CLASS: Secure Research Environments

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) offers a powerful approach to establishing security boundaries in regulated research environments. This webinar session explores practical experience implementing VDI across cloud and on-premises platforms supporting regulated research. 

Attendees will learn where VDI fits within the broader secure research environment architecture and explore implementation strategies, including encryption, VPN integration, and key security trade-offs. Our speakers will provide conceptual and technical insights for institutions evaluating VDI as a component of their compliance strategy.

Key Takeaways:

• Describe the role of VDI as a security boundary within a secure research environment architecture, and how it supports compliance with frameworks such as NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC
• Identify key security considerations — including encryption, VPN, and access controls — when deploying VDI for regulated research workloads
• Evaluate trade-offs in cost, complexity, and security posture when selecting a VDI platform for regulated research

Speakers:

• Jason Armbruster, CLASS Consultant for Internet2
  • Associate Deputy Director of ACCESS Support at the University of Colorado Boulder
• Sean Kelly, Senior Software Engineer at Purdue University

Date: Aug. 18, 2026
Time: 1-2 p.m. ET
Cost: Free

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Compliance-Aware Data Management Using Globus | Webinar | Sept. 1, 2026 | 1 p.m. ET

Learn all about the sharing and access control capabilities of Globus that help institutions meet compliance requirements for research data sharing and collaboration. See how features such as time-limited permissions, sharing policies, and carefully scoped guest collections can be used to enforce least privilege and controlled access to data. We will also cover data classification and how to design sharing workflows that respect regulatory and contractual constraints.

Key Takeaways:

• Support compliance-oriented data sharing with Globus sharing capabilities
• Map Globus configurations to NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy and other federal data sharing requirements
• Design data sharing workflows that respect sensitivity, institutional review board constraints, and data use agreements

Speaker:

• Brigitte Raumann, Director of Product Management and Compliance at Globus

Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Time: 1-2:30 p.m. ET
Cost: Free

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Traditional approaches to research security are no longer adequate in today’s environment. Drawing on experience from universities and NSF-funded research facilities, this session helps you connect the dots between emerging federal requirements and institutional risks to research integrity, funding, and reputation. 

Key Takeaways:

• Why research security risk ownership must extend beyond individual labs and departments
• How universities can evolve their governance structures, policies, and technical controls
• Overview of federal requirements, such as NSPM-33, NIST SP 800-171, and CMMC 2.0

Speaker:

Mike Corn, Executive Strategic Consultant for Vantage Technology Consulting Group

• Former Cybersecurity Advisor for Research Infrastructure at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Chief Information Security Officer at the University of California, San Diego

Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Time: 1-2 p.m. ET

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This live session focuses on achieving organizational alignment. Hear guidance on designing, implementing, operating, and sustaining a secure cloud IT environment for research, including organizational strategy, structure, and governance.

Key Takeaways:

• Research revenue opportunities
• Regulatory environment landscape assessment
• Who needs to be involved — and why?
• How to organize your team to do the work

Speaker:

Bill Barnett, Chief Research Computing Officer at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

• Former Senior Director of Research Computing at Harvard Medical School

Date: Feb. 3, 2026
Time: 1-2 p.m. ET
Cost: Free

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The Internet2 CLASS program is facilitating a comprehensive webinar and workshop series to help your institution navigate secure research and compliance in the cloud.

A Computer System Administrator and a Compliance Officer Walk Into a Bar… Beyond IT Settings: Compliance Standards, Audit Readiness, and Impacts on Research Computing

Learn about policy controls and key roles. Hear from university leaders about the cross-functional coordination required for a NIST SP 800-171 compliance program.

Technical implementation considerations and costs will be addressed. This session will cover what you need to have in place — beyond just a FEDRAMP-certified cloud provider — focusing on practical steps like:

• Accurately identifying when NIST SP 800-171 regulations and controls apply
• Establishing Separation of Duties and clearly defined stakeholder roles
• Ensuring full audit preparedness

Speakers:

• Mary Duarte Millsaps, Director of Research Compliance at North Carolina State University
• Jill Gemmill, Associate Vice President of Research Computing and Data at Clemson University

Review the recording and slides from this webinar.

Security and compliance are often viewed as barriers to research, but when aligned with the research mission, they can enhance both efficiency and competitiveness. This webinar demonstrates how cybersecurity can accelerate research while reducing institutional risk.

Key Takeaways:

• What cybersecurity and consulting services are needed?
• How you can build a portfolio of pre-secured technology solutions
• How do these solutions complement one another?

Speaker:

• Will Drake, CISO and Principal Security Analyst at the Indiana University Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research
  • Launched the SecureMyResearch service at the Indiana University Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research in 2019

Date: March 3, 2026
Time: 1-2 p.m. ET
Cost: Free

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Join us for a workshop that helps you build a core “tiger team” for the development and operations of your secure research environment. Designed for multiple participants from the same institution to attend together, we’ll work through practice exercises to stress test the identified groups and consider how these groups fit into the larger institutional context.

This workshop is limited to 40 participants (up to 6 per institution), so sign up early to secure your seat.

Key Takeaways:

• Tiger Team Roster: A list of 5-8 people to consult with on challenging research scenarios that don’t clearly fit the standard SRE model
• Full Stakeholder List: Complete identification of everyone who needs awareness or related communications about the SRE effort

Instructor:

• Jason Armbruster, CLASS Consultant for Internet2
  • Associate Deputy Director of ACCESS Support at the University of Colorado Boulder

Date: March 31, 2026
Time: 12-4 p.m. ET
Cost: $100 for CICP; $150 for Internet2 members; $200 for non-members

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This webinar reviews the most common implementation patterns for secure research in higher education, centered on a robust sandboxing strategy. We will deconstruct five distinct Secure Research Environment archetypes and analyze how each one manages isolation, compute, and data egress. By seeking the commonalities across these models, we will provide a roadmap for building an integrated institutional strategy that protects data without stifling discovery.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand how precise scoping reduces the “audit surface” for externally regulated environments (e.g., NIST 800-171, CMMC)
• Review a technical taxonomy of five distinct research environments
• Evaluate trade-offs to align with your campus infrastructure, staffing, and researcher needs

Speaker:

• Jason Armbruster, CLASS Consultant for Internet2
  • Associate Deputy Director of ACCESS Support at the University of Colorado Boulder

Date: April 7, 2026
Time: 1-2 p.m. ET
Cost: Free

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Join us as IT leaders from multiple institutions will pull back the curtain on their operational cloud enclaves. Get a high-level architectural review of implementations across various cloud providers, highlighting the unique design choices made by each school. Our panel of experts will share lessons learned from their deployment journeys, ranging from cost-governance to identity management.

Key Takeaways:

• Review the architecture of multiple real-world implementations
• Lessons learned from peers who are farther along in their journey
• Discover strategies for maintaining rigorous security standards without stifling research innovation

Speakers:

• Jason Armbruster, CLASS Consultant for Internet2
  • Associate Deputy Director of ACCESS Support at the University of Colorado Boulder
• Guest speakers
  • Cornell University, North Carolina State University, San Diego Supercomputing Center and Vanderbilt University

Date: April 21, 2026
Time: 1-2 p.m. ET
Cost: Free

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Through this workshop, we will close the “translation gap” between technical implementation and auditor expectations. Through a unique Red Team/Blue Team simulation, you will move beyond checklists to experience the full lifecycle of a security control. You’ll learn to identify hidden gaps between your actual configurations and your written policies, practicing how to defend your implementation under the scrutiny of an audit.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the complete lifecycle of security control implementation and review
• Experience the relationship between implementation decisions and documentation requirements
• Identify common gaps between what organizations document and what they implement
• Practice collaborative security control evaluation
• Gain familiarity with NIST 800-171 control implementation challenges in research environments

Speakers:

• Jason Armbruster, CLASS Consultant for Internet2
  • Associate Deputy Director of ACCESS Support at the University of Colorado Boulder
• Silas Korb, Cloud Engineer at the University of Colorado Boulder

Date: May 5, 2026
Time: 12-4 p.m. ET

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Join us as we focus on the Microsoft Azure design patterns used to build a “Trusted Research Environment” that keeps sensitive data under institutional control. 

Discover how to transform Azure into a compliant, grant-ready platform for your institution’s most sensitive research

Key Takeaways:

• Utilize Azure’s compliance artifacts and the Service Trust Portal
• Design a scalable sandboxing architecture for a secure research environment
• Understand why this architecture is important, even if only one lab has these needs

Speakers:

• Venkatesan Chandrababu, AWS Solutions Architect

Date: May 26, 2026
Time: 1-3 p.m. ET

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Join us as we focus on the Microsoft Azure design patterns used to build a “Trusted Research Environment” that keeps sensitive data under institutional control. 

Discover how to transform Azure into a compliant, grant-ready platform for your institution’s most sensitive research

Key Takeaways:

• Utilize Azure’s compliance artifacts and the Service Trust Portal
• Design a scalable sandboxing architecture for a secure research environment
• Understand why this architecture is important, even if only one lab has these needs

Speaker:

• Sven Aelterman, Microsoft Azure Solution Architect

Date: May 26, 2026
Time: 1-3 p.m. ET
Cost: Free for CICP subscribers (with a $200 no-show fee); $300 for Internet2 members; $400 for non-members

Registration includes access to all of the May 12, May 26, June 2, and June 16 vendor workshops. You may attend one or all four. For CICP subscribers, no-show fees will not be applied if you attend at least one of these workshops.

Are you a CICP subscriber? Contact class@internet2.edu to receive your discount code for this workshop.

View CLASS recordings

This workshop focuses on the Google Cloud (GCP) architecture patterns designed to create high-performance “Data Clean Rooms.” These are isolated environments that satisfy NIST and HIPAA requirements while providing researchers with modern, cloud-native tools.

Learn how to leverage Google Cloud to build a secure, scalable, and audit-ready home for your most sensitive research data.

Key Takeaways:

• Navigate the Google Cloud Compliance Reports Manager
• Design a scalable sandboxing architecture for a secure research environment
• Understand why this architecture is important, even if only one lab has these needs

Speakers:

• Google Cloud Industry Architects TBA

Date: June 2, 2026
Time: 1-3 p.m. ET
Cost: Free for CICP subscribers (with a $200 no-show fee); $300 for Internet2 members; $400 for non-members

Registration includes access to all of the May 12, May 26, June 2, and June 16 vendor workshops. You may attend one or all four. For CICP subscribers, no-show fees will not be applied if you attend at least one of these workshops.

Are you a CICP subscriber? Contact class@internet2.edu to receive your discount code for this workshop.

View CLASS recordings

The final workshop in our series features Kion, a leading multi-cloud management platform, to demonstrate how to maintain a consistent, secure architecture for sensitive workloads across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify and access compliance artifacts that document shared responsibility
• Design a scalable sandboxing architecture for a secure research environment
• Understand why this architecture is important, even if only one lab has these needs

Speakers:

• Kion Solution Architects TBA

Date: June 16, 2026
Time: 1-3 p.m. ET
Cost: Free for CICP subscribers (with a $200 no-show fee); $300 for Internet2 members; $400 for non-members

Registration includes access to all of the May 12, May 26, June 2, and June 16 vendor workshops. You may attend one or all four. For CICP subscribers, no-show fees will not be applied if you attend at least one of these workshops.

Are you a CICP subscriber? Contact class@internet2.edu to receive your discount code for this workshop.

View CLASS recordings

The Internet2 CLASS program is facilitating a comprehensive webinar and workshop series to help your institution navigate secure research and compliance in the cloud.

Phase 2: Design – Mapping the Implementation Phase for Secure Research Environments

As we conclude the initial learning phase of our series on Secure Research Environments, we prepare to pivot toward a series of action-oriented webinars and workshops. This community-focused webinar serves as the critical transition point from exploring “what is possible” to defining “what is next.”

Speaker:

• Jason Armbruster, CLASS Consultant for Internet2
  • Associate Deputy Director of ACCESS Support at the University of Colorado Boulder

Are you a CICP subscriber? Contact class@internet2.edu to receive your discount code for this workshop.

View CLASS recordings