It will be interesting to see how the cloud has impacted enterprise content management in the life sciences market over the past year or two. I doubt that many market-savvy observers believe that the effect has been anything but positive. But as with most “no brain” disruptive technologies, it is still finding that the path to adoption is not as straightforward as it once seemed.
The opportunity for life sciences companies to outsource their IT infrastructure and some related services is a derivative benefit of using the cloud. In addition, subscription pricing, which is synonymous with cloud solutions, has the advantage of moving CapEx to OpEx and realizing the financial benefits of doing so, which appeals to many companies.
There is also the potential benefit of local cloud applications (yes, we’ll get back to the word “potential” later) which I would call a comprehensive set of functional capabilities that serve the end user well and Supports Non-intrusive (“You won’t even see the upgrade”) Platform architecture. If that weren’t enough, who wouldn’t open and think less about application-to-application integration, instant new feature capabilities, and all that for just a few dollars per user per month. I’m in! Add me to it!
I’m in! Add me to it! — Well, back to the truth, everyone
Well, back to the truth. Don’t get me wrong, the benefits of going to local cloud solutions and doing so for ECM solutions are going to be significant. But it is likely to take longer than promised. Why? Because it’s not just a change in our ECM solutions, it’s far more extensive. An interesting part of ECM’s move towards a cloud-based model is that software vendors are taking a much broader approach to meet the business needs of their clients. The process of developing local cloud applications allows vendors to re-evaluate what business issues need to be addressed and designed accordingly.
A good example of this is the interdependence of document management and regulatory submissions / RIM. In the past, the submission and tracking business process was supported by at least three to four different standalone applications, with all the key integration requirements. Globally, this was often repeated on a country-by-country basis. The local cloud application approach allows this complexity to be significantly reduced. Result? Faster, better, cheaper!
My concern is that we are still in the “hype cycle” phase.
So why am I so careful? My concern is that we are still in the “hype cycle” phase and some important desired results are presented in the argument that why you should adopt a cloud/sauce solution is not feasible for many companies. Certainly, there is a lot of potentials, but existing so-called legacy solutions collaborative business processes are complex and still require integration and an important and robust data model. This requires a degree of maturity in the solution which takes time to develop. I recommend evaluating the value of a cloud / SaaS ECM solution for a company, but make sure you take the necessary diligence before taking action. We’re talking about materially important business processes that are supported by ECM, and switching too quickly can have far-reaching consequences for failure in these areas.
At FME we engage regularly with clients large and small, who are considering moving to a cloud solution. We also work closely with solution vendors and third-party vendors who have business applications that are part of the ecosystem needed to support wider business processes. The good news for clients is that there are now reliable options for local-cloud, SaaS solutions. These solutions capture the maturity and reliability of so-called legacy platforms and offer them in an integrated, cloud-leveraged configuration in the subscription pricing model. Certainly the best of both worlds.
The next 18 months will be interesting as we move beyond the hype cycle phase and into an era where the practical experience of solution options plays a major role in determining the way forward. I look forward to walking this path with you, our clients! If you are interested, please contact me to discuss this further.
As the amount of digital content grows year by year, data management will become more difficult and cumbersome. If you think your business can benefit from ECM, contact an expert at Bentech Company for a free consultation to find out how an enterprise content management system can improve your business?
Global Cloud Computing in Life Sciences R Market: OverviewOver the last few decades, cloud computing has had a profound impact in life sciences industry by bringing efficiencies, allowing enterprise-wide agility, and boosting patient outcomes.
The presence of mature cloud solutions that are focused on improving patient outcomes will foster their adoption in R activities and cumulatively drive the evolution of the life-sciences industry in the coming years.
Ultimately several companies using ‘cloud-first’ approach for R initiatives will open promising opportunities related to innovations in drug developments and personalized medicines.
However, significant security concerns of patient data gathered through cloud-based model and lack of proper compliance with various industry regulations related to privacy have retarded the growth of the market to some extent.
Currently, North America leads the market.
Continual advances in healthcare infrastructure, increased government initiatives to boost R activities in major countries, particularly China and India are the factors propelling the market growth.
