LABORATORY INFORMATICS
fast on a self-hosted system, and we were concerned that speed in the cloud would be compromised, but in reality there is very small time lag for data retrieval from the cloud, and on a day-to-day basis it's not noticeable.' The Dotmatics solutions Domainex
”People were changing opinions on cloud-hosted database access by then – and we realised there would be major benefits in terms of time and cost when upgrading”
During the last few years the historical
preference for self-hosting informatics packages had shifted, not just within Domainex, Boffey added. 'Companies were looking seriously at transferring across to SaaS. For Domainex moving to the cloud became something of an imperative, not least to keep the software always available and always current,' he added. 'With the on-premises platform there would be periods during upgrade when the database was unavailable to scientists. We then had to back up all of the data, install the newer version on a virtual machine and run all the tests to make sure it was
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working properly. It was becoming a very time-consuming problem. Now the database is held in the cloud upgrading is much easier and far quicker.' Moving to the cloud also made it much easier for Dotmatics to fine-tune the database to Domainex’ requirements, so the outcome was far more than an out-of-the-box piece of software that needed time-consuming configuration and customization. Holding data in the cloud also adds extra safety in the event of floods or fires, etc, Boffey noted. 'Data in the cloud is always backed up, and is available wherever our scientists need to access it, in its entirety and in real time.' There are few, if any negatives,
Stewart commented, and the two that might have been a concern have proven inconsequential. 'It’s simpler than we expected to remove data from the database. We just have to get a support ticket and Dotmatics can usually sort out any unwanted data on the system within a day.' The second potential issue was lack of speed, he added. 'Data retrieval is really
currently uses are Browser, Studies, Studies Notebook, Inventory manager, Vortex, Nucleus, Register, Elemental Cloud and Pinpoint. The Domainex team review additional modules to assess the company’s evolving requirements. From a productivity point of view all the scientists have access to all the data in the lab and on their desks. Inputting data into the chemistry ELN in the lab means that no data is left behind. Cloud-hosted solutions make it possible
for Domainex to pass functional benefits on directly to some of its own clients, including virtual biotechs who may not have a significant IT infrastructure, Stewart explained. 'We can host their data for them so that they can piggyback onto our system and access their data through us.' Domainex has also linked the cloud ELN with its own compound health and safety knowledgebase. 'We can assess all of the risks and hazards of every compound in the database directly because that health and safety data is automatically brought up into the database alongside the compound,' said Boffey. 'The database is linked to all of our standard operating procedures and codes of practice that might be relevant, so that scientists know about any hazards associated with a particular chemical. As soon as a new compound is put onto the database it is centrally held, and all associated data, including safety data, is also immediately available.'
June/July 2019 Scientific Computing World 21
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