GRAU DATA, a software company headquartered in Schwaebisch-Gmuend, Germany, has joined the iRODS Consortium, the membership-based organization that leads development and support of the integrated Rule-Oriented Data System (iRODS).
Since 2007, GRAU DATA has developed software products that simplify the management and protection of data for companies, research institutions, and government agencies. With specialized solutions in data archiving, data protection, and metadata-driven search, the company focuses on security, scalability, and user-friendliness in its software products.
iRODS is an open-source software used to store, manage, and share large amounts of data and metadata. By providing mechanisms for defining rules for data storage, processing, and distribution, iRODS supports interoperability and scalability of data infrastructures. The iRODS Consortium guides iRODS development priorities and facilitates support, education, and collaboration opportunities for iRODS users.
David Cerf, Chief Data Evangelist at GRAU DATA, highlights how GRAU DATA’s products dovetail with iRODS to enhance the services and functionalities available to the worldwide iRODS user community.
“Our solutions help iRODS users cut storage costs by approximately 50% and make better use of unstructured data for AI and analytics,” said Cerf. For example, a GRAU DATA product called MetadataHub helps iRODS users turn unstructured data and its embedded metadata into valuable insights for analytics. “Getting the most out of unstructured data is crucial for improving data quality and speeding up results,” Cerf noted. “MetadataHub automates data preparation to make it AI-ready, improves training models, and sets up downstream applications while maintaining data lineage and governance.”
Through its reporting feature, MetadataHub also gives users a comprehensive view of their data landscape to better manage storage resources, reduce costs, and save time on storage management. “Ultimately, these solutions provide iRODS users with a significant advantage in efficiency, insight, and strategic value,” said Cerf. “We’re excited to become part of the iRODS Consortium.”
Terrell Russell, Executive Director of the iRODS Consortium, expressed enthusiasm in welcoming the Consortium’s newest member. “GRAU DATA clearly has a deep well of expertise in understanding the challenges organizations face in handling, using, and protecting large data collections,” said Russell. “We look forward to further enhancing our collaboration to help organizations effectively leverage all of the strengths that iRODS has to offer.”
The iRODS software has been deployed at thousands of locations worldwide for long-term management of data in various industries such as the oil and gas industry, biosciences, physical sciences, archives, and media and entertainment. The development team of the iRODS Consortium is based at the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), which is affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. To learn more about iRODS and the iRODS Consortium, please visit irods.org.
To learn more about GRAU DATA, please visit graudata.com.
