Top 5 Questions to Ask When Choosing Lab Digitalization Solutions

by Oana Lungu, Ph.D. | posted on June 04, 2025

Digital transformation in life sciences isn’t just about eliminating paper or moving to the cloud; it’s about unlocking the full potential of your data. When done right, digitalization streamlines operations, ensures regulatory compliance, accelerates discovery, and improves decision-making across the organization. A well-designed digital lab captures clean, contextualized, and interoperable data, which sets the stage for AI readiness through machine learning, predictive analytics, and real-time optimization. This means faster cycle times, higher quality outputs, and smarter R&D and manufacturing decisions.

Here are the five questions that matter most when selecting a solution for laboratory digitalization and preparing you for AI, and how L7|ESP® answers them.

1. Does the solution advance our vision of digitalization and prepare us for AI?

AI is the next competitive edge in life sciences. But AI can’t function without clean, contextualized, and connected data. True digitalization means transforming fragmented, siloed information into structured, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data that’s ready for automation, prediction, and optimization. To stay ahead of future trends and maximize efficiency, labs need a platform built with AI readiness at its core.

L7|ESP is exactly that. It is a platform that acts as a digital backbone for AI readiness, breaking down silos, streamlining fragmented data, and organizing information. With powerful models for data contextualization, L7|ESP turns raw lab outputs into AI-ready assets to fuel faster decision-making.

2. How can we integrate our systems and instruments?

A digitalization solution is only as powerful as its ability to connect with your existing ecosystem. If it can’t easily integrate with critical instruments, software, and data sources, it will introduce friction instead of value. Seamless integration is essential for speed, consistency, and long-term scalability.

L7|ESP is built with integration in mind. The platform includes robust, extensible APIs and a growing library of pre-built connectors, at no additional cost. Unlike many vendors who charge extra for interfaces or treat connectivity as an add-on, L7 delivers integration as a core capability. We also support industry standards like HL7 and others, allowing your systems to communicate freely and reliably. This inclusive approach accelerates deployment and dramatically reduces integration overhead over time, making L7|ESP a smarter, more scalable investment.

3. Is the solution built for quality and compliance?

In life sciences, quality and compliance are mission-critical. But manual processes and disconnected systems make it hard to consistently meet regulatory standards or catch issues before they become problems. That’s where digitalization makes a major impact. By embedding compliance directly into lab workflows, digital tools can enforce quality and compliance in real time. The right solution should support FDA 21 CFR Part 11, provide complete audit trails, and enable secure electronic signatures out of the box. But more importantly, it should turn quality into a proactive, automated part of every process.

L7|ESP is built from the ground up for regulated environments. It helps labs integrate quality and compliance into daily operations with precision and traceability. Customers like Cellipont Bioservices have used it to strengthen quality, reduce manual errors, and streamline regulated processes. When compliance is built into the system, it becomes second nature.

4. Will the solution flex with our lab processes?

Flexibility is a necessity, as scientific priorities and processes shift, new instruments are introduced, and regulatory demands evolve. Your lab can’t afford to be locked into rigid systems that slow down change or require expensive rework every time a process updates. The right digital platform should adapt as fast as your science does by allowing you to modify workflows, add new data types, and adjust protocols without major IT overhead. That kind of agility saves time, reduces costs, and keeps your lab competitive.

The value of L7|ESP lies in its flexibility. Whether you’re running a GMP manufacturing facility, a clinical diagnostics lab, or an R&D operation, L7|ESP can model your unique workflows, instruments, and data structures. And when those processes need to change, the platform’s low-code tools and modular design let you adjust workflows, add new instruments, and update data models. That means less disruption, more flexibility, and faster go-lives.

5. What are the true maintenance costs?

The initial investment, such as licensing, setup, and onboarding, is only the beginning. What often goes unseen is the ongoing cost contributing to total cost of ownership (TCO), which includes: maintaining disparate systems, integrating new tools, updating workflows, and scaling to meet evolving business needs. For organizations relying on a patchwork of point solutions, these hidden costs escalate quickly, each change requiring custom integrations, vendor coordination, and separate support agreements.

At L7, we understand how taxing that can be, financially and operationally. Our enablement strategy is designed to reduce complexity and empower your teams. With L7|ESP, you gain more than just software; you gain a unified, extensible platform that evolves with your team. Our approach enables collaborative onboarding, agile change management, and streamlined support, leading to significantly lower total cost of ownership over time.

Bottom line: The right lab digitalization platform should deliver measurable ROI, in cost savings as well as speed, quality, compliance, and strategic insight. With L7|ESP, you get a unified, AI-ready solution designed to track and drive performance across every layer of your operations. Its low-code flexibility, built-in configurability, and comprehensive enablement strategy allow your team to adapt and scale without constant vendor support, reducing total cost of ownership. From day one, L7 partners with you to define clear KPIs, align on business goals, and configure the platform to deliver lasting, visible impact.