User:Shawndouglas/sandbox/sublevel1

What exactly is a laboratory information system (LIS) or laboratory information management system (LIMS) anyway? Do I need one? What options are available and how do I compare them? What about a request for information (RFI), request for proposal (RFP), or request for quotation (RFQ)? These are questions laboratory professionals typically ponder upon finding themselves charged with the mission of finding software for their lab. For many the task can be a daunting proposition.

You may know the workflow-related needs of your laboratory, but perhaps you don't know much about data management solutions like LIS and LIMS, leaving you intimidated by all the options. You'll first need to gauge your lab's informatics needs in order to determine which products are worth investigating further. Of course your lab's analysis requirements, reporting and data sharing constraints, instrument interfacing needs, barcoding and tracking requirements, quality assurance processes, etc. are very important factors. But these systems vary in numerous ways, and other important factors exist. Price should certainly be considered, although value is ultimately more important than a low price. Other important questions that get asked include:

• Should we purchase software licenses or "rent" the software via a subscription-based model?
• Does the software need to be on-site, or is a SaaS hosted option more practical?
• Is a modular or complete system better for us?
• What is the best licensing/rental scheme for us? Should we consider site, named user, concurrent user, or workstation licenses?
• Is the company qualified and trustworthy?
• What functionality is available to help our lab not only accomplish workflow tasks but also remain regulatory compliant?

These and other questions are addressed in this chapter.