University of Alabama at Birmingham Empowers Researchers with Kubernetes and Dell Technologies
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is taking its commitment to empowering researchers to the next level with the help of Kubernetes and Dell Technologies. As an internationally renowned public research university and academic medical center, UAB understands the importance of providing its 22,000 students and faculty members with the tools and technologies they need to excel in their work.
Recognizing the rise of containerization as a transformative force in research, UAB saw an opportunity to enhance its compute and storage resource management. By embracing Kubernetes, a popular container orchestration platform, the university aimed to streamline workflows and enable researchers to take full advantage of container-based capabilities.
However, UAB knew that implementing Kubernetes would not be a walk in the park. The university needed a trusted partner who could guide them through the process and expedite their journey towards achieving their vision. That’s when they turned to their reliable partners, Dell Technologies and Canonical.
Having already collaborated with Canonical and Dell on the deployment of Charmed OpenStack, UAB was confident that these partners were the perfect choice to support their Kubernetes adoption. The seamless integration and compatibility between the technologies offered by Canonical and Dell made the decision even more intuitive.
To complete their comprehensive technology stack, UAB also opted to implement Charmed Ceph, Canonical’s enterprise-ready distribution of an open-source storage solution. With this combination of Charmed Kubernetes, Charmed OpenStack, and Charmed Ceph running on Dell hardware, UAB completely revolutionized its compute landscape.
Previously, the university maintained separate data centers for its high-performance computing (HPC) cluster and ancillary services. However, UAB now boasts two modernized data centers that house HPC, cloud, container, and storage services, all fully integrated and optimized for efficient research operations.
This transformation has enabled UAB’s researchers to work more efficiently and effectively, thanks to the simplified orchestration and management capabilities provided by Kubernetes. The once complex process of manually designing and building each research environment has been replaced by pre-configured software components, allowing researchers to focus on their applications and use cases.
The partnership between UAB, Dell Technologies, and Canonical has not only accelerated the deployment of Kubernetes but also paved the way for future advancements in research. By leveraging the power of containerization, UAB is fostering a collaborative and innovative environment where groundbreaking discoveries can thrive.
The university’s effective adoption of Kubernetes demonstrates the value of strategic partnerships and the monumental impact that technology can have on academic research. As UAB continues to empower its research community with cutting-edge tools and solutions, it remains at the forefront of scientific progress and makes a lasting contribution to the State of Alabama’s economic growth.
By embracing Kubernetes and partnering with industry leaders like Dell Technologies and Canonical, the University of Alabama at Birmingham has opened new horizons for its researchers. Through this transformation, UAB has positioned itself as a premier institution for scientific discovery and technological innovation.
