What is a cloud-based LIMS?

A laboratory information management system logs, tracks, records and reports on samples and scientific data in a structured, consistent manner. The high level of sample tracking and reporting that is possible with a LIMS makes it easier for compliance and laboratory best practices to be carried out and enforced. Because the recording of certain data becomes automatic with a LIMS, laboratories can pay closer attention to the handling and usage of samples and optimize their processes. Better sample maintenance and handling means more reliable experiments and results.

A cloud-based LIMS specifically stores your data in the cloud to grant access to the data from multiple systems across multiple locations. Each user has access to real-time and secure data company wide. Other significant benefits to a cloud-based LIMS include:

• Faster implementation time
• Reduced need for internal IT support
• Automatic updates
• Higher security

What can you do achieve with a cloud-based LIMS?

1. Improve Resource Utilization: The use of a LIMS makes it quick and easy to find samples, which saves time and cost trying to hunt down or potentially regenerate necessary samples.
2. Back Up Data: Data is cumbersome and costly to manage on local systems. Backing up data off-site has greater flexibility, scalability and reliability with protection against local malfunctions and human error.
3. Navigate Regulatory Compliance: LIMS create audit trails that accurately document sample storage, consumption, results and analysis. This level of automatic reporting and centralized data access allows for greater accountability by all lab members.
4. Balance Workloads: It’s extremely difficult to provide transparent information to a broad group when you’re managing on a local micro-level. When you employ a LIMS solution, built-in dashboards can improve oversight into the status of current tests, resources that are assigned and available, review status and more.
5. Enhance Workflow and Throughput: Human error inherent in manual processes are inefficient, making it difficult to scale, share or report on your results. Create automated processes to reduce stress and overhead required to perform daily tasks and research activities that are required to deliver results.
6. Standardize Laboratory Operations: Compliance requirements often center around ensuring your processes are fully validated within your user environment, making consistency of operations an extremely important aspect of any LIMS. Creating standardized and automated solutions helps reduce manual effort, resulting in lowered costs and more efficient operations.

The implementation of a LIMS platform brings control and transparency to the laboratory, improving efficiency through better workload management and automated reporting, improving compliance through built in transparency and controls, and promotes faster and better decision making through data utilization and informatics. Choosing the right LIMS system for your laboratory can transform daily operations, enabling you to achieve more with less and have confidence in every result generated.