IQSS, in conjunction with our affiliate the Harvard-MIT Data Center, provides the user-friendly Research Computing Environment (RCE), a completely portable desktop environment that provides large-scale data storage, transparent distributed computing, and cutting-edge statistical software.
The RCE environment is graphical and might seem very familiar to users of the Microsoft Windows operating system. It is equipped with standard applications (web browsers, email readers, office tools, and more) as well as a full suite of statistical software. Using any computer with an internet connection you can access the desktop environment via a secure remote access protocol. The desktop you see on your screen is virtual and it remains exactly as it is, even after you disconnect. You can connect to the RCE from your office, start an analysis run, disconnect and then reconnect to your same session from another computer as if you never left.
The statistical tools built into the RCE automatically take advantage of our distributed computing cluster, supporting much larger analyses than possible on desktop systems. And, for advanced distributed computing needs, we offer job and resource management software, which enables you to use resources on many machines simultaneously to increase overall computing power for larger statistical analysis.
Every RCE account includes access to our file server complete with access controls to enable you to collaborate with other researchers. Files are backed up regularly and can be downloaded via secure file transfer when necessary. Your RCE account also comes with access to our various cluster computing resources.
For more information, see Research Computing Environment.