Intro to FDSA

Overview

The Federated & Distributed Data Sharing Appliance (FDSA) is an integral component within the AD Workbench product suite that provides a foundation for secure data sharing and collaboration, empowering the research community by unlocking access to previously unreachable datasets. The Linux based system facilitates interoperability across platforms, especially in scenarios where direct data sharing is not feasible. Data owners can add their dataset metadata to the AD Workbench, allowing Workbench users to request access to discover, select, and perform remote federated analysis on a wide variety of protected datasets.

 FDSA One pager

Two levels of sharing

FDSA supports two distinct levels of data sharing, with data contributors deciding which level meets their requirements: 

• Distributed Sharing (Level 1): At this level, researchers can analyze record-level data that is made available in an airlocked workspace, allowing for more detailed analysis. 
• Federated Sharing (Level 2): At this level, researchers see only derived data and results in the workspace. The analysis of record-level data is done at the data source and, after a rigorous quarantine process, is aggregated and anonymized to ensure privacy.

Versatile Deployment Options 

FDSA is optimized for flexibility, offering seamless deployment in both on-premise and cloud environments, intranet or internet accessibility, and easy integration into various infrastructure setups. 

• Cloud or on-premise Deployment: FDSA is designed to be cloud-agnostic, providing organizations the freedom to choose the cloud provider that best suits their needs. However, for organizations that require direct oversight of their infrastructure due to regulatory compliance, security policies, or operational preferences, FDSA can also be deployed on-premise. 
• Intranet or internet accessibility: FDSA can be deployed within an intranet environment, restricting access to internal networks for heightened security. It can also be configured with a fully qualified domain and set up as a public IP, making it accessible over the internet. 
• Tailored to your infrastructure: Regardless of your existing infrastructure, FDSA can be tailored to fit. It can be deployed and managed according to your specific operational needs based on your setup, without tying you down to any particular provider or environment.