Effective Access and Collaboration on Large Lab Datasets using Egnyte's Smart Cache

The life sciences industry is at the forefront of data-intensive research and innovation. Scientists and researchers rely heavily on the collection, processing, and analysis of vast amounts of data generated by lab instruments. And they are often challenged by errors or confusion in managing data flows that in turn, have a direct impact on the quality of data and corresponding compliance with regulatory requirements. In addition, large files like genomic and clinical data sets, pose significant productivity challenges. Limited network bandwidth and storage infrastructure constraints often lead to slow file sharing and data analysis. Collaborating with multiple contributors across distributed locations becomes difficult, giving rise to file version control and data quality issues. 

Overcoming these challenges requires a simplified data access solution and efficient storage management - for which many companies are turning to Egnyte's Smart Cache to streamline access and collaboration on large data sets out of the lab.

Streamlining Access and Collaboration in the Lab
With Egnyte's Smart Cache

Data access and management: Simplify access with a UNC path or network drive letter (SMB) and facilitate data collection from a diverse set of lab instruments with real-time audit tracing for each account.  Integrated with Active Directory, Smart Cache ensures centralized user control and access consistency. Users can access data in the Egnyte cloud and local Smart Cache files through a single drive letter via the Egnyte Desktop App. 

When mounting the native drive letter or UNC path to Smart Cache, the mapping between Active Directory and cloud users is dynamically established. This process ensures that users are granted appropriate access according to their credentials, simplifying access management and upholding access controls.

Collaboration on large files: Store frequently accessed files closer to the users, while less frequently accessed files are moved to the cloud, resulting in reduced latency and improved performance for life sciences professionals - facilitating rapid access to large files and allowing them to stay focused on their work.

Users can seamlessly transition between offices or research facilities without worrying about latency, as the intelligent discovery and location awareness feature automatically detects the nearest Smart Cache device at each site and delivers optimal file access even at low bandwidth.

‍Global file locking: Maintain data integrity, reduce conflict and enhance collaboration by automatically locking opened files to prevent others from modifying them concurrently - even when files are accessed from a different Smart Cache device or in the cloud.   

Streamline admin workflows: Enable efficient resource allocation and streamline administrative workflows by monitoring and managing Smart Cache devices in the cloud. Through a single pane of glass, admins can monitor synchronization status, authorize user or group access and remotely perform software upgrades on all registered Smart Cache devices.

For more information on Egnyte’s Smart Cache solution, read this helpdesk article  or contact your sales team.

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