What should you look for in a connected lab platform to monitor and protect your valuable assets?
A lot of people think all laboratory alerting and monitoring systems are created equal, but they're not. We find that users often learn the hard way that they are not getting what they paid for. Here are some things to keep in mind when looking for a lab monitoring platform and a user testimonial from our customer, Inzen Therapeutics, explaining why they chose Elemental Machines.
Ease of use and deployment
Lots of lab monitoring solutions are overly complicated and difficult to deploy. Do you really want the hassle of running ethernet and power cables all over your facility? What happens when (inevitably) you need to move equipment around or add more equipment? Do you want to have to call the facilities team every time to run or reroute power lines and ethernet cables? There is a better way.
The Elemental Machines platform of Element-T's and Element-A's requires no wires. The Elements are battery-powered, Bluetooth, wireless, Internet of Things devices that can be installed or moved in minutes. The batteries last from 9 months (Element-T) to 5 years (Element-A). The Elements send data via Bluetooth to a Gateway tablet computer. The Gateway uploads the data every 15 seconds to the Elemental cloud via WiFi. The Gateways have battery and cellular back up in case of power outages. System alerts can be configured to notify the user of out of spec conditions like a low battery, a connection alert, a power outage or temperature out of range.
Why worry about the details?
The Elemental Machines platform is all-inclusive. We have you covered from the temperature sensor to API access to your data to sync with your LIMS. Our subscription-based service covers all hardware and software. If you have a problem we fix it, at no charge. Your annual subscription fee covers hardware, software and software upgrades. You get an unlimited number of users. You get full access to YOUR data via API or through your dashboard. If you have a hardware problem we replace it.
Why spend your nights worrying about your monitoring system? You have better things to do. Read why Inzen Therapeutics chose the Elemental Machines platform and how it compares to other systems.
Problem
When Jon Sheats became Inzen Therapeutics’ Laboratory Manager, he knew exactly what he wanted in terms of a laboratory monitoring system. This clarity arose from his past struggles with a system that was expensive and unreliable.
Jon’s previous company used a competing system for laboratory monitoring in addition to a private company for their alarms. This system proved costly to install and maintain. The company was required to buy all of the equipment and was responsible for any maintenance costs and replacement parts. Jon estimates that between purchase, installation, and maintenance, his previous company spent between $95,000 and $115,000. “It should never cost us that much to monitor our equipment,” Jon said.
Another problem the company faced was recurring system outages. “Our previous system was WiFi-generated but did not work directly with the WiFi. We had to buy separate modules to place throughout the lab to pick up the signal,” said Jon. “The signal was bad, and my modules regularly dropped off the network, so I would randomly get alerts at 2 AM on my phone. I would have to log into a computer and reset the modules before going back to bed.”
In contrast, Inzen Therapeutics didn’t have any system or alarms in place. This allowed Jon the freedom to seek a laboratory monitoring solution that was more reliable and less costly than the one he’d experienced. That solution turned out to be Elemental Machines.
Solution
When Inzen Therapeutics partnered with Elemental Machines for laboratory monitoring, Elemental Machines provided an immediate cost-effective solution: Inzen could subscribe to the Elemental Machines platform, which includes full service and support, rather than buying hardware at full price.
Furthermore, Elemental Machines reliably provides ongoing maintenance with quick response times. There’s also never any false alarms, which saves money and time.
“I chose to work with Elemental Machines because they are responsible for the equipment and they respond within 24 hours for any problem, at no cost to me,” said Jon. “If I have a problem right now, and tomorrow is Tuesday, they’re going to be in some point on Tuesday to either replace or troubleshoot the problem.”
Results
