1. UK Data Service Secure Lab
Celebrating 4 years of safe access to confidential data
Richard Welpton Data Access Manager (Secure) NeIC 2015

2. Contents Foundations What is the Secure Lab? Day-to-day activities
Future

3. Foundations
No access to business microdata; access to anonymised social survey data (no small geographies)
Office for National Statistics Virtual Microdata Laboratory
Established 2004
On-site access
Access to business data, for productivity analysis
Expanded to four sites across the UK
Additional sources added to collection (i.e. social survey data)
NORC Data Enclave
established in late 2000s
University of Chicago
First to establish ‘secure remote’ access via ‘clients’

4. Next steps Secure Data Service born in late 2010 New concepts:
Remote access by secure desktop application
Institution guarantees
UK Data Archive support for metadata production
First connection 13th June 2011

5. What is the Secure Lab? From Richie 2004 Logs in to server
only screen shots,
no data
Researcher
Data
read only
work area
read-write
Secure Lab
Input
Output
Upload files for
researcher
Download results to
check for confidentiality
UK Data Service staff
back
allowed results in
eg programs

6.  safe use Based on ‘5 Safes’ valid statistical purpose safe projects
From Richie 2004
valid statistical purpose
trusted researchers
anonymisation of data
technical controls around data
disclosure control of results
safe projects
+ safe people
+ safe data
+ safe setting
+ safe outputs
 safe use

7. Effective Researcher Management
Researcher thinks…
Good response
Bad response
I’m not sure if they’ll release these types of results if I produce them
Why don’t you provide some dummy stats early on in the project on so that we can make an assessment in advance: we can then advise you and potentially avoid you wasting your time
We don’t have time for this, submit the results for assessment and we’ll give you a yes or no answer

8. Effective Researcher Management
Researcher thinks…
Good response
Bad response
I have a particular set of circumstances which I think makes my research a bit different; can I explain this to you?
Let me hear your situation and I’ll make an assessment; we deal with these things all the time so you’re situation isn’t unique. I hope that reassures you.
You’re just a number: we have to deal with many researchers, we can’t devote much time on a small handful.

9. Our day-to-day work Supporting Access Data improvement
Training new researchers
Providing data support
Output checking (SDC)
Data linking

10. Our day-to-day work in numbers
658 registered researchers to date
494 projects
Average number of logins per day 55
Highest recorded logins 120
Average number of outputs checker per day 3

11. Achievements Data without Boundaries
Secure connection established with IAB in Germany
Harmonisation of UK Accredited Training
UK ‘RDC’ Group:
Attended by 5 RDCs throughout UK
Share best practice
Problem-solving
Harmonisation of standards (e.g. training, SDC in the future)

12. Information Security Accreditation for ISO 27001 Information Security
Culture of information security
Regular review of procedures
‘Continuous improvement’
Six-monthly surveillance audits