Infrastructure and Architecture

Cloud and data architecture

The Imperial SDE is a cloud-based data and analytics environment built on Microsoft Azure and Snowflake. It provides scalable storage and compute for large-scale health data analysis, with secure access through Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHT) infrastructure and the Trust’s Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).

Data tenancies

The SDE is organised into four separate data tenancies, each with its own governance, access controls and data management arrangements. These sit within the wider SDE infrastructure and can be securely linked where approved, enabling analysis across data resources while maintaining appropriate controls. 

Click here to learn more about the tenancies

Security and governance

Security and governance are built into the environment by design. Underpinned by the Five Safes framework, the SDE uses controlled access, data anonymisation and technical restrictions on data movement and external services, keeping sensitive data within the governed environment.

Click here to learn more about governance

Analytics and AI

The environment supports a full suite of analytical, AI and machine learning tools - including R, Python, Stata, Azure Machine Learning, AI Foundry, DevOps and MLOps - for developing, testing and deploying analytical and machine learning models within the secure environment.

Security and governance


Security is built into the SDE architecture by design, with controls applied across the data, network, access and user layers. The two-tier architecture separates identifiable and pseudonymised data, with appropriate access controls and governance applied to each tier.

Underpinned by the Five Safes framework, the SDE uses data anonymisation and technical restrictions on data movement, copying, printing and use of external services. The research environment is internet-isolated, with secure access through ICHT infrastructure and VDI, helping keep sensitive data within the governed environment while enabling approved research and analysis.

Click here for more information on governance. 

Key capabilities

  • Cloud: Microsoft Azure, supporting cloud and hybrid deployment models
  • Data platform: Snowflake for large-scale data storage and analytics
  • Compute: scalable capacity for high-volume and computationally intensive workloads
  • Secure access: ICHT infrastructure and remote access through VDI
  • Data controls: restrictions on data export, copying and use of unauthorised external services
  • Analytics: R, Python and Stata
  • AI & machine learning: Azure Machine Learning, AI Foundry, DevOps and MLOps
  • Security architecture: two-tier separation of identifiable and pseudonymised data.

Contact us

For general enquiries email: imperial.dcs@nhs.net

For data access enquiries email: imperial.dataaccessrequest@nhs.net

Social Media

LinkedIn