Data Transfer Service: Use Case Examples

When a new faculty member arrives at the University, they often bring valuable research data stored in an external institution’s storage ecosystem. The challenge lies in seamlessly transferring this data to Pitt’s storage infrastructure without consuming excessive time and bandwidth. The Enterprise Data Transfer Service comes to the rescue. By leveraging Globus, faculty members can directly transfer their data into Pitt’s storage without the need to download it first. This efficient process not only accelerates data migration but also optimizes network resources, ensuring a smooth transition for researchers as they embark on their academic journey at Pitt.

Data administrators responsible for balancing cost and data retention can utilize the Enterprise Data Transfer Service to move data from higher-cost storage tiers to less expensive storage options offered by several supported cloud providers.  Migration of rarely accessed data to archive storage tiers like AWS Glacier and Azure Archive Storage ensures compliance with data retention policies while providing a cost savings, allowing researchers to focus on their scientific pursuits without breaking the bank.  For more automated archiving, please visit the Enterprise Archiving Service page.

For those working with PHI, PII, or UCI, the Enterprise Data Transfer Service provides a High Assurance (HA) tier that contains additional security controls to meet the higher authentication and authorization standards required for restricted data. Enterprise Data Transfer Service administrators provide policies for HA collections requiring users to authenticate with specific identities as well as forcing reauthentication for each new application session, web browser session, different device, and after a set period. The policies also set required data encryption for every transfer between endpoints and limit the ability to share data from HA collections. Additionally, encrypted transfer logs are collected and stored for 90 days in case an audit trail is required.

When collaborating with external entities, such as colleagues at UPMC, efficient data sharing is crucial. The Enterprise Data Transfer Service simplifies this process. Researchers can consult with Pitt IT to create a Globus collection, populate it with relevant data, and securely share it with external parties. The beauty lies in the fact that recipients can access and download shared data without requiring a Pitt account or VPN access. This streamlined approach fosters seamless collaboration while maintaining data security and accessibility.

When staff members encounter the need to migrate data between disparate storage systems, such as SharePoint and Isilon, the process can be both complex and time-consuming. Fortunately, the Enterprise Data Transfer Service provides a streamlined approach to this task. By leveraging Globus, staff members can seamlessly transfer data from one system to another without manual intervention. Whether it’s consolidating data for efficiency, ensuring data redundancy, or optimizing storage resources, Globus simplifies the process, allowing staff to focus on their core responsibilities.

When research labs conduct experiments or run jobs that generate data over extended periods, managing the resulting data efficiently becomes critical. By leveraging the Enterprise Data Transfer Service, researchers can schedule automatic data transfers to predefined destinations at specific times. This eliminates the need for manual intervention, streamlining data management. Whether it’s archiving experiment results, ensuring data redundancy, or optimizing storage resources, Globus empowers researchers to focus on their scientific pursuits while data movement happens seamlessly in the background.