7 Questions to Ask When Buying a Lab Informatics System
- Why does your organization need a LIMS, ELN, MSDS management system, CDS, etc.?
- What are the costs and benefits of such a system? Are those benefits worth investing in?
- What are the key elements you require from the data system?
- What are your current user requirements and how do you expect those to change five to ten years down the road
- How easy is it to extend the application? Does it require IT or super users? How long does training take to make modifications and how extensive is the API for modifications?
- What differentiates the vendor’s software from others offered?
- How local are resources and how available are resources for deployment, training, and extensions? What is the timeline for availability and cost?
What Type of LIMS Installation Is In Your Lab?
| Client/Server | 50% |
| Web-Based | 27% |
| Stand-Alone | 17% |
| Thin Client/Server | 3% |
| Other | 2% |
Top 10 Features/Factors Respondents Look for When Purchasing an Electronic Laboratory Notebook
| Ease of use | 83% |
| Security | 76% |
| Service and support | 63% |
| Up time | 63% |
| Versatility | 59% |
| Price | 59% |
| Customization | 58% |
| Web-based access | 55% |
| Multi-platform | 54% |
| Ease of installation | 50% |
