Keeping your lab notebooks and research binders safe and accounted for at all times is a huge priority in the pharma world. You need to have everything dated, signed and preserved so when it comes down to submitting the research or getting it published, you have full control and access to every page of information.
Thanks to the technology boom, it is now both easy and reliable to move your research into a digital space. A lot of pharma companies are hopping aboard the digital train and now require that these documents be scanned, digitized and managed online. Not only does document scanning make things easier for everyone involved, but it also keeps everything safer and more organized. Instead of holding onto your notebooks for dear life and protecting them at all costs, it’s time to start scanning those pages, getting them filed away, and securing them online.
Still not convinced? Here’s 5 benefits to scanning and moving your lab notebooks and research binders to a digital environment.
1. Automatically meet your company’s security guidelines
With the right technology, it’s easy to minimize your risk and stay within your company’s policies for managing and storing your lab notebooks and research binders. On top of that, everything is secure in a digital file. People can’t just walk in and steal your work. At DataBank specifically, we offer industry-leading SOC2 Type II and ISO 27001 security standards that bring you an extra level of protection.
2. Multiple people can use the same document at the same time
In a group research setting, you may be sharing one notebook or keeping your own notes separately. Either way, this can cause a lot of problems in the long run when data is recorded differently or when two people need to access the same file at once. When everything is scanned and accessible digitally, you can use the same documents at the exact same time.
3. Automate approvals and collaborate
Sometimes you need to get portions of your work approved by different people. One of the easiest ways to do this is by scanning your documents and setting up a workflow approval process. This can automatically send certain documents to a specific person and require them to sign and send back that information. You can also send new additions and revisions as you make them to your lab or research partners. At any time, you can update these settings as more people are added to the group or as they leave.
4. Access everything in one centralized space
Not only can you outsource your documents for scanning, but with our services you can also get them safely stored in your in-house central repository or LOB. When everything is shared in one central location, it simplifies collaboration, while also saving you time, money and risk.
5. Avoid accidents that risk your data
Now, I may not be a scientist myself but I have been in a research lab before and I know that there are tons of chemicals, flammable substances and risk factors all over the place. It only takes one spill to ruin an entire year’s worth of work. There is no reason to gamble the life of one binder when everything can be sent to a third party to be scanned and even stored for you. Having a backup on file is not only easy but it has become essential.
