Secure Research Workspace

Secure Research Workspace

Redesigned and re-architected in 2013 by Research Computing, the Secure Research Workspace (SRW) contains computational and storage resources specifically designed for management and interaction with high-risk data.  The SRW is used for storage and access to Electronic Health Records (EHR) and other highly sensitive or regulated data; it includes technical and administrative controls that satisfy applicable institutional policies.  SRW is specifically designed to be an enclave that minimizes the risk of storing and computing on regulated or sensitive data.

Technically, the SRW is an advanced implementation of a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) system based on VMWare Horizon View, Cisco Unified Computing System, Netapp Clustered Data ONTAP comprised of standard disk and flash arrays, with network segmentation and protection guaranteed by design, by adaptive Palo Alto enterprise firewalls, and enterprise TippingPoint Intrusion Prevention System appliances. Access controls and permissions are managed via centrally administered systems and technologies appropriate to ensure security practices and procedures are correctly and consistently applied.

ITS-Research Computing consults with the investigator or research group to arrive at a reasonable initial configuration suitable for their respective project(s).

The default software installed is:

In addition, Data Leakage Prevention software is available for install on systems that enable data ingress and egress but require detailed access and transfer logging, or that require additional server-level controls.  Two-step (or “two-factor”) authentication is also available as required or requested.