Thermo Fisher Scientific chose to offer its popular laboratory information management system (LIMS) using a software-as-a-service model hosted by OpSource in order to lower costs for customers while reducing its own management responsibilities. Thermo Fisher evaluated several cloud hosting providers and selected OpSource based on its pricing, management capabilities, and technical expertise. Customers have responded positively to the cost-effective cloud-based LIMS solution, and Thermo Fisher expects more organizations will adopt this model.

1. Case Study
Thermo Fisher Moves Labs
to the Cloud
Case Study Highlights “We asked them a lot of questions to gauge what their level of
expertise was, and the responses we received strongly indicated
• Thermo Scientific LIMS-on-
Demand is a Software-as-a-
that OpSource had the requisite experience we needed from a
Service (SaaS) enterprise-class cloud hosting provider. We eventually went with them because
Laboratory Information our assessment showed they had a superior mix of solid managed
Management System (LIMS) service and cost control.”
that allows organizations of
Seamus Mac Conaonaigh
all sizes to leverage the benefits Director of Technology, Thermo Fisher
of its industry-leading LIMS Scientific, Informatics
solution without the time
and cost typically associated Thermo Fisher Scientific Leads the Way with LIMS
with on-premise software Thermo Fisher Scientific is the world leader in serving science, providing
installation. analytical instruments, equipment, reagents and consumables,
software and services for research, analysis, discovery, and diagnostics.
• Challenge: Lower the Total Cost
With annual sales of nearly $11 billion, Thermo Fisher Scientific has
of Ownership (TCO) of LIMS,
approximately 37,000 employees and serves more than 350,000 clients in
while minimizing management
pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic
responsibilities associated with
labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well
a hosted solution.
as environmental, industrial quality and process control settings.
• Solution: Offer the industry’s
most popular laboratory Thermo Fisher’s Informatics division specializes in Laboratory Information
information management Management Systems (LIMS), software applications used in laboratories
system on a SaaS basis. for the management of samples, lab users, instruments, standards, and
other laboratory functions such as workflow automation and report
• OpSource was selected as the
generation. Laboratories use LIMS to automate the management of
cloud hosting provider based
samples, integrate with laboratory instrumentation, and print barcodes
on pricing, management
that can be scanned at the end of the analysis with results loaded
capability, and depth of
into LIMS. The system can check the completed results, automatically
technical expertise.
validating those that comply with specifications and reporting
out-of-spec results.
© 2011 OpSource, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. THERMO FISHER MOVES LABS TO THE CLOUD
With more than 1,500 systems sold labs don’t have their own IT staff.
to date, and a 35 percent share They must depend on central IT,
of the market in the life science which isn’t always responsive.
and biotech sectors, Thermo
Fisher’s Informatics solutions help The Informatics division at
scientists, engineers, researchers, Thermo Fisher decided that
and business leaders make offering LIMS using a Software-
informed decisions more effectively as-a-Service (SaaS) hosted
and efficiently, ensure the quality model could benefit CROs and
and consistency of their data, and academic institutions, as well as
eliminate costly time, labor, and any organization that needed a
errors that are often introduced in LIMS but didn’t want the hassle
the manual transfer of data. and expense of deploying and
managing an on-premise software
“For the type of architecture
Challenge: Lowering TCO installation themselves.
that we needed for this client
of LIMS
base, we believed OpSource
A LIMS can operate as a standalone Solution
was a perfect fit.” system or can be integrated with The Informatics division initially
other systems, such as Enterprise considered managing the LIMS
Seamus Mac Conaonaigh Resource Programs (ERPs). In either SaaS infrastructure within Thermo
Director of Technology, Thermo Fisher,
Informatics environment, the LIMS system Fisher’s existing IT environment.
requires significant resources After careful consideration,
to deploy and manage. This however, it just didn’t make good
may not be an issue for larger business sense. “That’s not the
organizations with ample IT business we want to be in,” says
resources; however, Thermo Fisher Seamus Mac Conaonaigh, Director
recognized that other firms are of Technology for the Informatics
less able to absorb those costs. group at Thermo Fisher. An
Among them, contract research evaluation team decided instead
organizations (CROs) and contract to rely on a managed hosting
manufacturing organizations provider to both host and
(CMOs) that perform testing under manage it.
contract for larger firms, such as
pharma, environmental and other Requirements for the provider
industries. CROs typically operate were straightforward. Cost was
with a small core staff to do the of the utmost importance. Also
testing, which may last several critical was the expertise and
months or less. They often can’t experience of the provider’s team
afford to have a datacenter and to effectively and reliably manage
full-time IT staff. the solution. And there was one
other requirement: the solution
Another client segment often had to address client concern for
struggling with the complexities of data security and FDA compliance
LIMS management are academic with 21 CFR Part 11, regarding
institutions, which may need a electronic records and signatures.
LIMS only occasionally. University The solution had to be a closed
© 2011 OpSource, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. THERMO FISHER MOVES LABS TO THE CLOUD
system. At no point could there Impact: Cost-effective Solution
be client data sharing the same Interest in Thermo Scientific
machine with another LIMS-on-Demand has been very
client’s data. positive since it was introduced
in early 2010. More and more
Thermo Fisher sent questionnaires organizations are seeing the
to a variety of cloud providers, advantage of a cloud-based
from small to large, including LIMS solution. The SaaS model
IBM, and also interviewed staff significantly reduces capital
members. OpSource was a late investment requirements and
addition to the evaluation also allows organizations to more
process. “We asked them a easily and cost-effectively adapt
lot of questions, and some we technology as their needs change.
already knew the answers to,” Organizations like CROs and
says Mac Conaonaigh. “We academic institutions can quickly
wanted to gauge what their scale up for a period of time
level of expertise was, and the and then scale down when they
responses we received strongly complete a project.
indicated that OpSource had the
requisite experience we needed While CROs and universities
from a cloud hosting provider. are the early adopters, Mac
We eventually went with them Conaonaigh expects larger
because our assessment showed organizations to begin to
they had a superior mix of solid implement LIMS-on-Demand once
managed service and they become comfortable with
cost control.” hosting their data in the cloud.
OpSource also met the As the Director of Technology for
requirements for non-multi- Informatics, Mac Conaonaigh’s
tenancy. “For the type of responsibility is to work on his
architecture that we needed, division’s technology strategy
for this client base we believed as a business and manage the
OpSource was a perfect fit,” says relationships with technology
Mac Conaonaigh.” partners, including Oracle and
Microsoft. OpSource enables him
Since it began managing Thermo to proactively focus on strategy
Scientific SaaS LIMS infrastructure, and not the day-to-day issues
OpSource has demonstrated its of managing the cloud. “That’s
capabilities and commitment to ultimately why we went with
support many times. OpSource,” says Mac Conaonaigh.
© 2011 OpSource, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. THERMO FISHER MOVES LABS TO THE CLOUD
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science. The company enables its
clients to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer by providing analytical instruments, equipment,
reagents and consumables, software and services for research, analysis, discovery and diagnostics. For
more information about Thermo Fisher Informatics capabilities, please visit www.thermoscientific.com/
informatics or www.limsondemand.com.
About OpSource
Founded in 2002, OpSource provides cloud and managed hosting solutions that enable businesses to
accelerate growth and scale operations while controlling costs and reducing IT infrastructure support
risks. Headquartered in Santa Clara, with operations in California, Virginia, the UK, Ireland, and India,
more than 600 enterprises, service providers and Software-as-a-Service ISVs rely on OpSource’s expertise,
experience and cloud automation technology to operate high-availability, business-critical hosting
environments. OpSource is a Dimension Data company. www.opsource.net.
Corporate Headquarters
5201 Great America Parkway, Suite 120, Santa Clara, CA 95054, 1-800-664-9973 (USA)
+353 1 661 9979 (EMEA) sales@opsource.net, www.opsource.net
© 2011 OpSource, Inc. All rights reserved.