In just 2 decades, the internet has fundamentally changed the way people interact with computers and each other. Everyone is now talking about “the cloud.” Business applications are moving to the cloud. The shift from traditional software models to the Internet has steadily gained momentum over the last 10 years. It is no longer a fad; it is the future.
Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over a network (typically the Internet). The name comes from the use of a cloud-shaped symbol as an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it contains in system diagrams.
In cloud computing, users access cloud-based applications through a web browser while the software and user's data are stored on servers at a remote location. The idea is to share resources to achieve coherence and economies of scale similar to a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network.
These innovations in cloud computing are making our business (drilling software) more mobile and collaborative.
For example, the design and test of the slurry are the integral parts of every cementing job. This process is time-consuming and expensive because of the variability of the conditions between wells. Traditionally, cementing engineers and lab technicians used paper forms to record test results. With the introduction of MS Office Excel, people began to take advantage of electronic filing. This has greatly enhanced the reporting quality and filing. However, the part critically missing with this approach is organizing numerous reports and searching for specific data.
A stand-alone software with database backbone may solve the above problems, but we chose a more advanced approach: a web-based cementing lab database management. CEMLab, our latest release provides solution to problems many cementing lab manager and technicians face today:
• Difficulty of designing cement slurries
• Waste of resources to repeat similar tests
• Lack of prove while job problems occur
• Non-standard practices at various labs within a company
Our goal was to make this cementing lab database management system CEMLab the daily platform to design slurry, record and store test results, create lab reports, and perform searches. This integration will free lab managers and technician to focus on their core business.
CEMLab is completely web-based, allows you to login from anywhere. You do not need to download a heavy desktop program, just visit your assigned server site from any computer worldwide.
CEMLab does not force lab staff to abandon their beloved workflow. In fact, features in CEMLab such as user management, job tracking and remote submission of test requests make workflow easier than ever. Workflows will become more streamlined. The search function featuring various and combined criteria is flexible enough to make the time-consuming task easy and simple.
2000 years ago, Chinese philosopher Lao Zi said:”A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” We have taken the first step toward streamlining cement slurry design and testing. Looking ahead, we are excited to see how this application, the first of its kind, brings happiness to many cementing lab managers and technicians along their journey!
