Implementing Materials Informatics (MI) solutions, such as Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), is becoming increasingly important in today's data-driven world. Businesses and research institutions are recognizing the critical role that well-structured, standardized, and analyzable data plays in enhancing decision-making and productivity. As organizations consider integrating these systems, a common question arises - should they build their own or leverage the expertise of an external vendor like Uncountable? In this blog, we outline the key factors and components that need to be considered when making this decision.
TIME AND RESOURCES
Developing an enterprise-grade MI platform, like a LIMS, usually takes a minimum of 1-2 years, depending on the level of investment and resources available. Alternatively, implementing a ready-made platform from Uncountable takes only 2-3 months to demonstrate initial value. It's worth noting, though, that while buying eliminates the upfront investment in the build process, implementing a third-party system is not turnkey and will typically require an additional year to become enterprise-ready and globally deployable.
RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR DEVELOPING A LIMS
Creating a LIMS in-house requires a significant resource commitment, including roles such as:
- Executive sponsor (.25 FTE for 12 months)
- Project/product manager (1 FTE for 2 years)
- Data architect (1 FTE for 2 years)
- Data analyst (1 FTE 2 years)
- Data Engineer (1 FTE 2 years)
- Full stack developer ( 1 FTE, 2 years)
- Infrastructure/cloud engineer (1 FTE, 2 years)
- DevOps Engineer (1 FTE, 2 years)
- Materials scientist (.25 FTE, 2 years)
These roles will contribute to building a platform encompassing structured data management, predictive analysis of properties for existing materials, and design for developing new materials. However, this estimate doesn't account for continuous resources for maintenance, scalability, or upgrades.
THE COST OF DELAY
In today's fast-paced and competitive environment, any delay in adopting advanced MI solutions can be detrimental to a company's market position and profitability. Delaying the benefits of standardized and analyzable data by 1-2 years could provide competitors with an edge.
TO BUILD A PILOT OR ADOPT AN ENTERPRISE-READY PLATFORM?
For pilot projects, several open-source or low-cost databases and data pipeline tools are available. However, scaling these solutions beyond the pilot phase often presents challenges.
KEY FEATURES OF AN ENTERPRISE-GRADE MI PLATFORM:
- Intuitive User Experience & Interface: A user-friendly interface encourages platform adoption and simplifies complex underlying technology.
- Robust Security and Access Control: Stringent security measures and automated data backups are critical to protect sensitive data and maintain system performance.
- Reuse of Existing Projects: The ability to easily access and connect digital assets like data sets and AI models is key for a MI platform.
- System Maintenance and Upgrades: A dedicated software engineering team is needed to ensure the platform's longevity and continuous improvement.
RISKS OF UNSUCCESSFUL IN-HOUSE DEVELOPMENT
Failure to establish a secure, scalable, and efficient data management system can have serious implications. Intellectual property could be compromised, proprietary technology exposed, and the entire business could be put at risk.
FOCUS ON CORE COMPETENCY
Companies often perform best when focusing on their core competencies. Established in 2016, Uncountable has a team of 50 professionals who have engineered a leading MI platform. We're committed to gaining insights from our clients and refining the Uncountable Platform to introduce unanticipated features, allowing you to focus on enhancing your chemical and material development expertise.
KEY QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
- What impact would it have on your business if a competitor adopted a MI solution faster than you?
- Is the cost of licensing from a third party worth the delayed deployment timeline and internal resource commitment to building your solution?
- Do you have the team in place to commit to platform development, maintenance, technical support, and scalability?
- How will you maintain the security of an internal system across teams and geographies?
- Can your team efficiently build and deploy machine learning models across R&D projects and Business units?
CONCLUSION
Deciding whether to build or buy a MI platform like a LIMS is a strategic decision that requires careful consideration. Building in-house allows full control over the system, but it can be time-consuming, resource-intensive, and potentially risky. On the other hand, buying a ready-made platform like Uncountable's provides a flexible, secure, and scalable solution without diverting valuable and costly resources from your core business.
With Uncountable, you're not just buying a solution, you're partnering with a team of experts committed to your success. We've spent years perfecting our platform, ensuring it's intuitive, secure, and tailored to the unique needs of materials science – most importantly, we pride ourselves in working closely with every one of our customers, supporting you as an extension of your organization, not just a third party, external solutions vendor. Our platform combines structured data management, predictive analysis, and seamless reuse of digital assets, all under one user-friendly interface.
Instead of spending years developing an in-house solution, why not partner with Uncountable to leverage our platform and expertise?
Regardless of whether you choose to build your own solution, or opt to buy - and no matter where you decide to purchase from - our team at Uncountable is always ready to assist. We can provide a personalized demo of the Uncountable platform, as well as honest advice and recommendations for alternative solutions that may better suit your organization's specific needs. Embark on your journey towards streamlined data management and analysis - book a demo of the Uncountable platform today.
