Introduction
Adopting secure cloud computing for research lets research teams access scalable, high-performance compute, yet many still spend weeks or months configuring secure, compliant environments before any analysis can begin. That setup burden pulls time and expertise away from core and delays project timelines.
The challenge intensifies when research involves sensitive datasets in healthcare, genomics, or other regulated domains where compliance with security standards is non-negotiable. Traditional approaches to cloud research computing force teams to trade speed for security and innovation for compliance.
Relevance Lab eliminates this false choice entirely. Our Windows Data Science AMIs on AWS Marketplace provide a different path: these CIS compliant AMIs, pre-hardened to CIS Level 1 and CIS Level 2, are ready for immediate deployment. By delivering pre-hardened environments with enterprise-grade security from day one, research teams can start computing and discovering faster while maintaining audit-ready compliance.
Why CIS Standards and Security Hardening Matter
Understanding CIS Standards
The Center for Internet Security (CIS) publishes globally recognized benchmarks for securing operating systems, applications, and cloud platforms. These benchmarks provide clear, auditable controls that help organizations deploy secure cloud computing for research with confidence.
- CIS Level 1: Establishes essential security measures that protect systems without reducing usability.
- CIS Level 2: Applies advanced security controls designed for highly sensitive or regulated data environments.
In domains such as healthcare, genomics, and higher education, adherence to CIS benchmarks is critical to safeguard confidential datasets — for example, patient records, clinical trial data, and genomic information. Implementing CIS-compliant AMIs or Windows Data Science AMIs ensures consistent hardening, simplifies audit preparation, and reduces operational overhead so teams can focus on research rather than infrastructure security.
The Complexity of Building CIS-Compliant Images
Building and maintaining CIS compliant images is a complex, resource-intensive process that demands deep technical expertise in secure cloud computing for research environments.
Creating a CIS compliant AMI typically involves:
- Configuring hundreds of OS-level security settings, including password policies, logging, and firewall rules.
- Establishing secure baseline configurations across users, applications, and system services.
- Performing continuous vulnerability assessments, applying patches, and maintaining up-to-date compliance.
- Documenting and validating compliance to meet audit and certification requirements.
These steps require specialized cloud security skills and significant effort, often stretching the limits of most research teams. Without pre-hardened solutions like Relevance Lab’s Windows Data Science AMIs, maintaining CIS compliance can delay scientific progress and increase operational risk.
How Relevance Lab Simplifies Secure Cloud Computing for Research
Pre-Built, CIS Compliant Windows Data Science AMIs
Relevance Lab streamlines secure cloud computing for research with pre-hardened Windows Data Science AMIs that fully comply with CIS Level 1 and CIS Level 2 standards. These CIS compliant AMIs allow researchers to instantly launch secure, ready-to-use environments without the delays of manual setup or compliance validation. By eliminating configuration overhead, teams can focus directly on scientific analysis and innovation.
Continuous Maintenance and Updates
Maintaining CIS compliance is a continuous process. As CIS benchmarks evolve and new security threats emerge, Relevance Lab ensures ongoing protection through:
- Regular updates aligned with the latest CIS benchmark revisions
- Prompt application of security patches and vulnerability fixes
- Frequent AWS Marketplace refreshes to ensure access to the latest secure and compliant AMIs
This proactive lifecycle management keeps research computing environments secure, compliant, and audit-ready, reducing IT overhead while enhancing the overall security posture of cloud-based research workloads.
Traditional Setup vs. Relevance Lab CIS-Hardened AMIs
Real-World Applications
- Life Sciences & Genomics: Research labs handling HIPAA-regulated patient data can deploy secure cloud computing environments within minutes using Relevance Lab’s Windows Data Science AMIs. This accelerates genomics and clinical research while maintaining CIS Level 1 and Level 2 compliance.
- Higher Education: Universities can simplify IT operations by providing standardized, CIS compliant AMIs for data science courses and research programs. Students and faculty gain instant access to secure, high-performance computing resources for faster experimentation and collaboration.
- Healthcare & Clinical Trials: Hospitals and medical institutions can achieve HIPAA and GDPR compliance effortlessly through pre-hardened Windows Data Science AMIs, ensuring secure cloud computing for research and accelerating time-to-insight in clinical trials.
- Government & Public Sector: Public institutions can meet stringent audit and compliance requirements by deploying Relevance Lab’s pre-hardened, CIS compliant AMIs. This ensures security, governance, and operational efficiency for mission-critical research initiatives.
Conclusion
Relevance Lab’s Windows Data Science AMIs, pre-hardened to CIS Level 1 and Level 2 standards, are transforming secure cloud computing for research. By eliminating the complexity of manual setup, configuration, and ongoing maintenance, research teams can launch compliant environments and begin data analysis within minutes.
With Relevance Lab managing security, updates, and compliance, organizations can focus entirely on advancing discovery, innovation, and scientific —not infrastructure.
From setup to science in minutes, not months.