Agilent Lab Software Suite Unifies Instrument Data Systems, Electronic Lab Notebook and Data Archival

OpenLAB is scalable, open architecture, based on industry open standards, that enables customers to easily capture, analyze and share scientific data throughout the lab and across the enterprise, said Tony Owen, Agilent senior manager, Software and Professional Services Marketing. The new OpenLAB portfolio resolves a number of software challenges that affect labs of all sizes, and our open-systems approach means customers design the lab they want rather than having to work around their software systems.



Agilent OpenLAB consists of three integrated solutions: OpenLAB Chromatography Data System (CDS), OpenLAB Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN), and OpenLAB Enterprise Content Manager (ECM). The system is designed to grow with customers' needs, from a small standalone analytical lab through a global network with hundreds of locations. Agilent OpenLAB is instrument vendor-neutral and provides easy migration paths from existing systems, protecting customers' investments in existing systems.



OpenLAB CDS



The Agilent OpenLAB CDS is based on the popular ChemStation and EZChrom Elite instrument systems, which means customers don't have to sacrifice familiar workflows to realize OpenLAB's advantages. Now, instruments from many vendors can connect to any size network, from individual workstations and workgroups, to global enterprises. Instruments can be controlled locally or remotely from any computer. With full instrument control, centralized administration and ease-of-support, users can see lower cost of operation and better instrument utilization.



Existing ChemStation customers can expand their systems into the new distributed architecture later in 2010. Customers of EZChrom Elite Client/Server and OpenLAB Instrument Control Manager (ICM) can acquire this new functionality as a simple upgrade.



OpenLAB CDS integrates with OpenLAB ECM Intelligent Reporter, offering a new reporting approach to help customers quickly structure and see their results. OpenLAB ECM Intelligent Reporter facilitates analyzing information faster by automating final result assembly within the system, including data from multiple sources and multiple chromatography data systems. OpenLAB ECM Intelligent Reporter also allows for the automation of result review workflow; so it increases lab productivity and quality.



OpenLAB ELN



OpenLAB ELN lets scientists capture and manage the details from each day's experiments and collaborate with cross-discipline teams, while protecting intellectual property.



With OpenLAB ELN, Agilent is making the efficiencies and security of the electronic lab notebook accessible to a wider range of labs, including those doing routine analytical work in fields such as hydrocarbon processing, environmental analysis, pharmaceutical food safety and forensics. Tightly integrated into the Agilent OpenLAB portfolio, OpenLAB ELN is designed to streamline workflows for chemists in analytical development and research.



OpenLAB ECM



Agilent OpenLAB ECM is a secure, central repository enabling customers to capture, manage, share, archive and re-use any data in most file formats. Its Web-based user interface is easy to learn, and the retrieval function can perform meta data extraction from analytical and Microsoft Office files.



OpenLAB ECM includes functions for compliance with all major regulatory guidelines including 21 CFR part 11, and the Business Process Manager (BPM) add-on can automate and secure mission-critical business processes such as Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.



As the name reflects, Agilent OpenLAB is based on an open systems architecture that integrates disparate software systems. Designed to be scalable from workstation to enterprise, OpenLAB gives customers' labs the ability to evolve as their needs change and grow. For additional details, please visit http://www.agilent.com/chem/openlab.