Azure SCE

Launched in 2022, the Azure Secure Computing Environment is a cloud-based virtual machine service that complements the on-premises service, offering additional pricing flexibility, GPU computing options and additional security. This system can support researchers who must adhere to NIST 800-171, HIPAA, FERPA and Personal Information Protection Act of Illinois security standards.

Additional information on the costs and available hardware configurations for our Azure resources can be found by clicking on the appropriate tab below.

At a Glance

  • Compliance/Security

    • NIST 800-171
    • HIPAA
    • FERPA
    • Illinois Personal Protection Act

  • Cost Model

    • Charged per hour
    • Dynamic, usage dependent

  • Location

    Cloud

Azure Configuration Pricing

These configurations are examples and do not reflect the exact monthly charges on Azure which are dependent on machine usage. Current rates can be obtained by visiting the Azure Pricing Calculator. Users of this service are only charged for Azure Cloud costs. There are no additional charges for use of this service.

CPU-only VM Hourly Charges

Level CPU RAM Cost Per Hour (updated 1/24/25)
A1 1 CPU 1.75 GB $0.06
A2 2 CPU 3.5 GB $0.12
A5 2 CPU 14 GB $0.25
A3 4 CPU 7 GB $0.24
A6 4 GB 28 GB $0.50
A4 8 CPU 14 GB $0.48
A7 8 GB 56 GB $1.00

*These are pricing examples only. More CPU/RAM options are available in Azure and availability/pricing is subject to change at any time. Please visit the Azure Pricing Calculator with the “Central Region” selected for most up to date options.

Level GPU Card and Memory CPU and Memory Cost Per Hour (updated 1/24/25)
NC4as T4 v3 NVIDIA T4, 16 GB RAM 4 CPU, 28 GB RAM $0.594
NV12ads A10 v5 NVIDIA A10, 8 GB RAM 12 CPU, 110 GB RAM $1.117
NC6s v3 NVIDIA V100, 16 GB RAM 6 CPU, 112 GB RAM $3.458
NC24ads A100 v4 NVIDIA A100, 80 GB RAM 24 CPU, 220 GB RAM $4.150

*These are pricing examples only. More GPU options are available in Azure and availability/pricing is subject to change at any time. Please visit the Azure Pricing Calculator with the “Central Region” selected for most up to date options.

Operating systems available on-premises include:

Linux

  • Rocky Linux
  • RedHat Linux (coming soon)

Windows

  • Windows 2022
  • Windows 2025 (coming soon)

*Please note older versions of Windows are not available because those versions are no longer being supported by Microsoft with security patches.

Storage and Backup Charges

Storage Amount Storage Cost/Month Backup Cost/Month*
128 GB $9.60 $14.00 - $18.00
256 GB $19.20 $18.00 - $26.00
512 GB $38.40 $35.50 - $52.05
1 TB $76.80 $61.00 - $94.10

*Data Backup costs are dependent on “daily data churn” i.e. how much data is generated or changed each day.

The total cost for Azure SCE service can be estimated by calculating the following:

Hours of usage per month x Configuration cost (Level & OS) + Monthly storage costs + Monthly backup costs

For example:

Requirements:

  • 108 hours usage per month (24 hours per week *4.5 weeks)
  • A2 Windows OS configuration ($.120 per hour)
    • 108 hours * .120 = $12.96
  • Storage: 256 GB storage, with medium daily data churn
    • Storage = $19.20 per month,
    • Backups ~$22.00 per month

Estimated Costs =

12.96 +19.20 +22.00 = $54.16 per month*

*this estimate does not include the cost of data transactions (fee for read/write operations) or egress (transferring data off the VM to a local storage location), which also incurs Azure fees. The data transactions cost is typically minimal, but difficult to estimate because it is highly dependent on data churn, data size & number of files. The first 100 GB of data egress per month is free, but Azure charges a tiered amount past 100GB. In this example if 256 GB of data was moved off the VM at once, it would cost $22.32 as a one-time fee.

Please also note that this estimate assumes perfect usage of 108 hours per month, with the VM being turned off after each use. Leaving a VM on incurs costs even if not being actively used.

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