Development of Remote Access Systems

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Development of Remote Access Systems
IASSIST 2008 Stanford

• Tanvi Desai
• LSE Research Laboratory Data Manager

Research Laboratory
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Cycles
IASSIST 2008 Stanford

• 1990ish inadequate processing power, RAM
• research PC is a dumb terminal
• data stored and analysed on central server
• improved desktop computing
• data released to researchers to analyse on PCs
• increased dissemination increased security
  risk
• better understanding of confidentiality issues
• sensitive data no longer released to analyse at
  desktop
• storage on central server

Research Laboratory
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Solutions
IASSIST 2008 Stanford

• Stage 1 complete withdrawal
• AAAAARGHHH!!!!
• Stage 2 Safe Centres
• inconvenient
• inequitable
• often expensive
• Stage 3 Remote Solution
• more convenient - analysis at desktop
• less expensive, but

Research Laboratory
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Remote Access v Remote Execution
IASSIST 2008 Stanford

• UNECE Glossary on Statistical Disclosure Control
  Definitions
• Remote access On-line access to protected
  microdata
• Remote execution Submitting scripts on-line for
  execution on disclosive microdata stored within
  an institutes protected network. If the results
  are regarded safe data, they are sent to the
  submitter of the script. Otherwise, the submitter
  is informed that the request cannot be
  acquiesced. Remote execution may either work
  through submitting scripts for a particular
  statistical package such as SAS, SPSS or STATA
  which runs on the remote server or via a tailor
  made client system which sits on the users desk
  top.

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Remote access examples
IASSIST 2008 Stanford

• LEED project identified remote access systems in
  Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden
• Denmark remote access using RSASecurID
• Netherlands Remote access using fingerprint
  recognition
• easy to use (though Denmark problems for people
  with slower typing speeds and Netherlands
  problems with recognition)
• access at national institutions only
• qualified staff needed to check output
• expensive for both users and providers

Research Laboratory
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Remote Execution examples 1
IASSIST 2008 Stanford

• LEED project identifieed remote executions
  systems in Czech republic (TREXIMA), Germany,
  Netherlands
• Netherlands Employment and Earnings Dataset
• researchers supplied with synthetic dataset on
  which to develop statistical programs, which are
  then sent to to CBS staff to run on full data
• Germany LIAB
• following an initial on-site visit, researchers
  send analysis programs to FDZ staff

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Remote Execution examples 2
IASSIST 2008 Stanford

• LISSY (v1 1983)
• Data available include Luxembourg Income Study,
  European Structure of Earnings Survey, Banca
  dItalia Survey of Industrial and Service Firms
• ESES and Banca dItalia block some (key?)
  analyses
• cheap system in terms of hardware, setup and
  support unless depending on level of manual
  checking

Research Laboratory
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Remote Access
IASSIST 2008 Stanford

• Advantages
• full access to data
• providers can maintain very high level of
  control
• Disadvantages
• slow return of output
• access to confidential data
• experts needed to check output

Research Laboratory
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Remote Execution
IASSIST 2008 Stanford

• Advantages
• fast job return
• economical
• reduced access to sensitive data
• manual checking not always necessary
• Disadvantages
• sensitive analyses often blocked
• no access to full dataset
• not enough research on potentially disclosive
  analyses to ensure high level security
• preparation of synthetic files may be necessary

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Conclusions
IASSIST 2008 Stanford

• remotte access/execution can provide equitable
  access to sensitive data
• systems are relatively cheap to run compared
  with Safe Centres
• remote systems fit researchers standard working
  practices
• there is a need to expand remote access beyond
  national borders primarily in Europe
• BUT
• as the number of remote systems increases can
  the qualified staff be found for manual checking?

Research Laboratory
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Thank yout.desai_at_lse.ac.uk
IASSIST 2008 Stanford
Research Laboratory