Practical estimation of cloud storage costs for clinical genomic data.
Journal
Practical laboratory medicine
ISSN: 2352-5517
Titre abrégé: Pract Lab Med
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 101690848
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Aug 2020
Aug 2020
Historique:
received:
06
09
2019
revised:
29
04
2020
accepted:
06
05
2020
entrez:
13
6
2020
pubmed:
13
6
2020
medline:
13
6
2020
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Laboratories performing clinical high-throughput sequencing for oncology and germline testing are increasingly migrating their data storage to cloud-based solutions. Cloud-based storage has several advantages, such as low per-GB prices, scalability, and minimal fixed costs; however, while these solutions tout ostensibly simple usage-based pricing plans, practical cost analysis of cloud storage for NGS data storage is not straightforward. We developed an easy-to-use tool designed specifically for cost and usage estimation for laboratories performing clinical NGS testing (https://ngscosts.info). Our tool enables quick exploration of dozens of storage options across three major cloud providers, and provides complex cost and usage forecasts over 1-20 year timeframes. Parameters include current test volumes, growth rate, data compression, data retention policies, and case re-access rates. Outputs include an easy-to-visualize chart of total data stored, yearly and lifetime costs, and a "cost per test" estimate. Two factors were found to markedly decrease the average cost per test: 1) reducing total file size, including through the use of compression, 2) rapid transfer to "cold" or archival storage. In contrast, re-access of data from archival storage tiers was not found to dramatically increase the cost of storage per test. Steady declines in cloud storage pricing, as well as new options for storage and retrieval, make storing clinical NGS data on the cloud economical and friendly to laboratory workflows. Our web-based tool makes it possible to explore and compare cloud storage solutions and provide forecasts specifically for clinical NGS laboratories.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Laboratories performing clinical high-throughput sequencing for oncology and germline testing are increasingly migrating their data storage to cloud-based solutions. Cloud-based storage has several advantages, such as low per-GB prices, scalability, and minimal fixed costs; however, while these solutions tout ostensibly simple usage-based pricing plans, practical cost analysis of cloud storage for NGS data storage is not straightforward.
METHODS
METHODS
We developed an easy-to-use tool designed specifically for cost and usage estimation for laboratories performing clinical NGS testing (https://ngscosts.info). Our tool enables quick exploration of dozens of storage options across three major cloud providers, and provides complex cost and usage forecasts over 1-20 year timeframes. Parameters include current test volumes, growth rate, data compression, data retention policies, and case re-access rates. Outputs include an easy-to-visualize chart of total data stored, yearly and lifetime costs, and a "cost per test" estimate.
RESULTS
RESULTS
Two factors were found to markedly decrease the average cost per test: 1) reducing total file size, including through the use of compression, 2) rapid transfer to "cold" or archival storage. In contrast, re-access of data from archival storage tiers was not found to dramatically increase the cost of storage per test.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
Steady declines in cloud storage pricing, as well as new options for storage and retrieval, make storing clinical NGS data on the cloud economical and friendly to laboratory workflows. Our web-based tool makes it possible to explore and compare cloud storage solutions and provide forecasts specifically for clinical NGS laboratories.
Identifiants
pubmed: 32529017
doi: 10.1016/j.plabm.2020.e00168
pii: S2352-5517(19)30105-2
pii: e00168
pmc: PMC7276491
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
e00168Informations de copyright
© 2020 The Authors.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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