Accessing the SDE

To access the Google Cloud Secure Data Enclave, you need:

1. To be Northwestern faculty, staff, or student with a Northwestern NetID

2. A device managed by Northwestern IT (managed endpoint)

3. VPN installed on your device

4. Access provisioned to a SDE environment specific to a research team/project

Use Approved, Managed Devices Only

SDE users can only connect to the SDE from approved devices managed by Northwestern IT.

VPN Requirement

All connections to SDE Google Cloud environments must use Northwestern VPN, even if your device is connected to eduroam or other Northwestern networks.

Your managed endpoint will come installed with the Northwestern VPN software. Instructions for using the Northwestern VPN:

• VPN for Windows

• VPN for macOS

If you connect to Google Cloud without the Northwestern VPN active, you will see errors and/or SDE resources will not be visible.

Logging in to the SDE

As part of the SDE onboarding process, if your Northwestern email is part of Microsoft 365, it will be set up as a Google account without Gmail access. Your Northwestern email can be used to log in to Google services, and the login process will route through the Northwestern/Microsoft SSO.

1. Visit the Google Cloud Console

2. On the Google sign in page, Enter your Northwestern email address. Click Next

   

3. You will next be presented with a Microsoft sign-in page. Please enter your Northwestern email address

   

4. You redirected to the Northwestern Single Sign on page where you will enter your Northwestern email address and password

   

5. Follow the MFA procedure to confirm your identity

   

6. When asked by the Microsoft sign in prompt if you want to stay signed in, respond Yes.

7. You will be taken to the Google Cloud Console Dashboard.

Navigating the Console Home Page

1. On this page, you will see:

   1. Project Tab: Name of the current project you are working in.

   2. Search Bar: Look up resources quickly (Virtual Machines, Buckets)

   3. Current Project Indicator: Under the Welcome message, it will highlight what project you are currently in.

   4. Account: Google Account you are logged into.

      

2. You can select/change the SDE Google Cloud Project to work in by clicking the Project Tab on the Console Page.

3. You will be presented with a Selection Page with “Recent Projects Accessed”

   

4. This window has 3 tabs: Recent, Starred, All.

5. Select All to view your projects.

6. Based on your role (Data Engineer or Researcher/Data Analyst), you will see the projects you have access to. Select the project you want to work with.

7. Your Console page should then reflect the selected project name under the welcome message.

VPN Access Required

If you get a message that reads: “You need additional access” or “Denied By VPC security control policy” on any of your resource pages, check to see if you are connected to the VPN. If you are having issues, you can request support.