Summary
The NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a major federal biomedical research institution, sought a comprehensive assessment of its scientific and enterprise networks to support its large, federally funded research community. The institute needed to support complex lab equipment, On-Premises and Cloud HPC services, secure sensitive data, and enable large-scale collaboration, which are common challenges in modern biomedical research environments. The assessment identified key technical and operational gaps and provided a roadmap for remediation aligned to Zero Trust principles. Services Provided:- Assessed scientific and enterprise networks.
- Network assessment-informed secure data handling.
- Identified workflow pain points.
- Delivered a tailored roadmap.
Challenge
NIAID’s ability to conduct data-driven science was hampered by its existing infrastructure. The Institute required a clear, scalable strategy to support its distributed community of researchers, IT staff, and sensitive systems. The primary barriers included:- Outdated Network Structures: The networks were not built to handle the demands of modern biomedical research.
- Workflow Conflicts: Security policies frequently conflicted with essential scientific workflows.
- Limited Device Support: The network provided limited support for research-specific devices.
Approach
BioTeam evaluated the NIAID scientific computing environment, encompassing network topology and device connectivity, as well as security constraints and workflow pain points, and translated technical challenges into actionable insights, delivering a strategic roadmap tailored to the scientific community’s unique needs. BioTeam’s experts in scientific computing, HPC, and cloud infrastructure and scientific networking led a comprehensive, large-scale assessment involving the organization’s scientists, IT staff, and leadership. The team bridged the gap between enterprise IT and scientific research needs, bringing deep expertise in network strategy, Zero Trust architecture, and program management. The deep understanding of research and the complexity and demands of the current infrastructure allowed BioTeam to build consensus across the organization and develop an action plan that met everyone’s requirements.Outcomes
The BioTeam assessment delivered results that immediately moved NIAID forward in its goal of modernizing scientific research infrastructure:- Actionable Strategic Alignment – BioTeam developed a tailored roadmap that directly aligns with Zero Trust principles and NIAID’s specific scientific priorities.
- Barriers Deconstructed – The assessment successfully identified key technical and operational barriers that were actively impeding research productivity.
- Consensus and Engagement – BioTeam successfully engaged a large, interdisciplinary community across both the science and IT divisions, fostering the necessary consensus for modernization.
- Security and Usability Balanced – The project culminated in specific remediation recommendations that achieved the critical balance between robust security, operational usability, and necessary scale for future research growth.
