Find the appropriate team for SRE assistance, review requirements for sensitive and UMMS-managed data, and understand the costs that may apply to your research project.
Choose the team that best matches your question. Contacting the appropriate team early can help clarify technical, data-stewardship, and application requirements before your project begins.
Contact SRE IT for help with:
Contact the RIC for help with:
Contact REDCap for help with:
Research using UMMS-managed data is subject to the applicable Data Use Agreement and data-stewardship requirements. No UMMS data covered by the agreement may leave the SRE without a Data Use Agreement signed by UMMS.
Researchers should involve the UMMS Research Informatics Core early when planning data transfers. Data entering or leaving the SRE must follow the approved project workflow and applicable data-steward review requirements.
Review the Data Use Agreement
Learn How to Move and Manage Data
Contact the UMMS Research Informatics Core
Standard SRE is available to qualifying UMB research projects and includes a shared computing environment with an allocation of storage. Storage used beyond the included allocation is charged to the research project.
Contact SRE Support before requesting additional storage or resources so that the team can help identify the appropriate option and explain potential project charges.
Custom Compute resources are configured according to a project’s technical requirements and are billed monthly to the research project. Costs vary based on the selected processing, memory, storage, and GPU resources.
The configurations and prices shown below are planning examples. Contact SRE Support for a current estimate based on your project’s requirements.
| Example Configuration | vCPUs | Memory | GPU | Estimated Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard D2S v3 | 2 | 8 GiB | -- | $160 |
| Standard L16AS V3 / Standard NV12s GPU | 16 | 128 GiB | See configuration details | $425 |
| NC8as_T4_v3 | 8 | 56 GiB | 1 NVIDIA Tesla T4, 16 GB | $500 |
| NC24ads_A100_v4 | 24 | 220 GiB | 1 NVIDIA A100, 80 GB | $2,400 |
For definitions to SRE related abbreviations or to learn more about how PHI & PII are defined, download and print the SRE Glossary or view the glossary from the drop-down menu below.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Secure Research Environment (SRE) is a centralized virtual environment designed to protect sensitive and restricted research data. Secure virtual desktop environments and custom compute allow researchers to access sensitive data under a higher level of control and data protection. Data is segregated per research project and only accessible by the research team that is assigned to the enclave.
Azure Defender for Cloud helps keep your data and applications safe when you're using Microsoft's Azure cloud services. It scans for any suspicious activity or potential problems and takes action to prevent or address them, making your cloud environment more secure. It will be enabled for all subscriptions as part of the deployment automation.
We are pleased to announce that our Secure Research Environment (SRE), built in Microsoft Azure, has received formal approval for its System Security Plan (SSP) for use by the Department of Defense (DoD). This approval confirms that our environment meets the requirements of NIST 800-171, ensuring robust protection of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in accordance with federal standards.
In parallel, we are actively preparing a submission for an NIST 800-53 compliant environment to further extend our capabilities and compliance coverage. This next phase will support broader research initiatives and enhance our alignment with federal cybersecurity frameworks.
We appreciate the continued collaboration across teams and will share updates as the 800-53 submission progresses. For questions or further details, please contact the SRE support team.
Summary of the Master Data Use Agreement (Effective May 1, 2022)
Parties
University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS)
University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB)
Purpose
This agreement establishes the rules for how UMMS can provide clinical and research-related data to UMB through the Informatics Core, a jointly funded program created under a 2021 Charter Agreement. The goal is to support clinical and translational research conducted by UMB researchers.
No UMMS data of any kind can leave the SRE without a Data Use Agreement in place that UMMS has signed.
Whenever possible, data should be hosted in UMB's Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop environment; UMB SRE.
601 W. Lombard St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
The University of Maryland, Baltimore is the founding campus of the University System of Maryland.
620 W. Lexington St., Baltimore, MD
21201 | 410-706-3100
