STFC’s Echo (S3 disk) and Antares (tape) provide large-scale, resilient data storage for research communities managing some of the UK’s largest scientific datasets. Together, these services support the long-term preservation, stewardship and accessibility of data generated by experiments, observatories, simulations and national research facilities. Echo provides a modern, cloud-compatible storage platform with an industry-standard S3 interface, allowing researchers and applications to access and manage data using widely adopted object-storage tools and workflows. Behind the scenes, data can be stored on highly scalable disk and tape infrastructures, combining ease of access with the cost-effectiveness and durability required for long-term retention. Through high-capacity research networks, datasets can be accessed, shared and transferred remotely by researchers across the UK and internationally, enabling global scientific collaborations to work with petabyte-scale data collections without the need for local storage infrastructure. Together, Echo and the RAL Tape Storage Service provide the trusted foundation needed to preserve valuable scientific data and ensure it remains accessible for future discovery.
