My "Chairman's opening remarks" from the SMI ELN Conference in London 27th Jan 2010, drawing people's attention to interesting developments in the consumer space which could bring us towards a true replacement for the paper notebook

1. Chairman’s Opening
Remarks
SMI ELN Conference London
26th Jan 2010
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 1

2. Looking Out the
Window
• To deliver solutions to Scientists, we must
focus on the tools that we have and the
problems our customers express
• However we aren’t in an isolated bubble
• We live in a wider technology ecosystem
• We are influenced by, and can benefit from,
things that happen elsewhere
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 2

3. The ELN Dream
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 3

4. The ELN Dream
• Let’s take a step back and pretend we’d never
attended an industry conference at all
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 3

5. The ELN Dream
• Let’s take a step back and pretend we’d never
attended an industry conference at all
• “Electronic Laboratory Notebook”
• Has come to mean a software package you
run on a traditional PC/Mac
• Irrespective of your exact definition of ELN!
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 3

6. The ELN Dream
• Let’s take a step back and pretend we’d never
attended an industry conference at all
• “Electronic Laboratory Notebook”
• Has come to mean a software package you
run on a traditional PC/Mac
• Irrespective of your exact definition of ELN!
• (Although you’d be surprised how many people
call us looking for hardware)
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 3

7. But what users really
want
• Is an Electronic version of the Paper Notebook
• A device they can use just like a paper
notebook (at the benchtop, especially)
• With all the advantages of the current ELN
packages
• Connected to their electronic world
• They want a solution not software
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 4

8. Just imagine the perfect
ELN Device
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 5

9. Just imagine the perfect
ELN Device
• Portable device, type or gesture
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 5

10. Just imagine the perfect
ELN Device
• Portable device, type or gesture
• Always connected to the infrastructure
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 5

11. Just imagine the perfect
ELN Device
• Portable device, type or gesture
• Always connected to the infrastructure
• Relatively dirt cheap
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 5

12. Just imagine the perfect
ELN Device
• Portable device, type or gesture
• Always connected to the infrastructure
• Relatively dirt cheap
• Excellent battery life
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 5

13. Just imagine the perfect
ELN Device
• Portable device, type or gesture
• Always connected to the infrastructure
• Relatively dirt cheap
• Excellent battery life
• Easy to use
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 5

14. Just imagine the perfect
ELN Device
• Portable device, type or gesture
• Always connected to the infrastructure
• Relatively dirt cheap
• Excellent battery life
• Easy to use
• Capable of multiple roles
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 5

15. Just imagine the perfect
ELN Device
• Portable device, type or gesture
• Always connected to the infrastructure
• Relatively dirt cheap
• Excellent battery life
• Easy to use
• Capable of multiple roles
• Easily expandable
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 5

16. This looks a lot like a
iPhone/iPad/Whatever??
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 6

17. Follow the Consumer
• The consumer space is much bigger the business
space
• More money
• More people
• More innovation
• Faster Cycletimes
• Even the military are finding that they can’t
possibly innovate as fast
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 7

18. “Not suitable” for the
Enterprise
• Historically consumer devices have been
deemed unsuitable for business use
• This is no longer true
• Suppliers are taking note of the requirements
of the Enterprise
• The Enterprise is getting more pragmatic as
costs drop and users demand more
• The devices are just so compelling
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 8

19. Suitable for science?
• (relatively) cheap
• Personal to the users
• Always have it on them
• They use it
• They look after it
• Can be used in a plastic bag (so some level of
environmental protection)
• Works with anything web-based
• Increasing number of Science-based native apps
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 9

20. The iPhone etc.
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 10

21. The iPhone etc.
• Apple arguably changed our expectations when they released the
iPhone
• Usability
• Relationship to the cellphone industry
• Application ecosystem (the App Store)
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 10

22. The iPhone etc.
• Apple arguably changed our expectations when they released the
iPhone
• Usability
• Relationship to the cellphone industry
• Application ecosystem (the App Store)
• Maybe today’s announcement from Apple will be relevant
• Which might be the much-rumoured Tablet device
• That could well be another game-changer
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 10

23. The iPhone etc.
• Apple arguably changed our expectations when they released the
iPhone
• Usability
• Relationship to the cellphone industry
• Application ecosystem (the App Store)
• Maybe today’s announcement from Apple will be relevant
• Which might be the much-rumoured Tablet device
• That could well be another game-changer
• Even if it isn’t it’ll come, and sooner than you might expect
• Google are doing lots of interesting things too
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 10

24. Enterprise Challenges
• Better connectivity to external networks than
internal ones
• What does this mean for users’
expectations of network access?
• How do you safely allow a device on a public
network to access internal R&D systems?
• How do you manage personal/company
overlap?
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 11

25. What does it mean?
• I suspect the ELN of 2015 will have more in common
with the iPhone than it does today’s software packages
• The rise of SaaS and true web-based applications will
only enable this
• There are a number of very exciting totally web-
based solutions which are just waiting for the right
hardware
• It’s going to cause some architecture, governance and
records headaches
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 12

26. What to do?
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 13

27. What to do?
• These devices are coming
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 13

28. What to do?
• These devices are coming
• They will deliver tremendous benefits
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 13

29. What to do?
• These devices are coming
• They will deliver tremendous benefits
• They are going to cause some headaches
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 13

30. What to do?
• These devices are coming
• They will deliver tremendous benefits
• They are going to cause some headaches
• Start preparing now
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 13

31. What to do?
• These devices are coming
• They will deliver tremendous benefits
• They are going to cause some headaches
• Start preparing now
• If you are responsible for ELN strategy and
don’t have a gadget budget, tell your boss I
said you had to have one
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 13

32. Today’s Talks
• Examples of large-scale deployments of
traditional ELN systems in industry
• Web 2.0 technologies applied to the lab
• The constraints which apply in industry
• Legal
• Project Management, Cost, Architecture etc.
• Case study of a “Build” Chemistry ELN
http://www.amphora-research.com/
My blog: http://elnblog.com 14