Informata is a Manchester-based company providing informatics and scientific IT services and consultancy to organisations of all sizes operating in many diverse science-related fields. Founded in 2014 by Dr Daniel Tackley, Informata’s service offerings have been developed through many years of experience gained working with major blue chip companies. We have first-hand experience of working within R&D-based organisations and also acting as an external third-party service provider and therefore recognise and appreciate the requirements and pressures which exist in both. Software is a major factor in most of the projects we work on – from laboratory instrument control to laboratory informatics systems (such as LIMS, CDS, ELN etc.), and databases to data visualisation tools. We have experience of working with most major software vendors and products but we are not affiliated with any. By remaining independent and vendor agnostic, we feel that we are best placed to offer impartial and unbiased advice. With qualifications, skills and practical experience in both scientific and IT fields, Informata positions itself between the two, acting as the glue to bring things together. We understand the needs of scientists and will work with you to make sure that you get what you need from a system or solution. We also understand the needs of IT professionals and the requirements and capabilities of various IT systems and can act as a conduit, translating where necessary, to ensure that projects are completed as simply and cost-effectively as possible while still meeting the requirements and usability that end users desire.