Innovation · Impact · Trends by Andre Correia

Pharma and biotech IT strategy

Strategic Impact of IT Trends

Strategic innovation, impact, and trends in regulated life sciences

  • Cloud
  • Data
  • AI
  • Operating model

Research on cloud, mobility, and data in the pharmaceutical industry (2015), still useful as a baseline for leaders navigating AI, hybrid platforms, and operating-model change today.

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IT Strategy & Digital Transformation leader

Executive briefings, operating-model design, and pragmatic adoption of emerging technology in regulated life sciences.

25+ Years in IT leadership
2015 Grounded industry research
3 Trends: cloud, mobility, data
AI Today's transformation lens

Why adoption still stalls

Life-sciences organisations depend on innovation, yet remain cautious when data leaves the building, and that tension has not gone away.

01

Regulation & trust

Patents, GxP, and patient safety make every platform decision feel existential, not merely technical.

02

Data sovereignty

Research, clinical, and commercial data carry different risk profiles. One-size-fits-all cloud strategies rarely land.

03

Talent & operating models

Shared services and centres of excellence helped, but AI-ready analytics still outpaces the people who can shape it.

04

Consumerised IT

Teams expect modern tools at work. Mobility and shadow IT pressure standards that took years to establish.

Then and now

My research captured the industry around 2015; compare what we anticipated with what leaders face today.

In the book (2015)

Cloud was framed as opportunity and threat: cost pressure drove interest, while security and unclear standards held enterprises back. Sales & marketing workloads were more acceptable in the cloud than R&D or manufacturing data.

Today

Hybrid and sovereign cloud are the norm in pharma. The conversation has shifted to validated workloads, vendor lock-in, and AI factories in controlled environments, not whether to use cloud at all.

In the book (2015)

Mobility meant managed devices and selective mobile access to approved data. IT consumerisation was emerging; standardisation was still the default response.

Today

Field teams, labs, and executives work across devices and apps daily. Zero-trust, MDM, and identity-first access matter more than device homogeneity, especially for cross-border teams.

In the book (2015)

“Big data” and analytics were strategic but immature. Respondents already used data for decisions, yet few saw IT as data owner, and specialist talent was scarce.

Today

GenAI, lakehouses, and real-world evidence dominate the agenda. The bottleneck is governance, quality, and operating-model fit, not dashboards. Responsible AI is the new compliance frontier.

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Three forces that shaped the research

Tap a card to see what the study explored, in plain language.

Cloud

Agility vs. control in a regulated enterprise

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The book examined whether pharma could run as-a-service models without compromising IP, validation, or operating-model coherence, and what “good” looked like for CIOs choosing platforms.

Mobility

Access anywhere, governance everywhere

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It assessed how mobile access to commercial data differed from sensitive R&D or manufacturing information, and why technology management became a hidden cost driver.

Data & analytics

From reporting to strategic advantage

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BD&A was already influencing decisions, but ownership, skills, and trust lagged. The study mapped barriers that sound familiar today: privacy, regulation, and fragmented accountability.

Key findings from the 2015 study

Drawn from the survey, literature review, and transformation experience captured in the eBook.

Caution, not complacency

IT trends were often seen as risk as much as opportunity. None of the respondents felt ahead of peers on cloud; most felt at par across cloud, mobility, and analytics.

Data follows function

Sales and marketing data in the cloud was acceptable; sensitive R&D or manufacturing data was not. Mobility and analytics faced similar boundaries.

Barriers that persist

Security, privacy, and regulation topped the list. Technology management and scarce specialist talent slowed mobility and BD&A adoption.

Operating model matters

Centres of excellence and shared services aligned with a unified, standardised model. IT trends were judged by how well they supported that choice.

Decisions already data-informed

Strategic choices used analytics plus experience, yet IT was rarely seen as data owner. Accountability sat with the wider organisation.

Investment and standards

ROI narratives mattered for large programmes. Industry-specific IT standards were weak, leaving fewer reference points for fast adoption.

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Cover: Strategic Impact of IT Trends in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Free eBook · Research from 2015

Strategic Impact of IT Trends in the Pharmaceutical Industry

A grounded study by me, based on industry literature, a bespoke survey, and lived experience inside pharma transformation, developed through my Executive MBA at Bayes Business School (formerly Cass). Still useful as a baseline. Best read alongside today’s AI and platform realities on the Insights page.

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About me

Andre Correia

IT Strategy & Digital Transformation leader

I am a senior IT leader with 25+ years delivering business and digital transformation, often in multinational settings across the UK, Switzerland, Portugal, Angola, Singapore, and beyond.

I spent years inside a major pharmaceutical transformation programme: long enough to understand the culture, the operating model, and why adoption of new technology is never only a technical decision. That work became my Executive MBA dissertation at Bayes Business School (formerly Cass) in London, and later this eBook.

Today, I lead international, large-scale digital transformation programmes, increasingly shaped by AI, data platforms, and clearer operating-model choices between global standards and local need. That work is informed by executive education at INSEAD, including Transforming your Business with AI. Beyond corporate IT, I advocate for patients and families affected by Rare Diseases. Learn more at The Rare Mind.

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Speaking & advisory

Executive briefings, workshop facilitation, and advisory for leadership teams in regulated life sciences, including AI and data strategy, IT operating models, digital transformation leadership, and cloud, mobility, and platform governance. Practical, evidence-informed, and tailored to your context.

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