Cloud for Research

Cloud computing has become a critical tool for researchers across fields — from running large-scale simulations to storing and processing sensitive research datasets. The UCSB Campus Cloud provides an environment that meets federal compliance requirements, scales to research needs, and comes with UC enterprise pricing.

Why Use the Campus Cloud for Research?

  • Compliance for federal funding. If your grant requires NIST 800-171 compliance (common for DoD, NSF, and NIH grants involving CUI), the Campus Cloud provides a compliant account tier — see Compliance & Governance for details and how to request one.
  • Significant discounts. UC enterprise agreements give you lower prices than retail cloud rates — automatically.
  • No credit card required. Billing goes through your UCSB Purchase Order and FAU, not a personal credit card.
  • Support options. AWS Business Support and Azure support plans are available to Campus Cloud accounts. Contact the Cloud Team to discuss the right support tier for your workload.
  • Cloud Team consulting. The UCSB Cloud Team has supported research groups across campus and offers consulting on architecture, compliance, and cost optimization.

Getting Started with Research Computing

  1. Estimate your needs. What compute, storage, and services will you need? Use the provider pricing calculators to estimate costs (see Costs & Billing).
  2. Choose your provider. Most research groups use AWS. Azure and GCP are good choices for teams already using Microsoft or Google tools, or for specific services (e.g., Google BigQuery, Azure ML).
  3. Request an account. Follow the procurement guide. Indicate on your form if you need NIST 800-171 compliance.
  4. Set up your environment. Follow the First Steps guide for your provider.

Cloud Provider Research Credits

All three providers offer programs that award cloud credits or research funds to academic researchers. See Pricing, Discounts & Credits for the full list. If you receive an award, use a Campus Cloud account to redeem it — either create a new account or migrate an existing personal account.

Personal vs. Campus Cloud Accounts

A personal cloud account uses a personal credit card and is outside the Campus Cloud Landing Zone. Personal accounts:

  • Do not receive UC enterprise discounts
  • May not meet compliance requirements for federal grants
  • Should not use a @ucsb.edu email address (this triggers a restriction — see Security — External Collaborators)
  • May be subject to review to ensure UC policies are followed

If you have a personal account you want to bring into the Campus Cloud, contact the Cloud Team. Migration is a standard process for all three providers.

Cloud Team Consulting

The Cloud Team offers consulting support for research projects. This includes:

  • Architecture design for cloud-native or hybrid workloads
  • Cost optimization reviews
  • Compliance guidance (NIST 800-171, HIPAA, FERPA)
  • Support for migrating on-premises HPC to the cloud

Email info@cloud.ucsb.edu to start a conversation, or open a ServiceNow ticket if you have a specific request.

Data Management Plans (DMPs)

If your grant requires a Data Management Plan, see Data Management Plans.

FAQ

Can I use the Campus Cloud for a class or student project? Yes, with faculty sponsorship and a Purchase Order. Student projects under faculty supervision qualify. For short-term or no-budget use, GCP’s Sandbox Unfunded folder allows project creation without billing.

How do I get GPU access? Request a standard account and provision GPU-enabled instance types (e.g., AWS p3/p4, Azure NC/ND series, GCP A2). Check availability in the allowed regions for each provider.

Can I share data with external collaborators? Yes, with appropriate access controls. For P3/P4 data involving CUI or regulated data, consult the Cloud Team before sharing externally. GCP and Azure by default only allow @ucsb.edu accounts — external collaborators may need a UCSB affiliate account or guest access.