Cloud computing is a recent technological development with the potential to significantly change lab workflows and facilitate access to data analysis techniques. Instrument companies are now entering this market space, providing cloud capabilities.

With cloud computing, demanding data analyses can be performed without the difficulty of finding funds and space for additional hardware. The cloud is an off-site data center. Researchers purchase space and computing cycles to store data and perform analysis remotely. Access to a cloud is typically billed through a pay-per-use structure, enabling scalable systems.

The cloud setup is especially useful for research applications that generate large volumes of data. For example, high-throughput gene sequencers can generate extensive data that need to be compared against a reference genome. The analysis is demanding on computer processor cycles and can be slow without the hardware required to quickly process the data. With cloud-based analysis, a researcher can remotely access the necessary processing power.

Other advantages of utilizing a cloud include broad availability; any computer with a web browser is able to access a cloud, regardless of location. Through this increased ease of access, collaboration between labs in different physical locations is simplified. Data can be uploaded from multiple locations, obviating the need for a middleman.

Presently, there are multiple ways to gain access to cloud-based analysis. One method is to code a custom analysis module compatible with a cloud provider. This coding process requires preexisting knowledge of programming languages and can be daunting for the inexperienced. However, software packages exist to simplify the process. Creating a custom analysis system allows researchers to fully optimize analyses for their needs.

For end-users who wish to simply access cloud-based services to speed up routine analyses, analytical instrument vendors now offer subscription-based access to predeveloped cloud analyses for commonly used routines associated with their instrumentation. Offerings include, but are not limited to, multi-omic analysis for SWATH MS data, genetic variant detection for NGS, relative quantification of qPCR results and CRISPR genome editing design assistance.

As a burgeoning market, there is a great amount of leeway as instrument manufacturers create specialized cloud analyses for end-users. Cloud services from instrument vendors currently compete with cloud services provided by other organizations, such as universities and technology firms. The primary market for instrument company–developed cloud analysis systems is academia, where labs are likely to desire flexibility without the complexity involved in creating custom cloud solutions. The total market for these solutions is under $10 million.

Cloud-Based Analysis at a Glance:

Leading Suppliers

• Thermo Fisher Scientific

• SCIEX

• Illumina

Largest Markets

• Academia

• Biotechnology