A laboratory information management system (LIMS) consists of software that serves as the interface to a laboratory’s data, instruments, analyses and reports. A LIMS can help develop a workflow for a new experiment, control the steps of the process as it runs, or integrate a collection of laboratory platforms.
5 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a LIMS
- Why does your organization need a LIMS? You and your staff should come up with a cost-benefit list to help you decide if a LIMS is worth investing in.
- What are your current user requirements and how do you expect those to change five to ten years down the road? Make a list. If you expect your needs to change, a flexible LIMS is likely a good choice. Requirements can include labeling, sample registration, etc.
- Do you need a consultant to help you decide whether a LIMS is a good fit for you or not? Examine the pros and cons and make sure you properly research potential consultants.
- How does the company’s LIMS differ from other products out there? Make sure you do your homework and phone each company you’re interested in. If they can’t answer your questions, they probably aren’t a good fit for you.
- Ask for fact sheets, features lists and case studies from the company. This literature is a starting point for picking the best LIMS for you. A product demonstration is essential.
Top ten factors/features considered by our readers when purchasing a LIMS: | |
| Ease of use | 98% |
| Service and support | 98% |
| Customization | 97% |
| Up time | 97% |
| Versatility | 96% |
| Price | 96% |
| Ease of installation | 96% |
| Security | 95% |
| Multi-platform | 94% |
| Scalability | 93% |
Respondents’ biggest challenges with LIMS implementation: | |
| Product supports the lab’s workflows and processes | 31% |
| Configuring and integrating with other systems in the lab | 19% |
| Staff adoption and training | 18% |
| Data migration into the new system | 17% |
| Demonstrating ROI | 5% |
| Adding new features and functions to the application | 4% |
| No challenges | 4% |
| Other | 2% |
The type of LIMS installation configurations our respondents have: | |
| Client/server | 49% |
| Stand alone | 30% |
| Web based | 29% |
| Thin client/server | 8% |
| Other | 2% |
Readers respond to whether their companies have internal information technology (IT) departments that support laboratory systems: | |
| Yes | 51% |
| Yes, but very limited | 31% |
| Other | 17% |
Primary reasons why our readers are purchasing LIMS: | |
| Upgrading existing LIMS | 24% |
| Sample management | 13% |
| Quality Assurance/Quality Control | 12% |
| Workflow automation | 11% |
| Regulatory management | 9% |
| Addition to existing systems, increase capacity | 7% |
| Setting up a new lab | 5% |
| User reporting | 5% |
| Other | 14% |
Completed Surveys: 317
For more information on LIMS, including useful articles and a list of manufacturers, visit www.labmanager.com/lims
