How Can Data Management Flourish in the Life Sciences Industry?

The life sciences industry still has a long way to improve the way it manages data and technologies, which can help to improve the supply chains across pharma.

FREMONT, CA: Numerous innovative platforms are being developed to facilitate collaboration, data management, and version control for the life sciences industry. The industry needs to advance towards supply chain digitisation by the implementation of cloud-based and software as a solution (SaaS) solutions as companies in the sector carry on to outsource requirements to various partners and suppliers. As a supply chain increases in sophistication, the need for a better end-to-end visibility and auditability increases.

Outdated platforms

Very commonly used tools like email are not suitable for collaboration or data management any more. Email does not give a secure flow of data as knowledge and documents can easily be directed to the wrong person; leaving firms to face miscommunication and human error. As email does not provide a clear overview of all the communication and usually involves tedious back-and-forth communication between the stakeholders, information can quickly become lost or misunderstood, and the incorrect version histories can be uploaded and shared.

The risks of PDF attachments

According to a report, there has been a substantial increase in the use of fraudulent PDF files, taking advantage of recipients’ trust in the apparently ‘safe’ file format. 

Many users do not know that PDF attachments does not only contain text and images but also can contain and execute code on their devices by supporting JavaScript, system commands, and embeddable or hidden files to do so.

PDFs have emerged to be a key instrument for the attackers who are looking to breach email accounts or unleash malware files onto unsuspecting users’ accounts. Worse, without opening the file in a plain text editor and having the necessary knowledge to read its code, it’s impossible to tell whether a PDF file contains a credential-stealing software or malicious code before opening it.

Security risks

If an email account is breached, the data on that user’s account will be visible and accessible to the attacker. Should emails featuring product artwork or containing sensitive information be visible to the employee, they will also be available to a cybercriminal who has admittance to the account. Despite stricter serialisation regulations and the efforts of the wider industry, the full supply chain remains at risk of this information being sold to counterfeiters.

Addressing this possibility should be a priority for regulators now that several serialisation laws in key markets are over the line. New technologies provide opportunities to deliver better communication and collaboration while ensuring compliance and security.

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