Use on-campus computing for regulated research data

LASER-171 is a secure on-campus environment for compute-heavy and virtual desktop research work. It is used for projects subject to NIST 800-171, including Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). It also supports projects with CMS-related controls that cannot be hosted in the cloud or are not approved for cloud hosting.

Research Computing staff will review your project requirements. They will recommend an environment based on your data type, security requirements, workflow, and cloud eligibility:

Request guidance on LASER services

Eligibility

Available to principal investigators and authorized research teams.
PIs Researchers

Principal investigators can request access to LASER-171 for eligible research projects. Faculty, staff, students, and other project members can use the environment if the approved project authorizes their access.

Eligibility depends on the data type, data use agreement, funding requirements, security requirements, and whether the work must stay on campus.

Security

Supports projects that require NIST 800-171 controls.
NIST 800-171 CUI

LASER-171 uses technical and administrative controls that comply with NIST 800-171. LASER-171 is used for CUI, CMS-related controls, and other regulated research data that must stay in an on-campus environment.

Capabilities

Run regulated research work in an on-campus environment.
VDI HPC

LASER-171 is well-suited for:

  • Virtual desktop research work
  • High-performance computing for compute-heavy analysis
  • Secure data transfer into and out of the controlled environment
  • Storage and encryption for regulated research data

Getting started

Request a meeting to assess project fit.
Consult Approval

Principal investigators can email Laser_Help@hms.harvard.edu to request a meeting with Secure Research Computing staff to review technical and security requirements, and to determine whether LASER-171 is the right LASER environment.

Before using LASER-171, projects must have:

  • An approved Data Safety Submission (DSS)
  • A fully executed Data Use Agreement (DUA)

Service rates

Rates depend on project requirements and resource needs.
Rates Costs

Pricing depends on the selected resources, security requirements, and project scope. Visit Service costs in LASER-171 for rates.