For any life sciences company bringing its first product to market, the “commercialization to-do list” is long and punctuated by one critical strategic decision after another. What market data will we need? What technology components will be required? What applications must we have in place? What should we build vs. buy vs. rent?

Often in as little as 18 months, they must pull together – or access – an entire commercial organization and infrastructure. Fortunately, companies anticipating their first marketing approval need not do it alone. There are lessons to be learned from those who’ve gone before and new options available given the latest technology advances and service delivery models.

The following pages are a guide through that maze of decisions, drawing upon our experience in working with industry leaders who’ve faced the same challenges. We offer our thoughts on what emerging companies need to consider as they stand up the platform and applications that will support a commercial enterprise – while avoiding the pitfalls that hold many larger commercial companies back from peak operating efficiency.