Project

The E-Research Institutional Cloud Architecture (ERICA) platform provides a secure, customisable, cloud-based computing environment for researchers using sensitive data. 

ERICA is an orchestration framework (infrastructure as code). It offers significant advantages over secure data enclave models that use fixed computing infrastructure. It leverages the rich services and scalability of a premier commercial cloud provider (AWS), permitting researchers to use a wide range of operating system and workspace configurations, including customised, current-generation high performance and high-throughput computing resources.

The ERICA platform boosts international collaboration by allowing shared access to data resources by collaborating researchers located in other countries while still supporting the on-shore-only data sovereignty requirements of Australian data custodians.

Major project goals

1. Expand the national ERICA network.
2. Implement the well-proven ERICA code base within a broader array of Australian research organisations.
3. Map to Nectar Cloud.
4. Assessment of interoperability between ERICA components and Nectar infrastructure, and the scoping of any development work required for implementation.
5. Improve platform efficiency and sustainability.
6. Modifying components of the ERICA platform to increase automation, reduce operational costs, and improve disaster recovery capability.
7. Improved data governance.
8. Developing ‘Five Safes-enabled’ project governance pipelines, policies and procedures for the national and international context.