Life sciences companies are changing the way they manage IT. We see this firsthand because they’re bringing a different set of challenges to us than they did just a few years ago. Conversations that used to be around cost savings, staffing support, and major infrastructure refreshes are shifting to how to handle more data, more complex regulatory requirements, and greater security, all with an infrastructure built for an earlier stage of the business.
Even though the job is bigger, the internal team usually isn’t. The numbers tell the story: more than 70% of life sciences organizations have already implemented managed services in areas such as regulatory compliance, risk, core operations, and R&D.1
Life sciences leaders don't just decide one morning that their internal IT team needs a change. A new compliance requirement, security incident, or business milestone are triggers that force them to face the new reality. Recognizing which trigger is building in your organization gives you the chance to make that decision deliberately rather than reactively.
In life sciences, keeping systems running is only part of the job. Companies have to deal with standards from FDA 21 CFR Part 11 for electronic records and signatures to GxP (Good x Practice) to be sure work is validated, documented, and controlled. Handling clinical and patient data along with privacy and data protection requirements add another layer of complexity, because systems not only have to work but their output has to be controlled, validated, and documented. Producing computer system validation (CSV) documentation aligned with GAMP 5 or supporting FDA inspection requires specialized expertise many internal IT teams weren’t built to maintain.
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Life sciences companies hold extraordinarily valuable data, from proprietary research and clinical data to sensitive patient information. IBM’s 2026 Cost of a Data Breach Report found that healthcare overall had the highest average breach cost of any industry at $6.64 million, and pharmaceuticals was not far behind at $5.25 million.2 When a company is moving a drug candidate toward Phase III or running manufacturing under GMP requirements, the impact of a breach goes far beyond cost to compromised data integrity, disrupted regulated operations, and much longer recovery times.
The challenge is in both expertise and coverage and includes 24/7 monitoring, threat detection, incident response, identity and access management, and compliance documentation. Deloitte found that only 13% of surveyed life sciences and healthcare security leaders said their teams had both the headcount and the skills they needed, while 61% already outsource or co-source some or all of their SOC responsibilities.3 The trigger comes when the organization’s treat profile has grown beyond the security operation the internal team can realistically maintain.
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A Phase III trial, manufacturing scale-up, or commercial launch can quickly expand what IT has to support. Deloitte estimates the average cost to develop a drug from discovery to launch reached $2.67 billion in 2025. At that level of investment, disruption to R&D, clinical or manufacturing operations is not just an IT problem but a pipeline problem with a growing price tag.4
Even capable internal teams can hit a structural limit. Leadership may know 6–12 months in advance that an upcoming trial, manufacturing expansion, or commercial launch will require more infrastructure capacity, specialized expertise, validation, and operational coverage. The trigger comes when the next stage requires more than the team can take on while still managing everything already on its plate.
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Sometimes a specific event puts the gap between what the internal IT model can provide and what the business needs front and center. In 2025, ransomware attacks against healthcare sector businesses increased 25% year over year.5 A security incident, failed recovery, or compliance finding can disrupt operations, compromise sensitive data, and create remediation work that extends well beyond the immediate event.
Organizations that have already evaluated MSP partnerships can move quickly. Those that haven't are suddenly evaluating partners under pressure, potentially while systems are degraded, remediation is underway, or regulatory scrutiny is increasing. This is the trigger where options can narrow fastest.
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A general MSP may be very good at managing infrastructure and still not be equipped for a regulated life sciences environment. GxP requires validated systems documented controls, change management, and evidence that can stand up to quality and regulatory review. Those capabilities can’t simply be added to a standard managed services model.
At NexusTek, that expertise goes beyond day-to-day IT operations. Clients have access to experienced technology and security leadership, including virtual CIO and CISO capabilities, to help connect infrastructure and cybersecurity decisions to requirements.
Recognizing the trigger early gives you time to find an MSP partner that understands the environment it will be responsible for, before urgency makes the decision for you.
Learn more. https://www.nexustek.com/nexustek-life-sciences
Sources:
1. KPMG, Industry Snapshot: Life Sciences, July 2025
2. IBM, Cost of a Data Breach Report, August 2026
3. Deloitte, Life sciences and health care CISO survey: Risk is rising. Is readiness?, accessed August 2026
4. Deloitte, Navigating the GLP-1 boom, May 2026
5. Comparitech.com, Healthcare Ransomware Roundup: 2025 stats on attacks, ransoms, and data breaches, January 2026