ObjectScale

Fueling Innovation for Research Institutions

How Dell ObjectScale’s modern data storage unleashes the next wave of discovery.
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Key Takeaways:

  • Seamless Scalability for Research Data: Dell ObjectScale provides globally accessible, high-performance data storage that effortlessly scales to accommodate the massive datasets generated by higher education and research.
  • End-to-End Security for IP and Compliance: Safeguard your institution’s most valuable asset, its data, with enterprise-grade security and ransomware recovery.
  • Optimized for Cost and Collaboration: Support cost-effective, secure, and cross-campus research with software-defined, S3-compatible storage built for modern data sharing.

The data that drives discovery

Every day, colleges and universities push the boundaries of knowledge, from decoding the human genome to simulating climate futures. These innovations generate an avalanche of unstructured data. And yet, many institutions are stuck with legacy systems that hinder collaboration, balloon costs, and put irreplaceable data at risk.

The good news? Modern object storage changes the game. Dell ObjectScale, alongside Dell PowerScale, helps higher education IT teams simplify data management, lower costs, and supercharge innovation. Whether you’re enabling faculty-led AI research, protecting digital archives, or supporting online learning, ObjectScale ensures your storage strategy is no longer a barrier, it’s a breakthrough.

As a core storage engine in the Dell AI Data Platform, ObjectScale provides a high‑performance, scalable foundation for research data management and collaboration across labs and campuses. Recognized as a 2025 CRN Tech Innovator, Dell is not just participating in the AI era; we are leading it.

Dell ObjectScale Dell PowerScale Dell AI Data Platform cyber resilience data protection

AI and data-driven research

Modern research from biomedical AI to machine learning simulations relies on the ability to ingest, train, and analyze petabytes of unstructured data. With support for NFS, SMB, and S3 protocols and seamless hybrid cloud integration, ObjectScale gives researchers the speed and flexibility to unlock insights without rearchitecting apps.

“ObjectScale is the strategic platform of the future for us. In a hybrid, multicloud world, ObjectScale supports a wide range of applications.”

— Johan van Camp, Head of ICT Infrastructure, Ghent University

Digital archives and long-term preservation

University libraries and academic departments are digitizing everything from 16th-century manuscripts to terabytes of AV content. ObjectScale offers WORM support, geo-replication, and low-cost storage tiers that outperform legacy tape and public cloud archiving.

As an on-premise archiving solution or integrated with Wasabi for hybrid cloud storage as-a-Service, it delivers enterprise-grade durability at a lower total cost of ownership, up to 80 percent less than public cloud alternatives.

Seamless cross-institution collaboration

Scientific discovery thrives on collaboration. ObjectScale, with the validated Globus S3 connector, enables high-speed data transfer across institutions, labs, and supercomputing centers, no silos, no slowdowns.

Built-in cyber resilience for academic IP

Ransomware attacks targeting universities are rising and research data is often the top target. With built-in immutability, always-on encryption, and zero-trust architecture, ObjectScale provides rock-solid security without compromising access.

“ObjectScale enables us to quickly recover petabytes of critical and irreplaceable research data in case of a natural disaster or cyberattack.”

— Craig Risien, CI Systems Project Manager, Ocean Observatories Initiative

Whether it’s automated backup, ransomware recovery, or compliance for grant-funded projects, your team stays protected and focused on innovation.

Media and content for digital classrooms

The shift to digital and hybrid learning has turned every institution into a media company. ObjectScale supports fast, scalable storage of recorded lectures, interactive labs, and VR content, delivering high throughput and reliability for both faculty and students.

Its ability to integrate across on-premises and cloud ensures smooth content delivery, whether it’s a live class or asynchronous streaming.

ObjectScale + Wasabi: a hybrid formula for higher ed

For higher education, cost is as critical as performance. By combining Dell ObjectScale on-premises with Wasabi’s public cloud, universities can balance speed, scale, and budget like never before:

    • No egress fees
    • Predictable billing
    • Fast access when it matters most 

Ready to unleash the next era of discovery?

Let’s work together to turn possibilities into progress. Whether you’re powering a genome lab, protecting a digital archive, or scaling online education, Dell ObjectScale delivers the performance, security, and simplicity your mission demands.

About the Author: David Noy

David Noy is a 25 year veteran of the storage and data management industry with deep, hands on expertise in data center infrastructure, enterprise and cloud data storage, and solutions for Artificial Intelligence. After more than a decade directing engineering organizations—and subsequent leadership of high impact product management and technical marketing teams—he has shaped flagship portfolios at Dell Technologies, NetApp, Veritas, Cohesity, and VAST Data. He has been the global executive leader for enterprise product lines recognized by Gartner as #1 in their category. As Vice President of Product Management for Unstructured Data Solutions at Dell Technologies, David oversees the end to end strategy for enterprise, high performance computing, and artificial intelligence workloads. This includes responsibility for the Dell AI Data Platform which includes data engines and storage engines. His remit spans product conception, roadmap execution, and go to market alignment—delivering infrastructure that not only scales but also integrates advanced data management, cyber resilience, and hybrid cloud capabilities into a single, coherent platform. Industry context • Explosive growth of unstructured data: AI, edge telemetry, and rich media are driving compound annual growth >25 %, demanding file/object architectures that scale linearly and economically. • Hybrid and multi cloud deployments: Enterprises now treat cloud as an operating model, not a destination; seamless data mobility and consistent policy enforcement are table stakes. • AI and GPU acceleration: Modern AI pipelines require parallel file and object stores that can saturate the latest high speed networks while guaranteeing metadata efficiency. • Cyber resilience & compliance: Immutable snapshots, object lock, and zero trust architectures have become mandatory in the face of ransomware and evolving data sovereignty laws. David’s track record of shipping innovative, enterprise grade solutions at global scale directly aligns with these trends, positioning him to lead the next wave of file and object innovation that accelerates customers’ digital transformation and AI ambitions—on premises, at the edge, and in the cloud.