SampleManager LIMS v12.2 is out of support. Now what?

In a world where we constantly hear about the latest software upgrade causing our favorite apps to break, why should you upgrade your out-of-support Thermo Fisher™ SampleManager LIMS™ v12.2 if it still works? “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” That’s the saying for a reason. There are many factors to consider when upgrading your lab software, especially when what you’re using is moving toward the grave of obsolescence.

Cost is always a consideration for any business decision, including whether to upgrade software. The upfront cost of paying for the software installation and configuration is obvious, of course, but have you considered the alternative? There are costs when you don’t choose to update, as well.

Each version of SampleManager LIMS is released with many enhancements crafted from ideas contributed by end users like you. Reported software defects are fixed in the new builds, as well. This means that what once required customized code for your specific laboratory is now handled better through a standardized system that is maintained and enhanced by Thermo Fisher.

Thermo Fisher also improves the security features with each version. Everyone has seen those cybersecurity threat training videos on the job. Threats against all types of software are constantly evolving, so it is important to stay up to date.

In this blog, we will briefly discuss the cost implications of upgrading, some of the many features added to v21.2 since v12.2 was shiny and new in 2019, and the security enhancements you are missing out on if you still have an older version.

It all comes down to the bottom line. Or does it?

The upfront investment of purchasing new software and maintaining data integrity through an upgrade can seem daunting, but there are many other considerations that all contribute to the total cost:

• Competitive Advantage: When you don’t keep up with the latest version of the software, your tech stack may lose a competitive edge. You may be left with software that cannot easily integrate with modern systems.
  • Integration with modern systems may still be possible with hand-scripted code, but the cost of that code’s development would be avoided by keeping up to date with the current SampleManager LIMS version.
  • Maintenance of out of date information technology (IT) and infrastructure is necessary when your version of SampleManager cannot run on newer, more secure servers and database applications.
• Time Savings. Your employees may waste time dealing with older, slower software and waiting for long-running reports, logins, hand-keyed data, or memory overload crashes.
  • A personal aside: There have been cases where the lab personnel were hand-keying results for 20 hours a week of overtime. These hours were eliminated with an updated system that could read the instrument files in a matter of seconds.
• Maintenance Costs. With aging software, it becomes increasingly difficult to find in-house IT professionals to support it.

A look at what you’ve been missing.

Software changes quickly, as we all know. By now. software is an integral part of our lives. Most software comes with out-of-the-box functionality that increases your efficiency. Many useful features have been added to SampleManager as standard out-of-the-box functionality in the years since SampleManager v12.2 was released:

• Interactive dashboard designer:
  • Easily build dashboards to view the data that is most important to your laboratory. The data can be updated in the dashboard view at set intervals so decision-makers have access to the relevant data in real-time.
• Analyst Notebook (Electronic Lab Notebook):
  • Reduce the costs of consumables like notebooks and printer paper.
  • Maintain accessible records that don’t get coffee stained or accidentally taken home in someone’s bag.
• Sample tracking:
  • Chain-of-custody tracking and sample container specifications.
  • Built-in features that regulatory agencies expect.
• User-friendly interface for committing data:
  • No more programming knowledge is needed to commit data.

The ever-changing world of cyber threats.

An ever-present threat in our current business setting is cyber-attacks and data leaks. It can cost many times more to recover from a data breach than to follow proper updating procedures and avoid having one in the first place. Any cloud-based software is, unfortunately, at greater risk of these kinds of threats. However, SampleManager v21.2 has taken steps to mitigate those risks.

• Concurrent logins for a single user are no longer possible.
  • Attachments are now scanned for malicious content and verified before uploading to the system. Any suspicious content will be blocked.Login password requirements have been made more complex.
  • Access to sensitive data can be restricted by user.
• Risky import and export capabilities have been assigned to only the highest user role.

In conclusion, it is a best practice to keep software systems modern for good reasons. Eventually, you will be forced to upgrade anyway, so why are you holding on to an old version for as long as possible? The cost savings on the capital expense side can quickly be undone by a data breach.

Maintaining up-to-date software versions streamlines future upgrades. The older and more out-of-date your software is, the more complex the upgrade will be for both the software implementation team and the end users, who will need to learn to use the new software. This causes disruptions to business—never a good thing. You will save time for the end users by keeping all software up to date, both through training on new processes that are like the ones they’re used to as well as by not having to wait for a slow running system. The value of an efficient system that safeguards data cannot be overstated.

CSols has many years of SampleManager LIMS experience and can help you achieve a smooth upgrade process. Reach out to talk about your SampleManager LIMS upgrade.

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What features of SampleManager v21.2 are you most looking forward to using? Tell us about it in the comments.