Globus - IT Press Tour #66 Jan 2026

Transcript

1. Rachana Ananthakrishnan Executive Director, Globus ranantha@uchicago.edu Globus: The Platform for Scalable Research
2. Globus is … a non-profit service developed and operated by by 2
3. 3 Our mission is to… increase the efficiency and effectiveness of researchers engaged in data-driven science and scholarship through sustainable software.
4. 4 Motivation and Evolution
5. 5 Forces that shape the research market
6. 6 Forces that shape the research market
7. 7 Three decades of engagement with R&E • 1996 : Early distributed computing demonstration • 1997 : Globus Project established • 1998 : First Globus software released • 2000 : Globus Toolkit v1.0 • 2003 : Grid computing era – global adoption • 2005 : Innovations: GridFTP, data management • 2010 : Transition to SaaS architecture begins • 2011 : Globus Online (SaaS vs. developer tools) • 2014 : Rebranded as "Globus", service expansion • 2016 : Major new features beyond data transfer • 2021 : Widespread adoption • 2024 : Leading SaaS solution
8. The Grid Accelerate discovery & innovation by providing on-demand access to computing 8 “if mechanisms are in place to allow reliable, transparent, and instantaneous access to high-end resources, then it is as if those resources are devoted to them” (The Grid, Chapter 2) Ian Foster Carl Kesselman Steve Tuecke
9. 9 Globus Toolkit Open source, toolkit widely used by research community Metrics of download from 2008 Toolkit for access and use of distributed data and compute
10. 10 Grid instrumental in 3 Nobel prizes IPCC climate assessment: Peace, 2007 Earth System Grid enables sharing of simulation outputs Discovery of Higgs Boson: Physics, 2013 “only possible because of the extraordinary achievements of … grid computing”—Rolf Heuer, CERN DG Detection of gravitational waves: Physics, 2017 LIGO scientific collaboration uses grid technologies to pool data and computing
11. 11 Evolution of the product
12. 12 Evolution of the product
13. Adoption metrics over last 12 months
14. 14 R&D 100 Awards 2012: Globus Online for foundational work in grid computing 2002: Globus Toolkit for making data movement secure and reliable for researchers
15. 15 Product
16. 16 Platform for Research IT Managed transfer & sync Collaborative data sharing Unified data access Publication & discovery Reliable automation Platform-as-a-Service Managed remote execution Software-as-a-Service 16
17. 17 Hybrid model for distributed systems at scale Standards- compliant security fabric Compute Facility On-Premises and Cloud Storage Laptop/desktop Institutional Resources Instrument Facility/Lab Laptop, Desktop Custom Apps and Services Global management & orchestration Hosted, persistent, scalable, resilient services Local Agents Action Provider Globus Compute Globus Connect
18. Managed data transfer User-initiated, or automated transfer request 1 Compute/storage, Instrument/lab server Compute/Storage Facility/Laptop Globus transfers files reliably, securely 2 Globally accessible multi-tenant service • Fire-and-forget transfers/sync • Optimized speed • Assured reliability • Guaranteed data integrity • Web addressable storage via HTTP/S • Programmatic accesss to data Optional notifications 3 18
19. Secure data streaming across security boundaries User creates secure tunnel 1 Instrument, Lab server Compute Facility Set up secure tunnel 2 Globally accessible multi-tenant service • Secure tunnel across wide area networks • Leverages institutional security deployment • No changes required on the application Monitoring and notification 3 19 Stream data 3
20. 20 “Globus has proven to be a reliable, secure, and easy-to-use platform for handling our large data uploads” - Tyson Foster, Data and Technology National Leader, National Transport Research (NTRO) Seamlessly Transfer Survey Data from Road to Cloud www.aarnet.edu.au/national-transport-research-organisation-transforms-road-surveys-with-globus
21. Unified view of storage systems 21 • Consistent interface • Federated access across distinct security models • Management of limits and other storage system constraints • Open ecosystem via Community Connector Program Unified data access Extensible ecosystem
23. 23 Chemistry services Genes, genomes & variation Molecular atlas Macro- molecular & cellular structure Proteins & protein families Molecular systems Data Resources Distribute PBs monthly using Globus Large scale secure data distribution
24. Secure data sharing …from any storage Collaborator logs into Globus and accesses shared files; no local account required; download via Globus 2 On-prem or public cloud storage Select files to share, select user or group, and set access permissions 1 Globally accessible multi-tenant service Globus controls access to shared files on existing storage • Fine-grained access control “overlay” on storage system • Share with any identity, email, group • No need to stage data just for sharing • Time restricted sharing v 24 Compute/Storage Facility/Laptop
25. 25 Resolved sequences by the T2T-CHM13v2.0 reference genome. Resource: T2T consortium Data sharing for international collaboration globus.org/user-stories/globus-enables-multi-institutional-data-sharing
26. Managed compute …on any system User submits a function to be run on compute endpoints 1 Globally accessible multi-tenant service Laptop, server, compute facility Compute Facility on prem or Cloud • Fire and forget function execution • Federated authentication, and local access control • Uniform interface to various compute resources • Support use of Python for functions Globus manages the function execution on any endpoint 2 2 3 Results returned to the user 26
27. ML-based drug screening 27 National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory, arXiv:2006.02431 Globus Compute enabled remote computation on diverse resources
28. Globus for managing protected data Restricted data handling  PHI, PII, CUI  GDPR/DPA  Compliant data sharing Security controls  NIST 800-53  800-171 BAA w/UChicago  UChicago BAA with Amazon 28
29. Index Scalable data discovery …for any domain User publishes metadata into search index 1 Globally accessible multi-tenant service • Metadata store with fine grained visibility controls • Schema agnostic, with dynamic schema • Federated authentication integration • Query and discovery API with facets Index Index 2 Globus manages the metadata & access to fields 3 Users can query and find data of interest 29
30. Geospatial search 30
31. Reliable automation …spanning diverse resources User defines a flow with the required steps 1 Globally accessible multi-tenant service Compute Facility v • Managed reliable task orchestration • Declarative language for flow definition • Event driven execution model • Extensible to integrate external services External Services 2 Flow run triggered by an event On-prem or public cloud storage Instrument Facility Globus reliably manages the orchestration 3 31
32. Streamline processing of field data 32 Having a Globus Flow developed in collaboration with our Research Computing Colleagues and maintained in a library of flows allows high-speed computing to be available to a larger number of potential users. In my case, the Globus flow structure will allow me to incorporate collaborators and volunteers more easily into my research, which increases community impact and engagement. -Dan Ardia, Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology, F&M College
33. Manage data (~70TBs/month) in every phase: move, share & analyze, and automate using Globus Management of data lifecycle
34. Accelerating data to insights 34 Compute Agent Globus Connect “These data services have taken the time to solve a structure from weeks to days and now to hours” Darren Sherrell, SBC beamline scientist APS Sector 19
35. Enabling smart instruments 35 aining of Deep Neural Networks ources a Globus, Automate User Request Status for training 7sec 19sec 5sec 31sec. cycle time Z. Liu et al., https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2105.13967
36. 36 Recognition of novel solutions Readers’ Choice: Best HPC in the Cloud (use case) Editors’ Choice: Best Use of HPC in the Physical Science Editors’ Choice: Best HPC Response to a Societal Plight Readers’ Choice: Best HPC Collaboration Editor’s Choice: Top HPC-Enabled Scientific Achievement
37. National cyberinfrastructure adoption 37 Globus Enables National Cyberinfrastructure
38. 38 Some of the areas we are currently investing • Delivering storage system insights • Integrated solutions using the platform services • Supporting agentic AI systems use of research CI • Meeting requirements of additional compliance regimes
39. 39 Revenue Model
40. 40 Freemium SaaS • Basic features are free for non-profit research usage – Subscription required if collaborating with a commercial entity • Subscriptions enable – Enhanced features for users, administrators and developers – Removes/increase limits – Priority support • Subscription required to enable compliance regimes and access to connectors globus.org/subscriptions
41. 41 Pricing • Flat annual subscription— unlimited users, deployments, usage • Pricing level determined by research expenditures • Separate subscription tiers for sensitive data management • Premium uplift for commercial subscribers
42. 42 Target segments • Research universities (US and abroad) • US national laboratories • Supercomputing facilities (US and abroad) • US agencies (and some national institutions) • Genome sequencing centers, research hospitals • Independent research institutes • Commercial research (pharma, biotech, oil & gas)
43. 43 Representative EU and UK subscribers • Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf • Leibniz Supercomputing Centre • Max Planck Computing and Data Facility • IRB Barcelona • Fundació Centre de Regulació Genòmica • European Synchrotron Radiation Facility • Synchrotron SOLEIL • I.G.B.M.C. • Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière • Vlaams Supercomputer Centrum • Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie • KU Leuven • ETH Zurich • Extreme Light Infrastructure • University of Exeter • European Molecular Biology Laboratory • Imperial College London • Rosalind Franklin Institute • Institute of Cancer Research • Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute • Norwich BioScience Institutes • Genomics England • Queen Mary University of London • Source BioScience
44. 44 Sales and customer engagement • Inbound sales (majority of prospects) • Opportunistic channel sales (or dictated by customer) • 90-day free trials for qualified prospects • Self-service deployment with consulting option • Email-based support with escalation
45. Thank you! • Engage: ranantha@uchicago.edu • Website: globus.org • Documentation: docs.globus.org • Support: support@globus.org 45