Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - 0 to 25 PB in one year (NTA213)

Summary

Keras Life Sciences experienced rapid AWS adoption, growing from 0 to 29.4 petabytes of data in less than a year.
Mason Hensley, CTO of Keras Life Sciences, led the cloud transformation with support from AWS Senior Solutions Architect David Cathy and AWS Principal of Enterprise Sales Joe Howe.
The session aimed to share insights on the transformation journey, focusing on people, technology, and operational changes.
Keras Life Sciences specializes in cancer biopsies and genomic sequencing to improve patient treatment outcomes.
The migration to AWS was driven by the need for data collaboration, innovation, cost savings, and scalability.
AWS services such as S3, DataSync, Athena, and Control Tower played key roles in the migration.
Professional services from AWS were instrumental in setting up the environment and migrating workflows.
The migration improved data accessibility for data scientists, facilitated partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, and provided better cost tracking for Keras.
Lessons learned included the importance of executive dashboards for transparency, engaging finance teams early, and the benefits of operational expenditure (OpEx) over capital expenditure (CapEx).

The rapid data growth at Keras Life Sciences underscores the scalability and flexibility of AWS services in handling large-scale data migrations.
The collaboration between AWS and Keras Life Sciences highlights the importance of partnership and expert guidance in successful cloud transformations.
The use of AWS services such as S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval and DataSync suggests that AWS can provide both cost-effective storage solutions and efficient data transfer mechanisms.
The transition from a CapEx to an OpEx model reflects a broader industry trend towards cloud services, offering more granular cost tracking and financial flexibility.
The session demonstrates the potential of cloud computing to accelerate research and development in the life sciences sector, particularly in precision medicine and oncology.
The involvement of AWS Professional Services indicates that AWS is not just a technology provider but also a strategic partner that can offer hands-on support and expertise.
The experience of Keras Life Sciences can serve as a blueprint for other organizations looking to undertake a significant cloud migration, emphasizing the need for comprehensive planning, stakeholder engagement, and continuous learning.