Nero is a shared Big Data Computing Platform specifically designed for High Risk Data developed in collaboration with the School of Medicine (SOM) and Stanford Research Computing Center (SRCC). Nero is PHI compliant and operated by the Stanford Research Computing Center.
Features
One option of the Nero service is currently available:
- Nero in the cloud. Research Computing staff will build and support the Nero GCP project.
- Nero on-prem. Nero on-prem is no longer available. Research Computing staff are working on the new on-prem high-risk data service, planned for early 2023.
Option Comparison
| use case | new on-prem service (2023) | cloud nero |
|---|---|---|
| "Bursty" research computing requirements | Included | |
| Continuous research computing requirements | Included | |
| High-speed computing and storage for data that must remain on campus for compliance purposes | Included | Included |
| Data vendor requirement that the data stay on Stanford hardware | Included | |
| Software license requirement that it run on Stanford University-owned hardware only | Included | |
| Requirement for large quantities of hardware resources for a short period of time | Included | |
| Contractual requirements that the data must be kept in a particular non-USA country | Included | |
| Requirement for cloud-specific software tools, such as GCP's BigQuery | Included |
Designed for
- Nero is available for use by Principal Investigators (PIs) from Stanford University, Stanford Hospital and Clinic (SHC), Stanford Children’s Hospital (SCH) and SLAC. A fully-sponsored SUNet ID is required.
- Nero does NOT support real-time clinical decision-making.
Requirements
- Principal Investigators are responsible for procuring their data and ensuring all security and compliance requirements for its use are completed.
- Completion and approval from the IRB for any project that involves Human Subjects.
- A DRA is required for users not accessing STARR or PHS data. As a reminder, Population Health Science (PHS) users are asked to submit all data access requirements via the PHS Data Portal.
Data security
Nero is authorized for use with High Risk Data and PHI data and in compliance with the Minimum Security Standards (MinSec). A Data Risk Assessment and any other other regulatory requirements must be completed prior to accessing Nero. By submitting a request to use Nero, you agree to adhere to the MinSec Standards MinSec for Infrastructure as a Service, and Administrative Guide 6.3.1 for Information Security.
Rates
Nero GCP incurs Google-related costs for storage and compute, at rates negotiated by Stanford University for cloud computing.
Get started
Once your Nero service is ready, you will receive an email notification. Login with SUNet ID is required.
Get help
Please contact SRCC at srcc-support@stanford.edu to get help with the Nero service.
See also
Learn more about Nero at https://nero-docs.stanford.edu/.
