You can move a pharmaceutical business to the cloud and stay GxP compliant by doing it in stages: assess each system’s regulated impact, choose cloud providers that offer the right assurances, carry your access controls, audit trails and validation across to the new environment, and document the whole thing. Around two-thirds of mid-size pharma firms are moving core systems to the cloud by 2026, and done carefully it can improve resilience and compliance rather than undermine them.
The cloud offers real benefits: better resilience, easier remote working, and less ageing on-site hardware. In a regulated business the key is to keep the same control and evidence you’d expect on-premise. Here is how to approach it.
1. Start with a risk-based assessment
Not every system carries the same regulatory weight. Map your systems by how much they affect product quality, data integrity and patient safety, and plan the move around that. Lower-risk systems, like general email and files, are usually a straightforward early step.
2. Choose the right cloud providers
Regulated workloads need providers that can demonstrate strong security and quality assurances, and clear agreements about responsibilities, data location and availability. Part of your job is to assess and document that the provider is suitable for the intended use.
3. Carry your controls across
Access control, multi-factor authentication, audit trails, change control and validation all need to apply in the cloud just as they did on-site. Moving a regulated system means revalidating it for the new environment, not assuming the move alone keeps it compliant.
4. Keep backups, continuity and records
You remain responsible for your data in the cloud. Maintain encrypted, tested backups, a clear retention approach and a documented continuity plan, so records stay complete, available and recoverable for as long as they must be kept.
A real example: a planned, well-documented move
We were closely involved in developing the business systems that helped a client grow from 20 users to 100 over five years. A careful, well-documented approach to systems is exactly what a regulated business needs when moving to the cloud.
Why pharmaceutical businesses choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002 and is a Microsoft Partner. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we’ve been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, including Harlow and Bishop’s Stortford.
Book a free cloud and compliance review
Planning a cloud move in a regulated business? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT and we’ll help you plan it safely.