Ginkgo Bioworks Scales to Save the Planet with Atlassian Cloud

Ginkgo Bioworks, a pioneer in synthetic biology, was founded in 2008 with the ambitious goal of addressing global challenges like climate change. The company operates at the intersection of biology and technology, using DNA programming to create sustainable alternatives to scarce or high-demand resources.

Ginkgo’s mission is captured in its question: “What if we could grow anything?” This ethos has driven projects like supporting Moderna in producing raw materials for the COVID-19 vaccine and developing sustainable resources to replace environmentally harmful materials. These initiatives underscore Ginkgo Bioworks' commitment to leveraging biology to make the world more sustainable and resource-efficient.

Challenges with On-Premise Systems

As Ginkgo Bioworks scaled, they encountered several challenges with their on-premise digital infrastructure, which relied heavily on Atlassian solutions. Their legacy systems were increasingly limited in terms of storage, speed, and scalability, and these limitations soon became significant barriers to efficient growth.

The demand for enhanced resources and the company’s expanding needs underscored the necessity for streamlined service management across departments, further amplifying the drawbacks of their existing setup. Driven by a commitment to lean operations and scalability, Ginkgo decided to migrate to Atlassian Cloud Premium with assistance from a Solution Partner.

This transition provided a more centralized digital infrastructure, enhancing data accuracy, visibility, and decision-making capabilities to support their forward-looking growth model.

Migration to Atlassian Cloud

The migration to Atlassian Cloud was a significant turning point for Ginkgo Bioworks, allowing them to consolidate tools and foster inter-departmental collaboration more effectively. They moved several key tools to the cloud, including Jira Software for project tracking, Confluence for documentation and collaboration, and Jira Service Management for streamlined service requests.

Atlassian Access was also integrated with Okta, which enabled centralized security and single sign-on for team members across various departments. This consolidation effort helped the company to achieve more efficient and seamless service management.

As part of the transition, Ginkgo prioritized extensive data cleanup and organization to ensure a smoother experience post-migration, making it easier for employees to retrieve critical information while reducing redundancy and data fragmentation.

Streamlined Service Management and Collaboration

With Jira Service Management at the core of their operations, Ginkgo Bioworks redefined how service requests were managed across multiple teams, reducing reliance on disjointed systems and improving transparency. Departments such as environmental health, safety, lab operations, and business development quickly adopted the service management tools, which increased overall efficiency and operational cohesion.

The migration process was strategic and well-coordinated, with extensive data cleanup and reorganization helping to minimize data silos and allow users to access information more easily. The comprehensive migration also ensured that the company's tools were tailored to meet the specific needs of each department, ultimately promoting a more cohesive and productive work environment.

Enhanced Security and Efficiency with Role-Based Access

Following the migration, Ginkgo Bioworks implemented role-based permissions through Atlassian Access and Okta, allowing the IT team to manage access levels effectively. This system enabled quick onboarding, streamlined role assignments, and maintained high data security standards across the organization.

Employees could easily access the tools and information they needed, while secure access controls ensured data protection and compliance with industry regulations. Ginkgo further improved its IT management by leveraging Opsgenie for incident management, enabling real-time alerts and reducing downtime for critical equipment.

This integration also supported lean staffing models by optimizing equipment availability, an essential factor given the fast-paced nature of their research environment.

Outcomes and Growth

The migration yielded immediate positive outcomes, with a significant increase in employee engagement across Atlassian tools, revealing the demand for enhanced permissions management and security features. The asset management capabilities of Jira Service Management became a cornerstone of Ginkgo’s IT strategy, particularly in tracking their extensive lab equipment inventory.

With hundreds of pieces of equipment frequently moved across various labs, the ability to monitor and respond to technical issues in real time has had a substantial impact on productivity and efficiency. Post-migration, the streamlined processes and advanced incident management enabled Ginkgo to support a more agile, responsive approach to operational challenges.

Future Goals and Sustainability Focus

Looking forward, Ginkgo Bioworks aims to deepen its data analytics within the Atlassian ecosystem, leveraging insights to enhance decision-making, track profitability trends, and identify areas for employee training. The company is focused on expanding automation across workflows to drive productivity, ultimately supporting more scalable operations.

With the foundation of Atlassian Cloud, Ginkgo is positioned to triple its output while significantly reducing costs, a trajectory that aligns with its vision of sustainable innovation. By continuing to optimize their operations, Ginkgo Bioworks is set to lead the field of synthetic biology with environmentally responsible practices that contribute to both technological and ecological advancement.