Semaphore Solutions
Custom Software for the Genomics Industry
Leading Informatics Solution Provider
"The Semaphore Solutions team has made extremely valuable contributions to the many projects they have been involved in, enabling us to grow our customer base and improve our product in a very technically complex space.”
Leading Informatics Solution Provider
About the Customer
In 2020, Semaphore was approached by a leading vendor of a biotechnology informatics solution who needed to grow the capacity of their customer engineering team. This team is responsible for customizing their solution for high complexity enterprise customers. The customer engineering team is a vital component of the vendor’s strategy to extend market reach through expert customization of the existing product. The Semaphore team continues to support this strategy with a dedicated, full-time team provided via a convenient, cost-effective engagement model.
Challenges
To support growth, the company required highly skilled engineers with solid enterprise software experience plus laboratory domain expertise. In addition, the customer engineering team workload was very difficult to predict leading the company to explore flexible hiring models over traditional hiring.
These challenges called for an outside resource to fulfill both a technical leadership role in designing implementations as well as a hands-on delivery role that would enable the company to grow rapidly through extending its offerings and attracting new clients.
The company engaged Semaphore Solutions to support augmentation of the platform for existing clients and to custom tailor solutions for new clients. A core team of four senior engineers with decades of experience in systems design and laboratory implementation joined the vendor’s team to plan, execute, and continuously support customer projects. These experts also contributed to development of best practices, design patterns, and other productivity and quality improvements.
The Semaphore Solution
During the initial ramp-up phase, Semaphore team members were assigned to several projects and assimilated as full time members of the team, and given access to all the resources, knowledge and training for successful onboarding.
Over time, team structure evolved to best meet shifting customer demands. For example, two Semaphore team members soon formed a sub-team to independently customize a client solution. At a later date, another sub-team was formed including two of Semaphore team members to build a new subsystem for which many of the company’s clients expressed direct interest. A beta version of the subsystem was released successfully and the company attracted a list of interested clients.
The company now benefits from an established Semaphore team, capable of taking on the full scope of customer engineering responsibilities, including maintaining and upgrading existing projects and actively participating in new cutting edge development efforts.
Result
By combining the expertise and strategic thinking of a consultant with the practical on-the-ground execution of a contingent staffing assignment, the company was able to scale up quickly, meet its immediate project needs, and find additional ongoing value through the convenient staff augmentation model.
Following the successful completion of the initial projects, the expert resources placed by Semaphore Solutions have played a much larger role in the operation of the company’s ongoing development efforts —applying their extensive experience and the knowledge acquired during their time working with the company to continuously generate value in form of leading, participating and contributing the important projects, helping to attract new clients and enhancing the offerings to existing clients.
Thanks to their broad knowledge bases, all resources secured by Semaphore Solutions continue to engage the company through an extended full-time contingent staffing arrangement, and the company’s will to extend the contract for the 3rd time—is the best testament to the convenience and cost effectiveness of a quality staff in a sophisticated augmentation model when combined with niche life science expertise.
Interested?
Laboratory System Integration
We integrate laboratory information management systems (LIMS), laboratory information systems (LIS), order and results systems, requisition provisioning, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), project management and custom portals. No matter your workflow, we make it happen.
Analysis Pipeline Integration
We support your analysis solution. Our software professionals provide efficient solutions for ensuring sequencing data securely enters your analysis platform of choice, and final reports are delivered to the right place.
Instrument Integration
Automating the exchange of setup information and result data with instruments increases laboratory efficiency and accuracy. We have experience integrating the full range of molecular diagnostic instruments, from QC instruments to sequencers to automated liquid handlers.
Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Systems Integration
EMR integration ensures that critical test and patient information enters the laboratory efficiently and error-free, and results are communicated accurately and quickly. Whether using EPIC, Cerner or another EMR system, we can integrate your laboratory systems via HL7.
Laboratory Scalability
Increasing sample throughput requires significant automation of laboratory processes and information management. Our team builds and maintains some of the highest throughput NGS labs in the world and can apply that experience to help you achieve your throughput goals.
Order Management
In addition to tracking physical samples, clinical diagnostic laboratories need to efficiently manage the orders that accompany samples. From the physician portal to the dashboard that manages order status, our customized system ensures that your lab’s orders are processed efficiently and accurately.
Business Solutions
We build custom solutions that support business process related to the laboratory workflow including Order and Result Portals, HIPAA Compliant Databases, Panel Selection Websites, Project Management Dashboards. If you can’t find off-the-shelf solutions, talk to us about how we efficiently build solutions that exactly match your requirements.
Software Engineering Services
We understand that laboratory software needs change over time. Let us support your team with a single developer or full team.