Body
Purpose
This Architecture Decision Record establishes the University cloud operating domain model.
Operating domains provide governance inheritance boundaries and define approved implementation flexibility for workloads deployed within University-managed cloud environments.
Decision
The University will organize cloud workloads into three operating domains:
- Enterprise
- Innovation
- Regulated
Operating domains establish governance inheritance, operational guardrails, and approved implementation options for workloads deployed within each domain.
Operating domains do not represent data classifications or regulatory frameworks.
Technical Reasoning
University workloads have significantly different operational, instructional, research, and regulatory requirements. Applying identical implementation requirements to all workloads creates unnecessary constraints while allowing unrestricted implementation flexibility introduces governance risk.
The operating domain model allows common architectural outcomes to be maintained while permitting different levels of implementation flexibility based upon workload requirements.
Regulatory obligations frequently overlap and do not align to hierarchy structures. Workloads may simultaneously be subject to multiple regulatory frameworks including HIPAA, PCI, GLBA, FERPA, CUI, or FCI requirements.
Operating Domains
Enterprise
Enterprise is the default operating domain for institutional workloads and provides the broadest set of approved implementation options while maintaining required governance controls.
Innovation
Innovation supports teaching, research, experimentation, technology evaluation, and proof-of-concept activities. Innovation provides additional implementation flexibility while maintaining baseline governance requirements.
Regulated
Regulated supports workloads requiring enhanced governance, compliance, auditability, monitoring, and inherited control requirements. Regulated workloads operate within a reduced set of approved implementation options.
Consequences
- Provides consistent governance inheritance across cloud environments
- Supports workloads with overlapping regulatory obligations
- Separates operating model decisions from regulatory scope
- Separates operating model decisions from data classification
- Allows implementation flexibility appropriate to workload requirements
Alternatives Considered
Regulatory-Based Hierarchy
Creating separate operating domains for individual regulations was considered.
This approach was rejected because regulatory obligations frequently overlap and do not map cleanly to hierarchy structures.
Single Operating Domain
Applying identical implementation requirements to all workloads was considered.
This approach was rejected because workload requirements vary significantly across institutional, instructional, research, and regulated environments.