Informatics

The role of the technical operations group within the Basic Research Informatics department at the Merck Frosst center for Therapeutic Research is to keep the network alive and make sure that researchers have access to the information that they need, when they need it.

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The group supports the scientists on software, hardware and instrumentation within the Centre. This includes system and database administration, as well as standard help-desk operations. One important role is 24-hour support for the crucial robotics function of the laboratory, servicing the robotic team's data analysis and inventory management requirements.

A unique feature of the technical operations group at Merck Frosst is the heterogeneous environment in which it works. Because the servers are application driven, the informatics specialists must support, and be knowledgeable about, multiple operating systems. The emphasis, as always, is on meeting the needs of the drug discovery effort. Because of this multi-system environment, and also the company's early adoption of new technology, there are tremendous challenges for anyone that joins the Basic Research Informatics department at the Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research.

The department is also responsible for disaster recovery, keeping pace with each day's new data to create back-ups, archives and restores that ensure the Research Centre's most valuable asset is well protected.