In the world these days, we have more access to data than ever before.  Whether through social media, smartphone integration, or enterprise systems - we blur the line between what's business and what's personal.  With the enormous amount of data filtering through our brains, we instinctively look for ways to make sense of things.  We try to figure out "what's trending" - whether with celebrity gossip, sports teams, or in the case of Quality Management Systems, adverse events. 

We're often faced with a common conundrum in businesses when it comes to system architecture.  No matter how you try to slice it, there are always going to be silos of information within the organization.  With multiple business systems running throughout operational processes, it is a challenge to create visibility into those silos and create better visibility to the data.  Yet this is the ideal situation - business systems that can remain separate, but have integration with each other to talk and communicate, acting as one.  Lofty, but achievable - you just have to have the right tools.  One of these challenges lies in the ability to integrate a Microsoft SharePoint implementation with your Quality Management System's Document Control Solution.

I am a firm believer in the power of reality.  A broad statement for sure, but in an increasingly digital world, it is nice to actually go somewhere and talk to other humans directly.  There's something a bit more satisfying in sitting down and listening to speakers talk, taking old school notes, and talking to industry peers.  That is why I am pushing this week's post to talk about this upcoming Life Science Summit on Quality Management Systems in Bridgewater NJ this March 12th, and the 3 reasons why you should attend.

Aviation safety continues to be a front line discussion in the news as of late.  Most recently, safety continues to affect the 787 Dreamliner, with several airlines pulling them from rotation.  Airlines are safer than they have ever been, so when we see more headlines about safety, it draws attention.  In the public mind, safety is an effort of constant improvement - there is no acceptable level other than 100%, and airlines are tasked with that notion. Safety Management Systems (SMS) are developed with the focus on mitigating risk of occurrences within operations.  As these SMS evolve, we are seeing new trends on how companies are implementing Safety Management within their operations.

It's a new year, and with it comes new and exciting challenges.  Have you ever got that feeling when you come back from vacation and you missed something, then you scour the Internet and speak to colleagues about what you missed, and desperately try to wrap your head around what's going on?  I got that feeling when I jumped into my inbox and saw this:  "FDA Offers Broad New Rules to Fight Food Contamination".  Well, I put my Food Safety Management hat on and started reading - here's what I think:

In the beginning, products were made and somebody suggested implementing processes to manage Quality. This is widely agreed as a big mistake, and we should all be blissfully unaware of the dangers of poor Quality. (I kid, I kid…)

This week we celebrate Independence Day here in the US, and it is a time to reconnect with family, grill your favorite meats, and celebrate being off from work.  I had come across a few interesting factoids and, in true non-sequitur fashion, thought I'd apply them to our common Quality and EHS Management Software solutions.  Enjoy!

Next week (April 24, 2012 at 8:30am ET to be more specific) we will be hosting our 3rd Annual Life Science Seminar in lovely Waltham Woods in Waltham, MA (wicked lovely).  This will be our third year doing this great event, and with each year, we hope to provide a venue to learn and share about the various topics in the Life Science community.  This year we have speakers from EtQ, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and Celgene Corporation.

Ever hear of the term, "Drinking water from a fire hose"?  No?  Here's some imagery for you:

Late in 2011, the United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Durban, South Africa to review the extension period of the Kyoto Protocol.  The protocol, created in 1997, is a treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to preserve the current climate system.  The reason why 2012 will be significant is this is the year when all parties in the treaty are expected to have reduced their GHG emissions by an average of 5.2%.