LABORATORY INFORMATICS g Domainex is also the first company
to implement Microsoft Azure login for accessing the Dotmatics cloud system. Its IT provider, Syplex, has worked with both Domainex and Dotmatics to implement this functionality. The upshot is that Domainex users don’t have to generate a dedicated Dotmatics login username and password, they can use their existing Windows credentials to get into the database. Now that this has been successfully implemented, lessons learned will be disseminated to the Dotmatics user community. Like many modern companies, Domainex has adopted cloud computing using Microsoft’s Office 365 platform. One of the services under the hood of O365 is Azure Active Directory, Microsoft’s cloud directory service provider, Boffey further explained. Azure AD makes it possible to automatically authenticate other third party cloud services like the Dotmatics cloud system against Azure AD using SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language). 'If Domainex choose to, we could also utilise Azure AD’s multi factor authentication techniques such as SMS or App based identity confirmation.' 'Employees are expected to remember
complex passwords for an ever growing number of products,' the Domainex team noted. Syplex recommends integrating as many services with one trusted central directory service provider wherever possible. 'This has the added bonus of password compliance over many systems that may be difficult to control and less user frustration with fewer tickets requesting password reset’s for forgotten passwords.' The bottom line is that the cloud offers speed, ease and completeness of access and data availability. 'It’s the power of having all of your data at your fingertips. You’re not having to root around for files held in different locations. Scientists in the laboratory, or in face-to-face or teleconferenced client meetings can access the database on the fly and make more informed choices on the next iteration of compounds,' Boffey concluded. The benefits of cloud solutions offered as SaaS are manifold, and include seamless scalability, fast implementation and configuration, lower capital investment, and anywhere, anytime, anyhow accessibility, concurs Wesley Childs, senior director of engineering at IDBS, which offers its E-WorkBook Cloud platform to diverse global industries. The SaaS model also represents a lifeline for some smaller startup, virtual and VC-funded companies, giving them the chance to install an optimised informatics
22 Scientific Computing World June/July 2019
architecture that is backed by vendor maintenance and the security of the major global giants such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. 'Cloud-hosted platforms allow
companies to focus time and resources on key scientific projects and business applications, rather than on managing their IT infrastructure,' Childs said. 'Whether you are a small VC-backed biotech or a mid-to-large tier pharma, embarking on an on-premise deployment, with the need to purchase, rack, stack and configure multiple servers, can equate to a 6-12 month engagement period, high capital outlay, and a large IT presence for configuration and ongoing maintenance and upgrades.' For some of the smaller companies that engagement period can represent both a considerable proportion of their lifespan, and an unsupportable drain on financial
“Ours is a very competitive market. We have to find ways of differentiating ourselves with regard to services that give our clients an advantage, as well as maximising our efficiency and flexibility”
resources. 'With cloud deployment we can get our customers up and running in a couple of weeks. Moving to SaaS frees up IT teams to move over to high value projects, and lets the scientists concentrate on being scientists.' When considering a cloud-based data management infrastructure, companies still have security uppermost in their minds, but are also looking for solutions that will differentiate them and their capabilities from their competitors, and give them maximum insight from their research and results, he explained. 'Customers similarly expect improved performance and availability. How does the cloud-hosted software perform in different global sites, and how can you ensure maximum uptime? We would expect that the SaaS platform has demonstrated improved performance than a locally hosted system, and is easier to configure. From an end user point of view it should be business as usual, always available, and always performing. From an IT point of view there is one less tool to maintain, upgrade and back up.'
It all boils down to time to value, he
continued. 'With a SaaS platform, whether it be an ELN or a finance platform, that time to value is shortened, because the software availability is expedited. And compared with an on-premise system, you don't have to negotiate for servers, or train your internal IT team on installation, maintenance, configuration and backup. You just get a URL, username, password details and away you go, which means you can start getting value of that software much faster.' Interestingly, the inevitable questions on
security have shifted focus, he continued. 'Three years ago every potential customer would ask where we were hosting, and when we explained it was Amazon Web Services, would then want to know about AWS security. Today customers are more confident about AWS security, and their questions are more how we at IDBS manage security. They have got over the hurdle of where their data is going, and that the cloud is secure. They now focus on whether their vendor is secure in the cloud.' IDBS has gone to great lengths to ensure
industry-leading security. The company is ISO 270010-certified, has achieved Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 type 1 certification, and is working towards type 2 certification, which will validate security through continuous monitoring, rather than at a single point in time, Childs pointed out. 'As far as we know, we are the only scientific informatics platform, with an ELN module, offering customers SOC 2 type 1 certification for a cloud-based solution.' The next challenge for IDBS will be
delivering new levels of value to customers. 'That’s not a challenge centred on using the software, but about getting new features to customers faster. It’s about being compliant in fast-moving, highly regulated environments, whether we are talking about the healthcare, technology or financial markets.' Staying compliant and competitive means upgrading regularly, and this is far easier in the cloud than on premise, Childs noted. 'With agile cloud solutions you can start to automate processes, and when humans aren’t involved processes run faster, and more accurately. One of the things about the world of cloud is that we can control every aspect, whereas on premise you have internal regulations and SOPs that will differ between customers, which makes building a solution much harder.'
Reference
1.
https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market- Reports/lab-informatic-market-203037633. html
@scwmagazine |
www.scientific-computing.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
