Technical Features

Stratocore’s core research facility management solution consists of our web-based software tool and included suite of implementation and support services. The software solution (formerly referred to as Stratocore PPMS or PPMS, reflecting the history of our solution; now more simply referred to as Stratocore) can be configured to individual clients’ specific needs and integrated simply and cost-effectively with any existing enterprise resource planning tools. Some of the technical features of the Stratocore software are summarized below. 

 

Stratocore’s all-inclusive pricing model includes all of the solution’s technical capabilities and covers unlimited core facility staff/personnel, users, administrators, and orders/reservations. There are no hidden or additional costs for system functionalities or modules. 


Core facility scheduling and ordering

  • User-friendly, web-based interface to schedule shared instruments and order services and consumables 
  • Intuitive interface requires no end-user training and can be used anytime, anywhere
  • RSS or iCal feeds to third-party calendars

Core facility invoicing

  • Two-tier production and validation of invoice generation — transparent and audit compatible
  • Smart billing configurable to use booked time, actual/real-time use, or booked time adjusted by actual/real-time use
  • Prepaid accounts and application rules
  • Advanced invoicing rights management

Facility usage tracking

  • Automatic, lightweight monitoring application on instrument workstations (compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux)
  • Real-time instrument usage audit log
  • Unused booked time can be separated in billing, if desired

Sophisticated price and subsidy rules

  • Uniquely-flexible price rule definitions
  • Intelligent application of price, subsidy, and rebate rules that adapts to specific users, groups, affiliations, projects, time periods, systems, and services 

User and administrator rights management

  • Independent control of administrator rights, resource restrictions, pricing rules, cancellation policies, session lengths, and other variables for each facility, project, and user 
  • Advanced rights management

Scientific project management

  • Real-time tracking of multiple projects and project milestones across facilities
  • Management of reporting and billing by project

Incident and maintenance reporting

  • Real-time management of maintenance/service, intervention, and downtime histories for equipment and work-environments
  • Precise report generation to minimize downtime 

User training management

  • Complete toolset supporting the entire facility user training workflow
  • Organized and validated training process to enhance facility management and recognize different levels of rights and resource access

Stock inventory management

  • Tools to allow organizing and processing facility stock inventories 
  • Check-in/check-out and associated real-time reporting—integrated seamlessly with the ordering process
  • Automatic stock inventory notifications to administrators

Publication tracking

  • Tracking and associating academic publications with research conducted using core facilities
  • Global and per facility reports of publication history, including PubMed, DOI, and ORCID links
  • Automated search for new publications in PubMed, making it easy for users to report publications

Reporting, statistics, and API

  • Powerful, customized reports on the operational and financial performance of core facilities and their component services and instruments — created by Stratocore upon request or by administrators
  • Statistics to help administrators and leaders better assess and manage individual core facilities and their institutions’ portfolios of facilities 
  • Stratocore API (application programming interface) to allow developers to access and securely modify content, including the ability to utilize facility data to create dynamic dashboards using third-party software solutions (e.g., Power BI, Tableau)