BioRAFT is a platform that is built specific to research management. Thus, if you have a specific need you can have it developed directly into BioRAFT instead of splitting your efforts on both the platform and the features you want.
Why develop into BioRAFT?
Creating the base application (platform) to house the features and tools you want takes a lot of time, planning, and money. With BioRAFT you get the base application you need to build upon. Your time and money goes into the features and tools you want. More bang for your buck.
Why do we call BioRAFT a platform?
BioRAFT comes with numerous building blocks; All of those included below plus many more. In a nutshell, BioRAFT is a platform on which your research center or company can build because it is the base application needed to support current and future additions. BioRAFT worries about the base features and you work on the features you want.
Check out the base BioRAFT features and tools.
What is involved in a base application/platform?
It all comes down to the building blocks that are in place. Generally, the building blocks are the software tools that enable the application to work and enable continued development to meet your needs. There is the obvious and the not so obvious. Either way it is critical to understand that without a robust base application you will spend more money upfront and over time to get the system ready for your features and tools. Trying to build both your base application and the features you really want typically results in suffered functionality and extendability.
Software development is difficult. Most of the difficulty comes in ensuring that you have a system that can handle new needs as you want to build them. It is not uncommon to hear of software being completely rebuilt. This is an expensive way do business even if software is your primary business.
Critical building blocks for a base application
Authentication - Ensure that people can login to the site. Ideally this would be tied to the central authentication server in the research center (e.g. LDAP, Active Directory, CAS). This way people can use their existing passwords.
Group Management - Separating people into groups may sound easy but in fact this is probably the most critical piece of a properly built research management system. Problems in the design of group management can greatly hinder your application in the future. Ever have people in more than one lab with different compliance or access requirements in each? (We have yet to find a group that doesn't.) Improper handing of groups causes a lot of confusion and frustration for everyone.
Theme - This is the way the application looks and feels. This includes how the screens function and how people get through the site. The theme is very important to how usable your features and tools will be for you and your researchers. If you don't have to deal with the theme then don't. It is a hassle to make it flexible enough to serve your needs long term.
Security - This is not easy to get right nor is it easy to monitor regularly to ensure that data is safe. Don't underestimate the cost of security. From securing hardware properly to hackers-for-hire it is an expensive venture to provide a secure application.
Read more about BioRAFT base features and tools.
