Challenge:
- Complete imaging studies in a timely manner
- Leverage worldwide employee base more efficiently
- Eliminate a backlog of files to be transferred
- Establish a better method of moving files in the future
Solution:
- Signiant Content Distribution Management software
Results:
- Dramatically reduced the time it takes to complete medical imaging studies from 5 days to 10 hours
- Maximized human resources
- Freed employee bandwidth for additional business
- Met increasing client requests
As a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, Perceptive Informatics offers a broad range of knowledge-based contract research, medical communications and consulting services to the worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. With headquarters in the US, the company maintains offices around the globe, allowing it to pass business benefits along to customers, such as the ability to keep operations running around the clock.
For example, if Perceptive were conducting a cancer study for a client, the company would gather hundreds - sometimes thousands - of images such as CAT scans, MRIs or x-rays. The images would be sent to India for quality control measures including the removal of personal information, then to radiologists in the US or Europe for processing, and back to the original location.
Because of the heavy demands these bandwidth-intensive tasks placed on the company's IT infrastructure - especially as business increased - it began looking for a more efficient way to transfer files. Perceptive first attempted to use a replication technology that it had already deployed for other tasks; however the technology could not keep up with the company's demanding file load and resulted in a massive backlog. At its best, the replication technology was capable of moving 12 gigabytes of data in 24 hours.
To supplement the replication technology, the company employed a highly manual process which included zipping large file folders, sending each folder separately, and then required a manual receipt from another employee to ensure a successful transfer. After 40 man hours, this technique alleviated the backlog, but still required 15 hours of work every week to meet business demands and stay current.
After a thorough review of technologies to find a better solution to its challenges, Perceptive chose Signiant's Content Distribution Management software because of its ability to intelligently throttle bandwidth, automate the distribution of files, and account for the delivery of each file. On average Signiant moves 20-30 gigabytes per day, but at its peak is capable of moving up to 40 gigabytes per day. As a result Perceptive can maximize the productivity of employees around the globe and has dramatically reduced the time in which it completes medical imaging studies. Previously, the company could guarantee studies be completed in 5 days. Now, with Signiant, Perceptive can move files around the globe and back in a mere 10 hours.
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