Getting Support#
Northwestern IT provides support for all aspects of your cloud journey, from initial account setup and architecture design to ongoing cost management and troubleshooting. Support is available for all Northwestern-affiliated cloud accounts across AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Northwestern Support#
Who you contact for support depends on your institutional affiliation and what type of help you need. See the table below for details.
Request Type |
Who to Contact |
|---|---|
New or existing research cloud account |
|
Classroom or teaching cloud support |
Email: |
Cloud architecture and design support |
|
AWS Sandbox or AWS Academy access |
Email: |
Not sure where to start? If your request does not fit one of the categories above, submit a Research Cloud Consult and the team will route you to the right resource.
Local IT Cloud Support#
Some schools and units maintain their own cloud policies and support contacts in addition to central Northwestern IT.
School/Unit |
Contact |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM) |
Maintains its own data storage policy that pertains to cloud providers. Contact Feinberg IT before using cloud resources. |
|
Kellogg School of Management |
Contact for help getting started in the cloud. |
Cloud Office Hours#
Northwestern IT hosts Cloud Office Hours every two weeks an open meeting where researchers and IT staff can drop in to ask questions, discuss challenges, and explore new cloud-related tools and best practices. No agenda or preparation required; come with questions or just to listen. If you would like to be added to the invite, reach out to the RCDS Team via Research Cloud Consult .
Cloud Community of Practice#
The Northwestern Cloud Community of Practice is open to all IT practitioners across Northwestern with an interest in cloud computing. Staff currently working with cloud resources or responsible for workloads in AWS, Azure, or GCP are especially welcome. The primary channel is the Teams space CoP - Cloud
Cloud Provider Support#
For issues that require direct escalation to a cloud provider, Northwestern’s enterprise agreements include access to elevated support tiers. To get in touch with AWS, Azure, or GCP support through Northwestern, submit a Research Cloud Consult and the RCDS Team will facilitate the connection on your behalf.
Northwestern IT works closely with major cloud providers and has dedicated cloud architects and enterprise support resources available as part of the Northwestern agreement:
AWS: An AWS Solutions Architect is available for consultations to help you design, optimize, and secure your cloud environment for example, choosing the right compute size for your workload, structuring storage for large datasets, or planning a cost-efficient architecture for your research pipeline.
Google Cloud: A GCP Cloud Architect is available for consultations to help you design and optimize your cloud environment, for example, selecting the right services for your data analysis or configuring your environment for genomics or ML workloads.
All Providers: Enterprise support is included as part of Northwestern’s institutional agreements, giving you access to faster response times and higher support tiers than standard accounts.
Cloud Credits and No-Cost Programs#
The following programs are available to Northwestern researchers at no additional cost. These can be used before or after setting up your account, whether you are exploring cloud for the first time or looking for funding to support an active research project.
NIH Cloud Lab#
The NIH Cloud Lab is a 90-day, no-cost program providing NIH-affiliated researchers with $500 in cloud credits for AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure, along with bioinformatics tutorials and expert support. Eligibility is limited to NIH grant-funded projects.
AWS Sandbox#
Northwestern IT offers an AWS Sandbox account a controlled environment for faculty and
staff to learn and experiment with AWS services. This is separate from a full production
cloud account and is intended for exploration and testing only, not for research data or
active projects. Contact the Cloud Enablement Team by sending an email to
servicedesk@northwestern.edu with #cloudops in the subject line to request access.
AWS Cloud Credits for Research#
Researchers may be eligible for AWS Cloud Credits to support their projects. For details or to explore eligibility, contact the RCDS Team via Research Cloud Consult .
NIH STRIDES AWS Credit#
Researchers who have used AWS through the NIH STRIDES Initiative or the Internet2 NET+ AWS Program may be eligible for a $100 AWS credit to offset future AWS consumption costs. This credit is offered through Four Points Technology, Northwestern’s AWS reseller partner.
To claim the credit, complete the Research Cloud Consult form and note that you are applying for the Four Points Credits.
Institution: Northwestern University
Researcher(s): Name(s) of the researcher(s) involved
Title of Research: Title of your research project
High-Level Summary: A brief description of how AWS was used in your research
URLs: Any public-facing URLs related to the research, if available
Authorization to Publicly Reference (Yes/No): Whether you authorize Four Points Technology to publicly reference your work in support of the NIH STRIDES and/or Internet2 NET+ AWS Programs
(If applicable) Publications resulting from STRIDES/Cloud research