McGill University
We can help you explore the software and services offered by McGill IT Services and understand the McGill Cloud Directive which provides oversight on the acquisition of external digital services. drs [at] mcgill.ca (Contact us) for help if you require guidance.
For all new software acquisition requests, please complete the Software or Cloud Service Acquisition form.*
*Form is not accessible using student login - please communicate with your supervisor to submit form.
Cloud Directive
A Cloud Service is a free or paid service or software solution delivered over the internet by an external vendor. With Cloud services, personal and institutional data is stored, processed and transmitted "in the Cloud," outside of McGill infrastructure. McGill University is under legal obligation to protect Personal Information (loi 25) and Personal Health information and to safeguard sensitive research data.
The Cloud Directive describes in detail what steps need to be followed to acquire a Cloud Service. Before using an external service, researchers must evaluate if the vendor provides sufficient levels of security to safeguard their research data against theft, loss and corruption. For new Cloud software acquisitions, please complete the Software or Cloud Service Acquisition form.
It is a good idea to consult the list of approved and rejected Cloud Services (login required) prior to making a new request. Note that "approved" and "rejected" Cloud solutions are made for specific types of data and users as described in the table.
Calcul Québec and The Digital Research Alliance of Canada
McGill University is a member of Calcul Québec and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada (formerly Compute Canada) federation. An extensive catalogue of research software is already installed and maintained on all national supercomputer clusters. If you wish to request an addition to their software list, contact the Alliance helpdesk.
The Alliance also provides information on research software funding opportunities on their Research Software page.