Research Infrastructure for Sensitive Data Management: A New Secure Research Environment (SRE) at the University of Melbourne
Helena Lynn1, Hywel Stoakes1 1University Of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Abstract
The number of large-scale, national data breaches seen over the past few years indicate that adequate protection of sensitive data is difficult to achieve for many sectors. This is particularly true for research-intensive universities, where: there is a large diversity of data types and workflows; decentralised custodianship of data is the norm; data security and protection sit amongst multiple competing compliance obligations for researchers; and over-restrictive controls limit research productivity and output.
The University of Melbourne has addressed the risks presented by sensitive data research in this challenging context with two broad arms of activity:
1.Policy, process and people-based interventions such as the development of a new research data management policy, a new research data classification framework, information resources and training.
2.Technological interventions, such as the security uplift of existing systems and implementation of new solutions for sensitive research data management.
The latest development in this second arm of activity has been the design, implementation and certification (ISO27001) of a new Secure Research Environment (SRE). The SRE is an internally-hosted, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)-based solution that was purpose-built for the processing, analysis and storage of highly sensitive research data at the University of Melbourne.
In this talk, we will provide an overview of the SRE, highlighting key features, considerations that informed the SRE’s design and implementation, complexities in the certification process and important components of service delivery to ensure utility for researchers.
Biography
Dr Helena Lynn is the Program Manager of Research Data Management at the University of Melbourne. Having previously worked in research, research support and university-wide strategic ventures, she now leverages her broad experience to lead and implement the University of Melbourne’s research data management strategy. Over the past 3 years, the RDM Program has delivered new infrastructure, policies, resources and support, to enable UoM researchers to easily and safely manage research data in a complex regulatory and technological environment.