The Rescale Secure Compute Environment is currently only available to College of Engineering researchers working with CUI data after consultation with CAEN staff. Please contact CAEN for more information at coe-research-computing@umich.edu.
The Rescale Secure Compute Environment (RSCE) offers researchers secure and flexible access to cloud-based high-performance computing (HPC) resources. Designed to accelerate simulation workflows, complex analyses, and computational modeling across a range of fields, the RSCE also ensures that your Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) data remains secure.
Computing Environment
The RSCE uses advanced cloud infrastructure to dynamically allocate the computing power you need. Whether you require a single high-powered instance or an elastic cluster that scales with your workload, you can set up isolated “project spaces” to keep your simulations and data separated. This flexible setup lets you tailor the environment to precisely match your research requirements.
Data Security & Compliance
The RSCE is a CUI compliant, cloud-hosted HPC service. It is intended for use by researchers who are working with or producing sensitive data that is subject to CUI regulations.
Researchers who are working with CUI data but who do not need large scale HPC resources should use the Secure Enclave Services provided by ITS ARC. Researchers who are working with HIPAA data should use the Armis2 cluster.
Please work with the College of Engineering IT Security Group and Research Computing Group when you are implementing your research award and planning to make use of the RSCE for your research.
Software Installation & Administration
The RSCE comes with a range of pre-installed software packages to support your research.
In a few cases, you may be able to take advantage of existing university software licenses. In most cases, however, you will need to purchase licenses for any software that you intend to use on the RSCE. Please talk with CAEN about potential software license availability and costs when you are planning your research project.
In addition, any custom software you’ve developed can be deployed on the system, giving you the flexibility to run the tools you need.
If you have any questions about what might be available, please schedule a meeting with CAEN staff to discuss your software needs.
Rates
Detailed information about the costs for using the RSCE are available in this Rescale Cost Examples knowledge base article (U-M login required). This information is provided for research project budget planning purposes, and is subject to change over time.
Please pay careful attention to the cost examples. Your costs to make use of the RSCE may be significantly higher than the cost of using computing services such as Great Lakes which are not approved for CUI research work. Please consult with the College of Engineering Research Computing Group when you are putting together your budget estimate for your grant application.
Please also consider use of the Secure Enclave Services (SES) provided by ITS ARC. If you are working with CUI data but you do not need to run large compute jobs, then the SES may be a better fit for you. In addition, depending on your data security requirements you may need to use an SES instance as a secure endpoint from which to connect to the RSCE.
Usage Policy & Shared Responsibility
The RSCE follows a shared responsibility model to maintain the highest standards of data security:
• Data Security: Both RSCE administrators and individual researchers share responsibility for safeguarding your research data.
• Data Movement: Sensitive data should remain within the secure project space unless explicit approval is obtained from the research project’s principal investigator.
• Data Export: Researchers moving any sensitive data out of the secure environment must follow all applicable administrative controls and meet all applicable regulatory and privacy standards
By using the RSCE, you agree to follow these policies and best practices as outlined by the University of Michigan, helping ensure that your research remains both efficient and secure.
For More Information
College of Engineering researchers may contact the College of Engineering Research Computing Group by sending email to coe-research-computing@umich.edu.