A Bio-Rad thermal cycler as an example of a laboratory device that measures, processes, and sends information. Such a device can be interfaced with laboratory informatics solutions like a laboratory information system (LIS), sometimes with the help of middleware.

Laboratory informatics is the specialized application of information through a platform of instruments, software, and data management tools that allow scientific data to be captured, migrated, processed, and interpreted for immediate use, as well as stored, managed, and shared to support future research, development, and lab testing efforts while maximizing the efficiency of laboratory operations.