NetApp Case Study: Pharmaceutical Services Provider

NetApp Case Study: Pharmaceutical Service Provider

Pharmaceutical Service Provider Develops the Medicines of Tomorrow

NetApp ONTAP protects research and development data in a hybrid cloud.

When molecules are to be turned into new drugs, service providers like this customer handle the formulation of the active ingredients. High product quality, on-time delivery, and valid data are essential here, but they require data storage systems that seamlessly support every step—despite rising data volumes, constant time pressure, and complex requirements.

System integrator PROFI AG and NetApp have revamped the customer’s data infrastructure and future-proofed it in a hybrid cloud. NetApp ONTAP storage in a Data Fabric brings simplicity, flexibility, and security to a multifaceted company, strengthening its growth and role in the global pharmaceutical supply chain.

Seeking a Storage Solution for the Future

This customer’s business is 100% driven by data, compliance, and growth. Finding the right formula for active ingredients requires countless rounds of testing, during which data is constantly collected, stored, analyzed, documented, and archived.

All data must be highly available and secure. Having to repeat tests or analyses due to irretrievably lost data can jeopardize delivery agreements, violate compliance regulations, and cost time, money, and reputation.

However, in an IT environment with fragmented storage, it was difficult to meet high standards amid growing data and security requirements. The existing SAN storage was complex and just as inflexible to manage as the hard drives on the Windows servers. It was time for a new approach to storing, protecting, and backing up data.

The customer contacted the NetApp partner PROFI AG. Together, they defined the scope of the project:

• Consolidation of Storage and Data
• Improving Data Backup and Security
• Use of the cloud wherever possible and appropriate

A platform for all data, everywhere

For storage, the choice fell on NetApp ONTAP systems. They combine file and block data on a single platform and under a unified management framework—ideal for the customer’s complex environment. Over 20 operating systems, virtualization, databases ranging from MariaDB to Oracle, file services, and computing clusters with high graphics power keep applications, algorithms, and scripts running.

Two NetApp AFF A300 systems replaced the previous SAN storage at the headquarters as well as all Windows file servers. Storage and data from a remote location were consolidated using NetApp ONTAP Select. This version runs with full functionality as software-defined storage on a standard server.

The customer and PROFI AG jointly carried out the storage implementation and the migration of the VMware environment, which included 175 machines, workloads, and 150 TB of data. To ensure that the new flash power reaches the high-speed servers and workstations of the 250 users, 10-gigabit connections and 40-gigabit switches boost network performance.

Security Comes First—On-Premises and in the Cloud

Robust hardware and data replication significantly improved the availability of business-critical file data and applications, but that was only the first step.

“It would be disastrous for the customer if test runs had to be repeated due to data issues. Our protection strategy therefore anticipates all contingencies and combines backup with security—both on-premises and in the cloud—to prevent data loss and ward off cyber risks. NetApp ONTAP leaves nothing to be desired,” says Stephan Becker, NetApp System Engineer at PROFI AG.

ONTAP offers more than 30 features designed to enhance the confidentiality, integrity, availability, and security of data. One of ONTAP’s cornerstones is NetApp Snapshot technology, which forms the core of an ecosystem for high availability and disaster-tolerant data protection.

At the customer’s data center, snapshot copies protect the VMware environment, which runs in SAN mode on the ONTAP storage system. The backups are managed via Veeam Software, stored locally, and additionally replicated to a FAS2720 system. The file service backup is also based on snapshot copies, which are additionally stored on Azure Blob Storage using NetApp Cloud Backup.

Whether on-premises or in the cloud, restores and recovery from snapshot copies are quick and easy. The point-in-time copies created by ONTAP take only a few seconds and require very little space. This allowed the customer to increase the backup frequency from daily to hourly. As a result, the Recovery Point Objective dropped to 60 minutes.

Data that must be stored in an audit-proof manner is protected by WORM security through NetApp SnapLock. In addition, ProLion CryptoSpike protects WORM volumes from encryption by malware. CryptoSpike was developed for ONTAP storage; it monitors user access to files in real time and automatically eliminates detected threats based on predefined rules.

“We are very pleased that, once again, together with our long-standing Platinum Partner PROFI AG, we were able to provide a solution tailored perfectly to the customer’s needs to optimize its business processes,” says Christian Wagner, Senior Partner Manager at NetApp.

Everything Under Control in the Data Fabric

The situation has become significantly less stressful for the customer’s two administrators. In their Data Fabric built with NetApp solutions, data operations run seamlessly across the entire process chain—from lab data collection to audit-compliant archiving.

No matter where data is stored in the Data Fabric, consistent functionality and standardized applications make management consistently easier than ever before. All data and data services can be managed with minimal effort through a single GUI. Day-to-day storage operations have been reduced to a minimum.

Flexibility for Today and Tomorrow

Today, IT can quickly and flexibly meet the needs of business units. Setting up and backing up VMware VMs is easier than ever thanks to tight integration with ONTAP storage. Storage is allocated automatically or on demand. New projects can be supported in a way that ensures they fulfill their purpose optimally. With reliably available data from sample analysis and processes, the planned laboratory information management system will also meet its objectives. As the digital backbone of laboratory operations, it will improve productivity and efficiency in the lab.

As a trusted advisor, PROFI AG is discussing next steps with the customer. Containers instead of VMs are on the table, as are increased automation and adjustments to data security and archiving. A disaster recovery scenario involving a second data center and the separation of the two AFF systems is under discussion. In principle, the customer would prefer to migrate more workloads to the cloud and also explore the use of backup data in the cloud.

“With the ONTAP data management software, we have not only optimized and made storage management more flexible, but also taken data protection to a new level with the capabilities of NetApp Cloud Backup. This ensures the customer is well-equipped to meet current and future business needs,” says Jens Christian Helm, sales representative at PROFI AG.