Why CROs Can't Afford to Keep Legacy CTMS

Clinical trials play a crucial role in the medical and biomedical industries. Developing new pharmaceuticals, therapeutics, and medical devices represents exciting breakthroughs—and they’re not slowing down anytime soon. 

2024 industry surveys predict growth from $61.58 billion in 2024 to $106.78 billion by 2032. This is a staggering Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.1% during the forecast period. Alongside this expansion, the global Clinical Research Organization (CRO) market is expected to reach $139.6 Billion by 2033, up from $58.0 Billion in 2022. 

With CROs in such a dynamic position, they’re under pressure to move faster, do more, and deliver greater results for their clients. Trial timelines are tightening, sponsor demands are rising, and budgets are under the microscope. But despite this, many CROs are still operating with an outdated Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) that no longer meets the realities of their work. 

Legacy CTMS platforms may have been enough when trials were simpler, but they can’t keep up with the pace or complexity of today’s research environment. Their limitations aren’t just technical, they’re financial. The longer CROs wait to modernize, the more they spend on inefficiencies, workarounds, and unnecessary overhead. 

A modern CTMS designed with usability in mind is built to match the actual needs of CROs. They offer tools that simplify operations, reduce costs, and improve the daily work experience across the board. Let’s break down how your legacy system might be costing you more than you realize—and why legacy system modernization isn’t just an upgrade, it’s a necessity. 

Older CTMS platforms weren’t designed to handle multi-sponsor, multi-trial environments at scale, especially when factoring in the rising trend of remote clinical trials. CROs often end up having to create workarounds to compensate. 

Whether it’s spreadsheets, custom code, or disconnected reporting tools, these manual steps cost time. They also increase the likelihood of errors. When teams are forced to shift between systems or re-enter data by hand, productivity suffers and risks increase. 

Legacy systems also often require additional vendor support for any configuration or upgrade. This means higher costs in the long-term, not just in maintenance fees but in the resource hours spent managing the system. When it takes more time to get the system to do what you need than it would to do it by hand, how can you expect to keep up? 

And there’s the unpredictable costs. Because legacy systems don’t scale well, CROs face extra fees related to adding extra users, sponsors, and admins, among others. Legacy systems just aren’t priced in a way that reflects your actual usage, leading to higher bills disconnected from the value you’re receiving. That’s not sustainable. 

On top of the literal financial burden of calculating extra fees on top of your typical budget, legacy systems cost extra time and effort in training and use. Modern CTMS solutions are built with usability as a core priority. Platforms are designed so teams can hit the ground running, regardless of their technical background. 

With an intuitive interface and quick-start configuration, organizations see full onboarding in a matter of weeks. That ease of use translates directly into savings: fewer training hours, faster trial supports, and lower support needs. 

CROs working with multiple clients need this level of flexibility to manage clinical trial logistics, including sponsor-specific workflows, reports, and dashboards. It doesn’t make sense to have to rebuild the system every time. It’s much more efficient to work with a CTMS that allows for this kind of flexibility out of the box, without complex customization. 

A modern CTMS also supports low-code and no-code configuration, meaning that changes can be made on the fly by clinical operations teams, not just IT. That means no waiting around for tech support, no budget approval cycles just to tweak a report, and no added delays for a mid-trial shift.

Unlike sponsor-based CTMS that focus on managing a single pipeline, a reputable, modern CTMS is built with CROs in mind. It allows for efficient oversight of multiple concurrent trials, each with different requirements. Reports can be tailored per sponsor and user permissions can be configured at the project level. This makes it easy to maintain security and visibility without added administrative burden. 

This is especially true of scalable, SaaS CTMS. These systems can flex with your workload, scaling up and down as needed. Trials start, trials close, staffing shifts, and your software keeps up without unexpected charges or downtime. 

At their core, modern CTMS are designed to reduce cost through smarter operation. Every hour saved on manual entry, system navigation, or vendor management is an hour that can be reinvested into high-value work. Every reduction in delay means a faster trial closeout and more satisfied sponsors. 

When a CRO switches away from their legacy CTMS, they’re not just updating their software. They’re reducing inefficiencies that drag down performance and margins. They’re creating space for better sponsor relationships. And they’re giving their teams the tools to succeed without a ton of lead time and daily frustration. 

In an industry where timing and precision directly affect profitability, CROs can’t afford to be slowed down by outdated systems. The real question isn’t whether to upgrade, it’s how much longer they can afford not to. 

The BSI CTMS is a leading-edge solution built on a proven track record of success. Our modern platform supports every phase of your clinical trials.

Designed to be the most innovative, function-complete, and user-friendly clinical trial management software on the market, the BSI CTMS combines CTMS, eTMF, Study Startup and Trial Supply Management into one seamless, unified platform.

With standard interfaces (API), the BSI CTMS offers effortless integration and oversight of your data—whether connecting to your preferred EDC, eTMF or other external systems. A true central hub for your clinical operations, the BSI CTMS is delivered as a SaaS solution for maximum accessibility, scalability and ongoing organization.

Built with a modern, intuitive interface, our platform ensures efficient, end-to-end clinical trial management. And with in-house updates, upgrades and dedicated client support—including assistance with legacy system migration—you’re always a step ahead.

Now is the perfect time to upgrade to a better CTMS. Reach out today to see what BSI can do for your team!