Migrating Bioinformatics Applications to SaaS Using Amazon AppStream and Sigma Technology
For software providers, the move to a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model offers significant advantages. These include reaching new markets, improving operational efficiency, and boosting agility. For their customers, SaaS provides the benefit of reduced operational burden and pay-as-you-go pricing. However, many legacy software applications are desktop-based, which can make a transition to SaaS a lengthy process. In highly regulated industries like healthcare, where data privacy and compliance are critical, this transition is even more challenging due to elevated security requirements. With customers now demanding SaaS solutions, providers need effective tools to accelerate their time to market.
This article will explore how Qlucore AB (Qlucore) collaborated with AWS Advanced Tier Partner Sigma Technology to leverage Amazon AppStream 2.0 (AppStream 2.0) for the migration of their bioinformatics software to a SaaS model. We’ll examine how Qlucore successfully migrated their application in just six months with minimal code changes, allowing their tenants to quickly access their data analysis software.
AppStream 2.0 for SaaS Migrations
Amazon AppStream 2.0 is an End-User Computing service designed for on-demand application streaming, with persistent files and data between user sessions. It provides a robust foundation for software providers looking to modernize their desktop applications for SaaS delivery in the cloud, offering a rapid time to market without extensive application refactoring. AppStream 2.0 is also well-suited for multi-tenant setups, ensuring proper isolation between users.
Qlucore’s existing desktop application delivery model presented several challenges. They needed to deliver their application as a cloud-based SaaS solution to expand their reach, meet customer expectations for reduced operational burden, ensure scalability, and facilitate usage-based pricing. Refactoring the application wasn’t a practical option. Given Qlucore’s cost-conscious approach, the solution also had to be auto-scalable and highly cost-effective.
During the assessment phase, Sigma Technology Cloud investigated the possibility of using AppStream 2.0. Sigma Technology Cloud’s architects designed and created a high-level architecture that met the company’s needs and considered a multi-region setup to better serve customers. Furthermore, a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis was performed to provide insight into migration and operational costs. A project plan was also presented, outlining different development phases, the development effort required, project timeline, and expected time to market. AppStream 2.0 was identified as a low-risk, straightforward path, allowing for resource optimization, and meeting the project’s cost and time objectives. Before adopting a SaaS cloud solution on AWS, the company offered its software under a perpetual license model, where customers downloaded and installed the application on their local computers. AppStream 2.0 helps Qlucore better understand the changes to their business model when moving to a SaaS delivery model.
The evolution of a business from a perpetual license model to a SaaS delivery model, which makes use of a variety of pricing models, such as feature-based, compute sizes, and pay-per-user, can present challenges as companies transition to the cloud.
Solution Overview
Qlucore’s solution deployed an AppStream 2.0 fleet across three availability zones in a multi-region, multi-AZ configuration, with Home Folders enabled for data persistence. These folders, backed by Amazon S3 (S3), allowed customers to upload and load their analysis data. Customers could upload their data through the AppStream 2.0 session (either web client or full Windows Client) and the Home Folder contents within their AppStream 2.0 session would synchronize with a unique location in S3. To support continuous operations, the solution employed built-in auto-scaling to adjust the number of AppStream 2.0 instances based on customer activity.
To efficiently manage customers in the new SaaS solution, the company’s existing CRM system was integrated with Auth0 by Okta as a new external SAML 2.0 Identity Provider (IdP). To ensure compatibility across different operating systems and avoid the need for additional installations, the AppStream 2.0 Web Access Client was used. This solution also facilitated a custom domain for the streaming session. This was achieved by generating an AppStream 2.0 Streaming URL that was used to start an embedded streaming session directly within the company’s application portal.
Customers would navigate to the company’s application portal and authenticate through Auth0 by Okta. The CRM system was integrated with Okta to determine if the customer had a standard or premium subscription. Streaming URLs were created by a call to an Amazon API Gateway with an AWS Lambda (Lambda) function integration. The Lambda function utilized the AppStream 2.0 API to create a Streaming URL for embedding and starting the session directly from the company’s application portal.
Streaming Image Creation Process
The migration to AppStream 2.0 began with the development of AppStream 2.0 images.
The company’s application was built for Windows and iOS operating systems and utilized OpenGL. In the described solution, the underlying AppStream 2.0 image was of type Windows Server 2019 and was optimized for AppStream 2.0 Graphics Design instances. Given the application’s ability to rapidly visualize data in real time, Graphics Design instances were selected as a Standard Tier subscription. In order to match the requirements for superior performance, an additional Premium Tier was added, supported by instances with more CPU and memory resources. The process for preparing images was completed manually. Since the application does not receive frequent updates, images were created using the AppStream 2.0 Image Builder in the AppStream 2.0 console. The application itself was installed from source on the Windows image and was additionally configured to specify the Home Folder as the target for the application’s results during use.
Managing files in the Home Folder
AppStream 2.0 provides the necessary functionality to offer persistent storage of user data via the Home Folder, which is backed by an S3 Bucket created and managed by the AppStream 2.0 service. Each AppStream 2.0 user has a folder in the S3 bucket, prefixed with a hashed user ID, that is attached to the AppStream 2.0 service at startup. Correct configuration of all applications to use the appropriate path (D:PhotonUserMy FilesHome Folder) of the attached folder is critical to ensure file persistence.
The file manager functionality allows users to modify and download their data by identifying the appropriate folder in the S3 bucket. For example, a user with an ID (from the customer’s CRM) of: 123abcd would be hashed to: asd87guiads. This hashed value becomes the user’s folder name. Therefore, whenever logged-in users submit requests, the corresponding Lambda function will return a Presigned URL for a specific path, i.e., appstream2-36fb080bb8-eu-west-1-12345678910/asd87guiads/.
In the described solution, the AppStream 2.0 sessions were displayed to users in a Stream View of type App—as opposed to a Desktop type, which provides users with the full Windows experience—which means the built-in AppStream 2.0 toolbar was available to users. That toolbar allows uploading and downloading files, though this functionality can be disabled via a setting in the AppStream 2.0 stack configuration. The uploading and downloading functionality was moved to the external, web-client-based site of the hosting website. The advantage of this approach is that the uploads can be done from outside of AppStream 2.0 without the need to maintain an ongoing AppStream 2.0 session. However, the uploads and any changes made to files within the custom file manager during an ongoing session would not be synchronized until the next session.
Conclusion
By adopting AppStream 2.0, the bioinformatics application was successfully transitioned to a SaaS delivery model in less than six months. Without the flexibility provided through the use of AppStream 2.0, the refactoring of the application into containers or similar technologies for deployment onto the cloud could have taken several years to complete. This strategic choice of using AppStream 2.0 significantly shortened the time to a successful market launch, enabling the company to efficiently experiment and refine their SaaS-based business model.
If you would like to learn more about using AppStream 2.0 for a SaaS migration, contact Sigma Technology Cloud and check out the AppStream 2.0 guide – Software vendors: Deliver your applications to any user device.
About Qlucore AB
Qlucore is a leading provider of new generation, intuitive bioinformatics software for research and precision and companion diagnostics. Qlucore’s mission is to simplify the analysis of complex data generated by innovations in the fields of genomics and proteomics by providing powerful visualization-based bioinformatics data analysis tools for research and precision diagnostics. Qlucore Omics Explorer software is an easy-to-use bioinformatics software for research in the life science, plant and biotech industries, as well as in academia. Qlucore Diagnostics and Qlucore Insights are software platforms with built-in AI-based machine learning for multi-omics companion and precision diagnostics. Qlucore was founded in 2007 in Lund, Sweden and has customers in about 25 countries around the world, with sales offices in Europe and North America, and distribution in several countries in Asia. Qlucore is listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth market.
Sigma Technology Cloud – Partner Spotlight
Sigma Technology Cloud is a cloud services provider founded in 2021, offering cloud solutions and consulting services to organizations of all sizes across the Nordic region. The company leverages its industry expertise and cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional cloud services tailored to the needs of its clients.
