Secure File Sharing & Collaboration for Laboratory Management

Background

LabWare provides best-in-class laboratory automation software solutions to meet the data handling requirements of laboratories in diverse industries around the world. LabWare employs Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) software used in laboratories for the management of samples, instruments, users, standards, and other laboratory functions. LabWare is a market leader in global LIMS applications. The majority of LabWare customers are Fortune 500 companies which use LabWare’s LIMS across multiple sites.

Introduction

In the past, LabWare used an FTP server to collaborate with internal employees, consultants, contractors, and customers. Because the FTP protocol focuses solely on file transfer, real-time collaboration was not possible under this setup.

“We were trying to use FTP in ways that it wasn’t intended,” says Jeremy Upole, LabWare IT Manager. “It just didn’t have the document collaboration and security that we needed to support our wide range of users. FTP wasn’t cutting it.”

Users did not have an easy or efficient method to share files with each other or collaborate on files with customers and external partners. To make matters worse, the FTP server was difficult to manage and didn’t scale well. LabWare was increasingly challenged with managing permissions, as administrators had to manually adjust even simple access settings. The system was not dynamic enough to meet the company’s growing needs.

To find a better solution, LabWare conducted an Internet search for “group collaboration software.” Many options appeared, but several were quickly eliminated due to proprietary technologies or lack of flexibility.

“We liked South River Technologies’ option of having either a web interface or a client,” Upole explains. “While the virtual drive client is a great productivity tool, there are times when it’s not practical to install client software. Having both options was important.”

LabWare consultants often work on-site at customer locations, where they may not have permission to install additional software or open FTP ports. Using a browser-based interface eliminated both of these issues and made collaboration significantly easier.

The Challenge

Replace an outdated FTP-based collaboration system with a secure, scalable solution that supports real-time file sharing, flexible access, and simplified permission management.

Solution

LabWare requested a fully-functional product trial to put the new software to the test. The transition was remarkably straightforward because the structure of LabWare’s existing FTP content aligned closely with the file organization of the SRT solution.

Transition from FTP to Secure Collaboration

The implementation proved to be surprisingly effortless. “We literally laid their solution on top of the FTP server structure. It was entirely seamless,” says Upole. “It just worked.” This allowed LabWare to move away from the rigid limitations of their old system without a messy data migration, immediately establishing a more secure and collaborative environment.

QuickLinks & External File Sharing

LabWare also discovered a solution to an underlying problem they hadn't yet identified: the need for friction-free sharing. By using QuickLinks, external users could access files from any location without needing to log in through the WebUI, provided the server was configured for open sharing.

To ensure reliability, a cross-functional team of operations staff, IT, support, and developers tested QuickLinks through various real-world scenarios. After a week of internal testing, the feedback was unanimous - the team “overwhelmingly liked it.”

Flexible Access (Web + Virtual Drive)

Following the success of QuickLinks, LabWare tested the Virtual Drive client and Web Interface. The results provided a significant boost to technical workflows:

Results

LabWare successfully transformed their legacy file transfer environment into a powerful document collaboration platform. The migration was seamless, with the entire production system-including 300 user accounts-built in approximately 3 hours.

According to Jeremy Upole, the transition was "a very painless process" that exceeded expectations in terms of speed and ease of configuration.

Key Outcomes

• Replaced FTP and email-based file sharing: Moved away from unwieldy attachments and rigid protocols toward a modern, unified environment.
• Enabled real-time collaboration across teams and customers: Internal employees, consultants, and external partners can now work together on documents simultaneously.
• Reduced administrative burden for permissions management: The system is dynamic and flexible, allowing for easy tailoring without manual overhead.
• Improved technical support workflows and efficiency: High-quality documentation and a robust support site streamlined the setup of databases and file sets.
• Accelerated deployment (fully operational in hours): What was expected to be an overnight project was completed in a fraction of the time, including file imports and account updates.