Computer software As more and more companies are using the Internet to do business, Mark Williams explains how a new software package is helping the efficient transfer of medicines from factory to patient. AHL Pharmaceuticals is one of Britain's largest wholesale distributors of medicines. Under a European parent company, Setra AG, it covers 40 per cent of the British market. The company buys medicines from the manufacturers and delivers them on a twice-daily basis to hundreds of hospitals and pharmacies around the country. The responsibility for supplying such large quantities of medicines is frightening,' says IT director, Stephen Smith. 'If a manufacturer has quality control problems, creating a shortfall in supply, or if medicines are suddenly needed in large quantities somewhere else in the world our stock levels can fall dramatically. In the past such a lack of balance between supply and demand was a huge problem. With our new software system, we know immediately of any possible manufacturing or supply difficulties, can warn our customers and suggest possible alternatives.' This system is so efficient because manufacturers can update details themselves of stock levels and product information. Twice a day staff at AHL transfer this data to their main computer system where it is made available through the AHL website to company personnel and customers. With so many people having access to the data, isn't the security of the system at risk? 'Not at all,' says Smith. 'We run the software within our own internal security system. The data goes into a special 'sandbox' which is separate from the rest of the system. Even if someone manages to get into the software, they can't go anywhere else on the network.' And does he think that this is the limit of the software's use? 'The first time I saw this I had the feeling that life would be different from now on. Instead of having lots of pieces of paper flying around, an expansion of the software system into the purchasing department means that orders can now be dealt with in a moment. The only delay to further expansion is deciding what area of the company to apply it to next.' AHL Pharmaceuticals