Q. How does the IT Division support the Lab’s broader scientific mission, and what does that look like in practice?
The Information Technology (IT) Division helps accelerate Berkeley Lab’s scientific mission by providing the technology and support our Lab needs every day. The Lab has a very demanding and diverse technology environment with an incredible number of computationally savvy people all throughout the organization. Our job is to provide the infrastructure and services that help enable all of that.
Q. What does a modern research computing environment look like at a national lab, and how does it differ from a typical workplace?
When we have visitors who aren’t familiar with research environments, the first place I take them is the ALS because it’s a beautiful visual answer to this question. We have all the things any organization needs, like email and phones, as well as things that are unique to research environments, from scientific instruments to advanced computing clusters to large-scale storage.
Enabling that ecosystem means providing a high-throughput network designed with science in mind, providing data centers that can host mission-critical scientific systems while supporting collaboration and sharing with the research community around the world.
The Lab’s science mission is very diverse, with differentiated needs for equipment across the Lab. At the same time, the IT Division offers shared infrastructure to support those missions wherever it makes sense. For example, we operate the institutional Lawrencium cluster, which gives access to High Performance Computing to every part of the Laboratory. We also offer an incredible array of AI tools and models to support virtually any workflow or need our researchers and Operations team can imagine. In short, it’s a complex ecosystem where cutting-edge, open-ended scientific exploration coexists with robust enterprise operations that can handle every task smoothly.
Q. How does IT balance the need for cutting-edge technology with security and accessibility for all employees?
At Berkeley Lab, we view cybersecurity as an enabler of open science, not a barrier. To accommodate the diverse needs of different research programs and the highly collaborative nature of our work, we operate a uniquely open environment that enables enormous flexibility.
But with great flexibility comes great responsibility. We expect all our staff, but especially those managing complex systems, to take responsibility for the security of their systems. For many staff, that means simple things like running updates and making good choices about what links to click on. However, for those running and developing more complex things, it means everything from secure coding practices to designing architectures with cybersecurity in mind. The cybersecurity program is here to help with all of this, but much of the responsibility rests with staff.
Q. For a new employee, what are one or two important things to understand about how computing and collaboration tools are set up to help them do their best work here?
We want technology to enable your work, not become an obstacle to it. The most important thing to understand is that you do not have to navigate the Lab’s technology environment alone. Our IT Support Portal is designed to make it as easy as possible to open tickets, request software, and get technical help. We also recommend that you connect with your peers around the Lab to get help through user communities, where you can find everything from scientific staff passionate about LLMs to a welcoming community of administrative professionals.
Second, always check to see if there’s an institutional solution to your problem before you build or buy something. We have an incredibly wide range of services available to you that we want you to use!
Finally, take the time to learn about and really use the Google Workspace suite, especially if you came from somewhere that used Microsoft. For example, we recommend that you don’t send Word documents around via email when you can use a Google Doc for easier sharing. Consider collecting complex information using a Google Form instead of an email. Use Chat to connect quickly with people. Learn more about how to work the Googley way here.
2 Comments
Regarding Word docs, are there security vulnerabilities when sending them as attachments? We have UCNL colleagues who find this easier than trying to login to our system to use Google.
David, you are fine to send Word docs and other “office” or other kind of attachments. Gmail itself scans incoming and outgoing documents for viruses and malware. We have been recommending and requiring CrowdStrike for Mac and Windows, so that’s another layer of protection when exchanging files with others.
Are there security vulnerabilities with Word docs? There always *could* be, and with any complex file type. A Microsoft word document (.doc, .docx) is more than just a collection of text. It’s literally an encapsulated file system with a lot of moving parts. Historically, Office has had many security issues with various components that get included in the *.doc file, most notably macros. That’s one reason Microsoft created the *.docx format which can’t contain macros and thus improved security of Word files. Still, keeping your OS and your version of Office auto-updated is necessary when exchanging files.
That’s also one reason we also recommend Google Docs. It’s historically more secure, allows collaboration with multiple authors, and can always be exported in Microsoft format or as a PDF. Another point to consider is “access control”. Once an email attachment is sent, you lose control over who can sees, forwards, or edits the document, if that is relevant.
One thing to clarify… UCNL, or anyone else, doesn’t have to login to our systems to access something in Google Drive. You can share to an “external” (non-@lbl.gov) Google account. They do need to have some kind of Google account, however, like a personal @gmail.com account if their school or workplace is not a “Google shop”.
If you have more questions about this, feel free to reach out to security@lbl.gov