Cases & Voices

Brazil’s National Laboratory for Astrophysics (LNA) has signed an agreement with RNP to use its Secure Storage Network (RAS). The initiative ensures the protection and availability of vast volumes of scientific data generated by the Pico dos Dias Observatory..

Brazil’s National Laboratory for Astrophysics (LNA) faced a growing challenge: how to store and protect the vast volumes of scientific images generated by the Pico dos Dias Observatory (OPD) in Minas Gerais. As one of the country’s largest astronomical observatories, the OPD produces data that are essential for astrophysical research undertaken by both Brazilian and international teams. Managing this information, however, required high infrastructure costs and robust security, two aspects that are difficult to sustain with local servers alone.

To address this challenge, the LNA has become the first research unit of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) to sign an agreement with the National Education and Research Network (RNP), a member of RedCLARA, for the use of the Secure Storage Network (RAS), accessed through the RNP+ portal.

The service will enable the LNA to securely and efficiently store up to 30 terabytes of data, equivalent to more than seven million high-resolution photographs or approximately 1,200 films in 4K. The system is also scalable, enabling the Laboratory to expand its storage capacity as its scientific output grows.

The solution offers significant benefits: it ensures information security through multiple protection layers, including encryption and backup copies, while also facilitating remote access to data from anywhere, thereby reducing dependence on local servers and lowering infrastructure costs.

The adoption process was closely supported by an RNP team, which worked with the LNA to understand its specific needs and to demonstrate how the Secure Storage Network could be applied to its context. This guidance ensured that each stage of the process was carried out swiftly and smoothly.

“With the digital transformation experienced by institutions in recent years, it is crucial to provide solutions that support this process. The case of the LNA demonstrates that the services available through RNP+ respond to the priority needs of teaching and research in Brazil,” stated Graciela Machado, Manager of RNP+.

For RNP, the partnership with the LNA also represents a milestone. The Laboratory has become the second institution in the category of Research Units to adopt the services available through RNP+, serving as a valuable case study that demonstrates the Secure Storage Network is a reliable solution, ready to meet the challenges of Brazil’s academic community.

“The Secure Storage service hosted within RNP’s Secure Storage Network is without doubt a valuable resource for Brazil’s teaching and research community. The use case generated by the LNA helps other MCTI Research Units to understand how RNP’s service portfolio can assist them in addressing their challenges,” Machado added.

With this agreement, RNP reinforces its role as a provider of digital solutions for research and education in Brazil, closely aligned with the country’s digital transformation priorities. At the same time, it demonstrates how national networks, as members of RedCLARA, are driving the modernisation of science in Latin America and the Caribbean through secure, scalable and future-oriented services.