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August 09, 2024

Parexel speeds operational insights by 70% using Microsoft Azure, accelerating data product delivery and reducing manual work

Parexel International Corporation (Parexel), a global provider of clinical development services, transformed its operations and unified its data using Microsoft technology. Faced with complexities and high operational costs after rapid growth, the organization needed to consolidate a fragmented data landscape. Parexel adopted Azure Databricks to consolidate 100 data sources and used Microsoft Power BI to visualize analyzed data swiftly and accurately. It achieved an 85% reduction in data engineering tooling costs, a 30% increase in staff efficiency, and a 70% reduction in time to market for data product delivery. It reduced costs, enhanced employee productivity, and drove industry progress by advancing clinical research and patient care.

Parexel International Corporation

Parexel International Corporation (Parexel), one of the world’s largest clinical research organizations, is committed to advancing medical progress and supporting the development of new medical treatments. With its global operations, Parexel manages vast amounts of valuable data stored in more than 100 different sources. With no consistent method for consolidating, viewing, and collecting data, the organization recognized an opportunity to aggregate and analyze data more efficiently. By simplifying its data landscape, Parexel could redirect the specialized skills and resources that had been required to support a wide array of legacy technologies toward innovation and progress instead.

The organization set out to develop a solution that could extract meaningful insights from its data and contribute to the future of medicine. Parexel incorporated Microsoft Azure solutions, such as Azure Data Lake and Azure Databricks, and Microsoft Power BI into its operations. By doing so, it achieved a unified data ecosystem that facilitated seamless integration and analysis of diverse datasets. This strategic adoption optimized operations by reducing complexities associated with legacy technologies. The new configuration includes automation and self-service that have increased staff productivity by 30%, and teams are now empowered to make decisions and innovate more rapidly and effectively. 

Navigating a fragmented data landscape

Parexel specializes in providing services for the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries. Founded in 1982, it has grown through 40 global acquisitions and accumulated a diverse array of software, licenses, and data in various formats, leading to a complex data landscape. Using multiple systems and data sources across clinical trials for various clients can result in fragmented data and a lack of confidence in the source of truth. This scenario is typical in an industry that is fueled by data, and Parexel saw an opportunity to redefine industry-standard solutions. It wanted to reduce inefficiencies, errors, and the escalating costs of maintaining legacy tools by finding a better way to collect and provide data for the management of clinical trials.

In 2023, Parexel began a data-driven initiative to unify its technology infrastructure and reduce the burden of legacy systems. The goal was to streamline data operations and pave the way for future scalability and innovation in clinical-trial data management. Parexel chose Microsoft for its infrastructure alignment and comprehensive capabilities, such as data migration, warehousing, and AI integration. In particular, Azure and Power BI aligned perfectly with Parexel’s needs for data integration, analytics, and reporting. “Our whole infrastructure runs on Microsoft, so with all the capabilities that are built into its solutions, Microsoft was an easy choice,” says Ziad Kurdi, Executive Director of Data Engineering at Parexel. 

Reducing data engineering tooling costs by 85% with Azure Databricks

Parexel incorporated Azure Databricks into its ecosystem to consolidate data from multiple sources into a single data lake. The creation of the data lake removed the need for manual tracking, established standardized terminology, created a single trusted source of data, and improved data governance and analytics. In one report, this streamlined process saved about three hours per week for each employee. “Employees have time to actually look at the information and do their job rather than spend time hunting for the data,” says Chloe Scott, Vice President of Data Insights and Governance at Parexel. 

Parexel also simplified operations by reducing the need to support multiple technologies and legacy systems. The new infrastructure is easier to manage and reduces operational costs associated with maintaining a diverse technology stack. As a result, the organization has cut data engineering tooling costs by 85%. Scott’s team enjoys working with Azure Databricks. “Being able to work on the latest technology, instead of having to manage legacy systems, creates a much better employee experience that promotes improved career progression, engagement, and retention,” says Scott. 

With the previous data management system, senior leadership spent days compiling a Microsoft Excel workbook and distributing it to 80 leaders. After implementing data solutions from Microsoft, the necessary data was readily available on their dashboard, which reduced such an extensive manual effort. Some teams had been running eight reports from various modules within their systems. Now, they have access to consolidated data, which relieves the administrative burden and improves the workflow efficiency across the organization, and teams can quickly glean actionable insights that support the decision-making processes for clients.

Accelerating data product delivery by 70% with Power BI

After migrating its data to Azure, Parexel adopted Power BI to deliver data products swiftly and effectively. “One big thing we looked for was rationalizing our reports on a particular infrastructure, and because we had already migrated most of our data repositories to Azure, Power BI was our natural selection,” says Mukesh Sharma, Vice President of Enterprise Information Management at Parexel. 

Power BI, along with Microsoft PowerApps and Microsoft Power Pages, consolidates data from multiple sources into cohesive visualizations, expediting the delivery of critical insights and reports. These improvements have accelerated data delivery to Parexel leadership and employees, reduced the time previously required for data dissemination, and empowered project teams to make informed decisions. The new process achieved a 70% reduction in the time required to compile and deliver end-to-end data products, a capability that optimized clinical-trial operational processes. Operational efficiency is crucial in conducting trials because it affects the availability of life-saving medications. This efficiency positions Parexel more competitively within its industry and enhances its ability to deliver critical healthcare solutions. 

Advancing data ecosystems in healthcare

Parexel has consolidated a fragmented data landscape, achieving substantial reductions in operational costs and non-value add work using Azure Databricks and Power BI. The organization has streamlined data governance, empowered teams with actionable insights, and significantly improved client service delivery in clinical trials and healthcare solutions. Parexel’s decision to use Microsoft technology exemplifies a strategic alignment toward scalability and future readiness in data management. 

With these solutions, the organization is poised to redefine industry standards, innovate continuously, and improve global patient outcomes. Parexel plans to harness its centralized data infrastructure for advanced analytics and AI initiatives, laying a foundation for predictive analytics and AI-driven decision-making. “We were able to coalesce all our data in a single place, and now we have infinite possibilities,” says Kurdi.

“Being able to work on the latest technology, instead of having to manage legacy systems, creates a much better employee experience that promotes improved career progression, engagement, and retention.”

Chloe Scott, Vice President of Data Insights and Governance, Parexel

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