is a new object storage platform, available to UBC researchers by application. With an initial 5 PB of storage, Chinook is an integral part of UBC’s efforts to significantly increase storage capacity to meet the immediate needs of UBC researchers and supplement the storage resources available through the national platforms.

Best for: Object storage and sharing.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: Low Risk; Medium Risk; High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default storage space: Customizable
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation.

More information: https://arc.ubc.ca/chinook

PopDataBC CaraSpace

CaraSpace provides a safe, secure place for researchers to store and analyse their data, while ensuring that privacy-sensitive data remains protected. CaraSpace is available to an individual researcher, research team or organization needing to store sensitive personal information (e.g. health records).

Best for: Active data storage.
Suitable to store UBC data classified: High Risk & Very-High Risk
Default project space: 500Gb with associated cost.
Note: Storage is available only for the duration of the allocation. Data stored must have been legally obtained and proof of the authority to store and or use the information must be provided.

More information: https://www.popdata.bc.ca/secure_data/CaraSpace

 

Send us an email at arc.support@ubc.ca to schedule a consultation with one of our subject matter experts.

 


Reference Information 

To learn more about Information Security and Privacy for research, you may also consult: