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HelpSDE Example
An Illustrative Example
of the Uses and Capabilities of a
UCSF Secure Data Hosting Service
A UCSF researcher has done some initial exploratory analysis in contemplation for a study. In the grant application to NIH, as part of the security and privacy plan, the researcher specifies that the data will be stored in the Secure Data Environment. The researcher adds a description that he has received from the Secure Data Environment as an addendum to the grant, freeing him from writing the description himself. He provides a direct cost line item for the service and avoids hardware and personnel costs he would otherwise incur.
Upon preliminary approval of the grant, the researcher submits a proposal to the Committee on Human Research (CHR). The researcher specifies that the data will be stored in the Secure Data Environment which CHR has previously approved. CHR collaborates with Academic Research Systems to maintain all security requirements, relieving the investigator from the responsibility of describing the security steps and of acquiring the expertise in these areas.
The UCSF researcher conducts his study of 3000 patients with known coronary disease. The data is housed on a secure server that is professionally managed 24/7 and backed up to a second off site secure server. Access to the data will require a UCSF login ID and password. The researcher is able to grant or revoke to research assistants and others read only or read/write access to this research document, with a full audit report available. The data is retrieved from and saved to the secure server, limiting the possibility of data theft or damage. In addition, the data is encrypted in transit, providing an additional level of security. The data is available from anywhere on the UCSF network or through use of VPN to connect to the UCSF network.