Thermo Fisher Scientific is web-enabling its laboratory information management systems (LIMS) offerings with Microsoft’s ClickOnce deployment technology to create a solution that combines the functionality and performance of the desktop client delivered via a simple web interface.
Thermo Fisher hopes the move will provide its customers with an easier deployment strategy, with lower maintenance and fresh updates from a central point on the network
'Life sciences customers are seeking to take advantage of the web, but still want the rich functionality of a desktop client,' said Paul Mattes, managing director of Microsoft’s US Health and Life Sciences Group. 'Thermo Fisher Scientific’s solution strikes a great balance, by delivering a scalable and secure back-end server, connected to desktop clients via a web-based interface.'
Historically, the deployment of LIMS applications has followed a two-step client-server process: the product is first installed on the central server, and then individually on each of the client workstations.
With the new system, the Thermo Scientific LIMS is installed once onto a central server. A URL is then sent to designated users, enabling them to run the application securely and transparently in a separate 'sandbox' on their machines, minimising its impact on the rest of the system, to provide easier validation and reducing the risk of application conflicts so often associated with client installations. This 'zero-touch' process means that IT departments do not need to install these files individually for each user, saving significant time and resources.
