AWS ยท Secure Research Environments

For research institutions, universities, and organizations handling sensitive data that requires compliant AWS infrastructure

Modern research requires massive compute, but grants require strict data governance. Our Secure Research Environments (SREnv) are purpose-built AWS enclaves designed for higher education and EdTech. We build isolated "clean rooms" where researchers can process sensitive datasets (PII, PHI, Export Controlled) using high-performance computing resources, without exposing the institution to risk. We automate the lifecycle of these environments. Spin up. Process. Tear down.

  • SRE + LZA Deployment Complete Secure Research Environment built on AWS Landing Zone Accelerator. Multi-account architecture with Organizations, Control Tower, and service control policies enforcing guardrails before mistakes happen. The deployment maps AWS services to all 14 NIST 800-171 control families: Access Control through IAM, IAM Identity Center, VPC, and MFA. Audit and Accountability through CloudTrail, CloudWatch, and Config. Configuration Management through Systems Manager and CloudFormation. Incident Response through GuardDuty, Security Hub, and SNS alerting. System and Communications Protection through KMS, ACM, VPC, and encryption validation. Security Assessment through Security Hub, Audit Manager, and continuous control validation. Every control mapped, every service configured, every requirement addressed with infrastructure-as-code your team can audit, extend, and maintain.
  • NIH GDS Compliance Engineering Specific implementation for institutions subject to NIH Genomic Data Sharing requirements. We configure environments to satisfy User requirements (NIST SP 800-171 attestation for U.S. and non-U.S. researchers) and Host requirements (NIST SP 800-53 Moderate baseline). Controlled-access repository integration, Data Use Certification documentation, and evidence packages demonstrating control implementation across all 320 assessment objectives. When NIH requires attestation that your institution and any third-party Cloud Service Providers comply with security requirements, the evidence exists because the architecture generates it continuously.
  • Research and Engineering Studio (RES) Integration Self-service portal for scientists and engineers to securely access and manage workspaces without IT intermediation. RES provides virtual desktop infrastructure with session logging, compliance auditing, and shared compute resources under access governance. ParallelCluster integration for HPC workloads, FSx for Lustre for high-performance storage, and Batch configurations that scale to thousands of cores when research demands it. Researchers get the environments they need. Compliance teams get the audit trail they require. IT escapes the provisioning queue while maintaining control over security boundaries.
  • Research Landing Zone Multi-account AWS architecture designed for research institutions. Separate accounts for different research groups, compliance boundaries that isolate regulated data, and shared services that reduce duplication without creating access control nightmares. Identity federation with institutional IdPs, budget controls that prevent runaway compute costs, and governance guardrails that protect the institution without blocking legitimate research.
  • Compliant Data Environments Secure enclaves for sensitive research data. HIPAA-eligible configurations for health research, CUI protection for defense-funded projects, and data use agreement enforcement for datasets with access restrictions. We architect environments where compliance controls are transparent to researchers while remaining fully auditable for sponsors and regulators.
  • HPC Architecture High-performance computing infrastructure on AWS. ParallelCluster deployments, FSx for Lustre integration, and Batch configurations that scale to meet computational demand. Architectures that give researchers the capacity they need without requiring them to become cloud infrastructure specialists.
  • Collaboration Infrastructure Secure data sharing and collaboration capabilities for multi-institutional research. Controlled access for external collaborators, audit logging for sponsor compliance, and data transfer mechanisms that satisfy both security requirements and research timelines.

Research institutions face compliance requirements as stringent as any enterprise, with user populations far more diverse and use cases that change with every new grant. We build AWS infrastructure that enables research while protecting the institution.

Includes:

  • Research Landing Zone Architecture
  • Multi-Account Governance Design
  • HIPAA/FISMA/CMMC Alignment
  • HPC Cluster Deployment
  • Secure Data Enclave Build
  • External Collaborator Access
  • Institutional IdP Federation