A container based collaborative research cloud framework with a hybrid access control approach for enhanced isolation

Secure sharing of sensitive research data and tools over a public network like internet is an arduous challenge for the researchers. The fundamental aim of the research is to design a Collaborative Research Cloud (CRC) framework grounded on cloud to expedite collaborative research where researchers can emulate the shared tools and inferences to run independently in a secured, contained environment. We have applied a hybrid access control model, which authenticates, authorises the researchers for secure sharing of resources in a heterogeneous cloud environment. CRC achieves faster resource allocation using custom-built containers. Further, we put forward an optimal resource allocation algorithm based on containerization. We evaluated CRC for resource allocation and container isolation. The proposed access control model enhances the resource allocation and isolation in CRC.