Sensitive Cloud Sensitive Cloud is a specialized trusted research environment (TRE) developed and operated by the CERIT-SC national scientific e-infrastructure at the Institute of Computer Science of Masaryk University (MU).
It is designed specifically for academic staff and researchers who need to store and analyze data subject to strict legal, contractual, or security requirements (e.g., medical data, personal data, intellectual property, or trade secrets).
Sensitive Cloud is a private cloud operating exclusively in Brno; uploaded data is not stored anywhere else on third-party clouds. Depending on the data volume, the service is provided free of charge, but only up to a certain data capacity. Large-volume data is typically subject to a fee, with the exact pricing depending on the specific case.
How to Start Using Sensitive Cloud
- The first step is to contact the Sensitive Cloud team via the form on the website. The form is shared across multiple CERIT-SC services, so it is relatively general. It requires filling in your name, email address, institution, topic (i.e., the service you are interested in), and a short message describing your request.
- After processing the request, the Sensitive Cloud team will arrange an online meeting with you via MS Teams. The goal of the initial consultation is to determine whether Sensitive Cloud meets the needs of your research and what usage options it offers.
- During the meeting, the Sensitive Cloud service is introduced, and your project is discussed—specifically the character of the data, its volume, how you plan to work with it, and other requirements. The meeting also includes filling out a short questionnaire that helps assess whether the service is suitable for your project.
- If you decide to try the service, you can arrange a non-binding pilot access with the team.
The same procedure can be used later for additional projects or new datasets — simply resubmit the request via the contact form and schedule another consultation.
Additional Information about Sensitive Cloud
Agreement between the research team (institution) and CERIT:
Concluded in cases of larger data volumes; for instance, 10 GB of data is a completely negligible amount that does not require an agreement. From a legal perspective, the agreement, including background documents, is handled by CERIT.
Not a long-term data storage:
Sensitive Cloud primarily does not serve as a space for secure data archiving. After the project/research ends, follow-up meetings are held to agree on how to handle the data and when it will be deleted (depending on the data volume).
Data backup:
Data backup is a matter of agreement between the research team and the Sensitive Cloud team.
Target fields: Sensitive Cloud is primarily created for the needs of medical and genetic fields. Utilization for social science fields is possible, but it is up to the researchers to consider whether this environment is suitable.