BioRAFT Simplifying Laboratory Compliance

Typically we need only some basic informaton and an introduction to your IT team (to setup authenication integration). For the BioRAFT Plaftform and most of the add-on modules we have a short list of simple information and quesitons we need answered.  Some examples are; a logo and the colors you want used for the site,  your departmental email address, the name used for your intra-instiutional mail (snailmail).  Then we need an excel or database file with a list of your PIs so we can start the process of importing them. 

The process goes pretty quickly. 

No. The same login credentials you use within your institution are also used to access BioRAFT.  This is accomplished through integration with your institution's authenication system.  This is a standard approach that is used by many enterprise level applications and is widely reguarded as the proper approach for authenicating users. 

Plus, it is simply easier for people to remember the passwords they already use regularly. 

Prior to launch the BioRAFT team will import a list of PI's into the system for you. If you don't have a list of PI's, you can add them by simply searching for their name and clicking add. 

Then you can send the PI's an email (using the Smart Mailer template feature) asking them to add their lab members into BioRAFT. This a quick and easy task for the PI's. A PI can alternatively simply add their lab manager who can go in and add the rest of the lab members. The EHS/compliance staff members can update the list of lab members for any lab at any time.

In a short time you will have a comprehensive list of all the people in your research center. 

No.  Given the way BioRAFT was designed, it is easy to start using it.  First of all, people can login using their current institution login credentials, so access is seamless.  Second, It is laid out in an orderly and intuitive manner making it easy understand the organizational structure.  Third, the BioRAFT team is here to help you through any questions that you have. 

In general, only a small amount of initial training is needed for administrative and compliance staff.  Researchers typically don't need any training at all.  Just contact us and we will send you a list of references so you can ask others who have been through this before. 

No. Standard updates or upgrades sponsored by another group or BioRAFT are free to all using the specific module. You only have to pay for the specific upgrades that your group sponsors.

Simple. Call us and just start talking. We will listen to your idea and then provide feedback and guidance on how to develop it and think it through with software development in mind. If from there you would like to have it developed into BioRAFT we can discuss the requirements further.

Yes. For new projects we use a development site to enable you to see progress and discuss features as they prototyped and then built. This ensures that you get want you want and have the opportunity to alter requirements as necessary before the new feature goes into full development.

If a change is minor and will increase the usability of BioRAFT we typically will make the change free of charge. If the change is more complicated it will go into a list of potential changes and be added when time allows or can be added more rapidly if a collaborating group is willing to sponsor its development. Clear problems that inhibit the usability of BioRAFT will be fixed rapidly.

Yes.  BioRAFT was designed in a way that enables it to be customized at nearly any level of the application, from authentication methods and look and feel to specific fields in forms to entire modules.  However, whenever possible the BioRAFT team works with institutions to identify approaches to meeting needs that also meet a variety of other institutions' needs.  This is an important approach for a number of reasons, namely, the ability to share development and maintenance costs amongst multiple institutions dramatically reduces costs.  

If you have a question about a specific need, please contact us.  

The short answer: We regularly work with with internal IT teams to ensure that security and privacy requirements are met.  The best approach is to simply have your IT team contact us to start a dialog. 

The longer answer:  Security and privacy requirements, while they can differ to some degree between institutions/companies, are often very similar across the industry.  They generally are based on two factors, laws and industry best practices. BioRAFT was developed with these in mind and most often meets even the most stringent security audits without any need for modification.  At times, institutions/companies have very specific requirements such as, specific technologies necessary for binding to the user directory server.  The BioRAFT team is well versed in standards based technologies and works well with internal IT teams to ensure that requirements are met.  The best approach is to put us in contact with your internal IT team. 

No. The same login credentials you use within your institution are also used to access BioRAFT.  This is accomplished through integration with your institution's authenication system.  This is a standard approach that is used by many enterprise level applications and is widely reguarded as the proper approach for authenicating users. 

Plus, it is simply easier for people to remember the passwords they already use regularly. 

Prior to launch the BioRAFT team will import a list of PI's into the system for you. If you don't have a list of PI's, you can add them by simply searching for their name and clicking add. 

Then you can send the PI's an email (using the Smart Mailer template feature) asking them to add their lab members into BioRAFT. This a quick and easy task for the PI's. A PI can alternatively simply add their lab manager who can go in and add the rest of the lab members. The EHS/compliance staff members can update the list of lab members for any lab at any time.

In a short time you will have a comprehensive list of all the people in your research center. 

Yes. We have a Temporary Account Module that manages the process of creating and monitoring guest accounts. Only a few individuals are given the access to create temp accounts to ensure this is controlled tightly. 

This feature is especially helpful for granting summer researchers and vendors access to BioRAFT to complete safety training and online documents.