Technology plays a crucial role in nearly all modern industries and having a strong IT framework to look after your company's interests is essential. The biotech industry is no different. In fact, we would argue it is even more vital for a biotech to have a strong IT presence given the amount of private information being handled and the need for real-time, speedy data that scientists access to fine tune their research and inventions.
The biotech field is highly competitive, and every little advantage you get can go a long way. Hiring the best IT support is a great way to get a leg up over the competition. Better IT means less downtime and delays as a result of technical difficulties, and that means more time for your staff to focus on reshaping science and getting your innovations to market quickly and with a positive impact. If you don't currently have managed IT services for your biotech company, here are some of the top reasons to consider adding them.
When hiring IT professionals, there are two primary approaches that a company can take -- hiring outside IT professionals or staffing an internal IT department. While the latter may be the more comfortable option for a company that is used to hiring full-time staff and minimal work with contractors or outside help, a managed IT company is often the most cost-effective way to get quality IT performance. With managed IT you can pay for the amount of help you expect to need, but always have the option to easily scale to adjust for changes in need over time, as there is often significantly more flexibility than when making changes means hiring or firing staff.
All of that matters immensely to a biotech. As a company that often needs to scale up rapidly based on where they are in their creation process, having the ability to do so nimbly is paramount. Hiring people, setting up workstations, and pivoting are essential for keeping innovation and go-to-market strategies moving in the right direction, but they all take time. Ensuring your biotech has the right IT people leading this charge removes the stress from other technical people and clears the path for them to focus on the science.
Not having the technical assistance you need at the time you need it can be one of the costliest mistakes a company can make. Costly mistakes for a biotech mean less money goes into research, design and innovation, which mean your drug, therapy or device is kept out of testing or off the market longer. When your goal is to help people, delaying production is simply not an option. When you hire an experienced IT company to handle your biotech’s IT needs, you’ll have on-demand access to professional assistance spanning many skillsets. This doesn't include only crisis management. Your managed IT professionals can also help you assess your current technology uses and protocols and identify areas where you may end up with troubles in the future so you can cut them out before they occur. With technology advancements happening as rapidly as they are, in addition to the quick pace of changing needs a biotech has it moves through the innovation phases, having someone on board who is constantly looking at your IT health is extremely beneficial.
There are few things that are more important and more challenging than managing digital security in the modern world. When technology is so ever-present, it results in a similarly ever-present threat from outsiders with bad intentions. When you work with a professional IT company, they can help to assess your current safety procedures and find ways to improve them in order to make your company and its data more secure.
Often times gaps in security go unnoticed and threats can lie dormant for months and years before an attack. As a biotech working with incredibly sensitive bioinformatics, security should be of utmost concern to you. With the amount of personal and secretive data found in any life sciences company, such as molecular research, trial records, patient DNA, and patentable innovations, in addition to the strict FDA regulations your company needs to meet, it is critical your security is impenetrable. It would be a large, unmanageable task for a single IT person to keep all of your IT needs met and give security the attention it deserves.
Finally, cost is a factor when it comes to security. Outside breaches can be extremely costly, making effective digital security protocols one of the most cost-effective changes you can implement. When you are trying to save lives or increase quality of life, the last thing you want to do is take money away from research and development to pay a ransom for your stolen or locked data and systems.
Another option that some companies choose to pursue is using emergency IT support when needed. Unfortunately, when relying on one-off purchases when situations arise that require technical help outside of your company's capabilities, you are faced with a choice of affordability or timeliness. By working with a managed IT provider, you can get the proactive and prompt service that you need when trouble arises, without the full-time staffing costs of hiring an in-house IT department or the markup rates for rush service. Managed IT providers are incentivized to do proactive work so that you have less emergencies and focus on getting your drug or device to market.
The benefits of this model to a biotech company are immeasurable. When services are provided promptly, there is no downtime. No downtime means your scientists and specialists are uninterrupted, on track and productive. Time is of the essence when it comes to innovations in the life sciences world and often having a solid IT plan that anticipates and rectifies issues before they happen is one of the most valuable tools a company can have in its toolkit.
You and your staff are experts in the biotech field, which means your time is always best spent working on the innovations and products you were hired to create. Time spent serving as a makeshift IT professional, is time your staff is not spending doing what they do best and it is time that delays production of your treatments. Hiring managed IT help allows your staff to get the help they need and get back to doing what they need to do more quickly, enabling your entire company can run more efficiently as a result. Hiring a managed IT company also opens up the ability to gain a wide range of skills because you have access to dozens of consultants instead of a single point of knowledge. This small distinction goes a long way for biotechs that are just starting out as well as ones that are scaling up. These companies need the know-how to do things quickly and correctly the first time to ensure their workforces are armed with the tools and data they need without interruptions.
If you run a biotech company and are not currently working with full time managed IT services, you may be exposing your company to undue risk. Get in touch with an IT professional today for a consultation to see what they can do for you.