At the end of September 2024, the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) signed the contribution agreement to support FileSender development under the presently increased quality and security requirements. It is the first ever non-NREN institution that decided to offer a regular financial contribution, together with 10 NRENs, such as AARNet (Australia), ACOnet (Austria), Arnes (Slovenia), Belnet (Belgium), CSC (Finland), DeiC (Denmark), GARR (Italy), HEAnet (Ireland), REANNZ (New Zealand) and Switch (Switzerland). We are grateful to DKFZ for sharing the open source software solutions and open source values and assisting with this funding to the FileSender project joint efforts.
FileSender is an open source web application that organizations can install at no cost. Through FileSender, organizations can offer their users an online service with which they can share their files securely whilst using local storage options. Organizations are completely free in the way they install FileSender in their infrastructure and organizations are able to host FileSender on-premises or in a private cloud in an appropriate data center. This means that they can offer the FileSender service in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The need for OMICS data transfers
As a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, DKFZ deployed FileSender in August 2023, as part of its participation in the Helmholtz-wide HIFIS (Helmholtz Federated IT Services) platform. Specifically, FileSender is offered as one of the Helmholtz Cloud services in the framework of the HIFIS platform, provided by DKFZ, making it easily accessible to all members of the Helmholtz Association – 18 scientific-technical and biological-medical research centers – and their cooperation partners.
As a leading biomedical research institution focusing on cancer research, the DKFZ’s scientists are particularly interested in OMICS data. But what does that mean? OMICS data refers to the large amounts of biological data generated by high-throughput technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, which are then analyzed to understand the underlying mechanisms of cancer and other diseases. In the context of research cooperation and transnational research, the DKFZ’s researchers transfer these OMICS data files to collaborate with other scientists, share findings, and accelerate the translation of research findings into clinical applications. This data is typically used to identify new potential cancer targets for therapy, develop new diagnostic biomarkers, understand the underlying biology of cancer, and inform treatment decisions and personalized medicine.
By transferring OMICS data using FileSender, the DKFZ’s researchers can accelerate the pace of cancer research, improve the understanding of this disease, and ultimately develop more effective treatments for patients.
Since the launch of FileSender in August 2023, there has been a significant increase in the number of file transfers, with over 9000 file transfers completed and a total of 10 TB of data transferred. This equates to an average of about 20 file transfers per day, with a daily transfer rate of over 22 GB. DKFZ users have also been able to take advantage of the user-friendly interface, with an estimated 300 users accessing the service.
FileSender improving daily work at DKFZ
The use of FileSender has significantly impacted the daily work of DKFZ by:
- Providing a secure and easy-to-use solution for transferring large files, which has streamlined workflows and reduced the risk of data breaches;
- Enabling researchers to share data with cooperation partners around the world, facilitating international collaboration and knowledge exchange;
- Reducing the administrative burden associated with data transfer, allowing researchers to focus on their research activities.
The most important feature of FileSender for DKFZ is the administrative enforcement of mandatory encryption, which ensures the secure transmission of sensitive data related to cancer research. Furthermore, this makes an insight into the files being uploaded impossible, which promotes the acceptance of data protection aspects by external entities – which is essential for DKFZ, as a service provider on the Helmholtz Cloud. The guest upload option means no effort is required to create user accounts in advance, reducing the burden on the IT department and its users. In addition, the inherent design of limiting file transfers to a certain amount of time and automatically removing expired transfers ensures that the storage is not filled with unnecessary data.
Previously, DKFZ used SFTP and several other solutions, which were cumbersome and difficult for users to handle. The difficulties encountered included complex workflows and administrative burdens associated with data transfer, and limited flexibility and scalability.
“DKFZ selected FileSender due to its secure solution for large file transfers, offering robust encryption for the safe transmission of sensitive data. Its user-friendly interface, requiring only a web browser, has been highly praised by our users. Additionally, FileSender's scalability and flexible configuration capabilities cater perfectly to the needs of a large research organization like DKFZ. Endorsed by our data protection officer, FileSender also ensures efficient utilization of our storage resources”.
By signing the contribution agreement, DKFZ pledges to support the project’s long-term financial sustainability and the ongoing availability of the FileSender software. This commitment includes aiding in developing FileSender as a crucial tool for the secure transmission of sensitive data, which is essential for DKFZ’s research activities. Additionally, DKFZ is dedicated to contributing to the open source community and advocating for the principles of open source software.
The encouraging progress of FileSender, as an open source project, happens when individuals and organisations are willing to collaborate and to contribute their time and resources. If you think this work is valuable, please contribute to the FileSender development financially or in-kind by contacting the FileSender Board.
Please see Support and Mailing lists to stay updated on the latest FileSender developments and important news.
