Happy New Year and all that jazz, but seeing as it’s a new year, we wanted to take the time to list a few things we think we should all try to do this year to make a laboratory a better place:
- Keep an organized data system. A good Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) allows to collect, process, store, retrieve, and analyze data that is used heavily in laboratories for the management of samples, lab users, instruments, standards and laboratory functions like capturing structured data generated from R&D, process, Quality Assurance and Quality Control processes.
- Don’t waste your time. Everyday laboratories must classify and analyze hundreds of samples of different nature. Manual data entry involves a considerable loss of time and increases the probability of errors. The use of a good LIMS software allows obtaining important benefits such as: reduction of sample recording and automatic generation of the label with the bar code for full traceability of data; automatic generation of all necessary documents for quality management, based on the data stored in the system; execution of the calculations by the system based on formulas that the user can validate.
- Try a SaaS LIMS. Today’s buzz word is ‘Cloud Computing’ and one day our business is going to be very cloudy every day. LIMS Software as a Service will help all labs to start their business with minimal subscription charges and free from license cost, software and hardware administration and maintenance.
- Accommodate the need of mobility. Mobile devices are an increasingly important component of modern life, and this trend also applies to laboratories. Mobile applications integrated with a LIMS allow the laboratory to easily acquire new types of data more accurately and from more remote locations: it does not matter where you are, as long as you are connected to the internet you can instantly access both applications as well as data from your mobile device.