Why Organizations Choose ATEK Over Testo
Testo’s Saveris Pharma system presents an unusual proposition in pharmaceutical environmental monitoring: a platform with genuine GxP compliance credentials — independently certified by Fraunhofer IESE for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 — but one that requires on-premises servers, a specific software tier upgrade, and European-headquartered support. For North American facilities evaluating their next monitoring investment, the question is whether Testo’s measurement engineering heritage justifies the infrastructure and operational overhead.
Understanding Testo
Testo SE & Co. KGaA was founded in 1957 in Lenzkirch, Germany, and is now headquartered in Titisee-Neustadt in the Black Forest. The company operates as a privately held KGaA (partnership limited by shares), with approximately 3,400 employees, 37 subsidiaries, and over 80 trade partners worldwide. Testo’s roots are in portable measurement instruments — handheld thermometers, humidity meters, and emissions analyzers — which remain a significant part of their business.
The Saveris product line represents Testo’s entry into continuous environmental monitoring. Saveris Pharma specifically targets regulated industries with two distinct software tiers: PRO (for less strictly regulated areas) and GxP (validated per GAMP5 and compliant with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and EU GMP Annex 11). The GxP software provides electronic records and electronic signatures (ERES) with audit trails. The system supports up to 1,000 data loggers and 3,000 measurement channels, connected via WLAN, LAN, or Testo’s proprietary UltraRange wireless technology.
Testo Industrial Services, a subsidiary, operates an ISO 17025-accredited calibration lab in Sparta, New Jersey, providing accredited calibration across temperature, humidity, air velocity, and differential pressure.
Testo’s recognized strengths include:
- Measurement Engineering Heritage — Nearly 70 years of sensor technology expertise with hundreds of thousands of loggers deployed globally, backed by the long-term investment stability of a privately held German KGaA structure
- Independently Certified GxP Compliance — Saveris Pharma GxP software was certified by Fraunhofer IESE (a respected independent institute) for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, including ERES principles, validated audit trails, and user role management
- North American Calibration Presence — ISO 17025-accredited lab in Sparta, NJ (Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation) with over 300 accredited calibration procedures and typical turnaround under one week
Common Challenges with Testo
Organizations evaluating or currently using Testo Saveris Pharma frequently encounter these considerations:
- Two-tier compliance barrier: The standard Saveris PRO software does not include FDA 21 CFR Part 11 features. Organizations must specifically purchase and validate the GxP tier to gain electronic signatures and compliant audit trails — a distinction that can surface late in procurement when compliance teams review the specification
- On-premises infrastructure requirements: Saveris Pharma GxP runs on local servers, requiring IT resources for installation, maintenance, backups, and software updates. While Saveris 2 offers a cloud option, the cloud version lacks GxP validation — creating a forced choice between modern architecture and compliance
- European support time zone gap: Testo’s primary R&D and technical support teams operate from Germany (CET/CEST). The Sparta, NJ office handles North American sales and calibration, but after-hours Saveris Pharma troubleshooting — the 2 AM temperature excursion scenario — routes through a 6-hour time zone offset
- Proprietary wireless lock-in: Testo UltraRange is a proprietary wireless protocol specific to Testo hardware. Organizations that deploy UltraRange sensors cannot repurpose them with alternative monitoring platforms if they change vendors, unlike standard WiFi or LoRaWAN devices
- Fragmented product experience: Testo’s broader catalog spans portable instruments (testo 160, 174, 175, 176 series), the Saveris 1 system, Saveris 2 (cloud, non-GxP), and Saveris Pharma (on-prem, GxP). Each has different software, different connectivity options, and different compliance postures, requiring careful selection to avoid capability gaps
How ATEK Addresses These Needs
Cloud-Native GxP Compliance: Where Saveris Pharma forces a choice between cloud convenience (Saveris 2, non-GxP) and compliance (Saveris Pharma GxP, on-premises), ATEK delivers both in a single platform. Full FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance — electronic signatures, audit trails, ALCOA+ data integrity — runs natively in the cloud. No servers to maintain, no software to update, no IT infrastructure to budget for. Organizations managing pharmaceutical monitoring get compliance and modern architecture without compromise.
24/7 Live Support from North America: When Saveris Pharma flags a critical excursion at 2 AM Eastern, Testo’s German headquarters is at 8 AM CET — starting their business day. ATEK’s Montreal-based monitoring specialists are already on call with a guaranteed 5-minute response. The support team handles environmental monitoring exclusively — not portable instrument queries, not general measurement questions — and provides native bilingual support for Quebec facilities.
Complementary Calibration in Canada: Testo’s Sparta, NJ ISO 17025 lab is a genuine strength for US-based organizations. For Canadian facilities, however, ATEK’s in-house A2LA-accredited calibration lab eliminates cross-border shipping, customs clearance, and the associated delays. Both labs maintain internationally recognized accreditation — the choice depends on your facility’s location and logistics preferences.
Single Platform, Single Price: Saveris Pharma’s pricing involves per-logger licensing, a separate GxP software tier upgrade, customer-provided server infrastructure, and professional services for GAMP5 validation (Testo offers “Standard” and “Premium” validation packages billed separately). ATEK bundles hardware, cloud platform, full compliance features, calibration, validation documentation, and 24/7 support into one per-monitoring-point rate. No tier upgrades, no server costs, no validation service add-ons.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Testo | ATEK | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measurement engineering heritage | Nearly 70 years, 17B+ data sets | Modern platform | Testo |
| Portable instrument range | Extensive (160, 174, 175, 176 series) | Monitoring-focused | Testo |
| ISO 17025 calibration lab (NA) | Sparta, NJ (PJLA-accredited) | Canada (A2LA-accredited) | Comparable |
| GxP compliance architecture | On-premises only (GxP tier) | Cloud-native | ATEK |
| Support response | Business hours NA / German HQ | 5-minute guarantee, 24/7 | ATEK |
| Wireless flexibility | WiFi, LAN, UltraRange (proprietary) | WiFi, LoRaWAN, LTE | ATEK |
| Bilingual support (EN/FR) | Not available | Montreal-based, native French | ATEK |
| Canadian data hosting | Not available | Canadian-hosted, PIPEDA-compliant | ATEK |
| Pricing transparency | Per-logger + GxP tier + server + services | All-inclusive per point | ATEK |
Who Benefits Most from Switching
- Saveris Pharma customers facing server infrastructure refresh who would prefer to migrate to a cloud-native GxP platform rather than reinvest in on-premises hardware and IT resources
- Organizations using Saveris PRO that now require FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance and are evaluating whether to upgrade to the GxP tier (with its server requirements) or move to a natively compliant cloud platform
- Canadian pharmaceutical facilities needing bilingual support, Canadian data hosting with PIPEDA compliance, and local calibration without cross-border shipping from Testo’s Sparta, NJ lab
Making the Transition
Switching from Testo Saveris to ATEK follows a structured approach that accounts for Saveris’s on-premises architecture:
- System assessment — We map your current Saveris deployment: logger locations, UltraRange base station positions, alarm configurations, GxP software validation status, and server infrastructure details. Historical data export requirements are documented
- Parallel monitoring — ATEK wireless sensors install alongside existing Testo loggers. Both systems capture data simultaneously, allowing direct comparison of readings and establishing qualification baselines without interrupting your Saveris monitoring
- Compliance transition — Complete IQ/OQ/PQ documentation is included. Our team has experience migrating organizations from on-premises monitoring to cloud-native GxP platforms, including data format conversion and compliance report continuity
- Server decommission — Once ATEK is validated and live, the Saveris server infrastructure can be retired. ATEK’s cloud architecture eliminates the ongoing IT overhead of server maintenance, backups, and software patching
When Testo May Be the Right Fit
Testo is the stronger choice for organizations that need an extensive portfolio of portable measurement instruments alongside their monitoring system — the testo 160, 174, 175, and 176 series cover use cases from spot-check temperature readings to CO2 monitoring that ATEK does not address. Organizations with regulatory requirements mandating on-premises data storage (rather than cloud hosting) may prefer Saveris Pharma GxP’s server-based architecture. Testo’s nearly 70-year measurement engineering heritage and Fraunhofer IESE certification provide institutional credibility valued by conservative compliance committees.
When ATEK Is the Better Choice
Choose ATEK when you need:
- Cloud-native GxP compliance without maintaining on-premises Saveris Pharma servers
- A single compliance tier — not a forced choice between Saveris PRO (no GxP) and Saveris Pharma GxP (requires servers)
- 24/7 live support with guaranteed 5-minute response, not European business hours
- A2LA-accredited calibration from a Canadian lab for Canadian facilities, complementing Testo’s Sparta, NJ option
- Open wireless standards (WiFi, LoRaWAN, LTE) instead of proprietary testo UltraRange lock-in
Start with a free assessment to compare ATEK’s cloud-native platform against your current Saveris deployment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does ATEK’s compliance compare to Testo Saveris Pharma’s Fraunhofer IESE certification?
Both platforms achieve FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance through different approaches. Testo Saveris Pharma GxP was independently certified by Fraunhofer IESE for ERES compliance. ATEK’s platform provides native 21 CFR Part 11 compliance including electronic signatures, complete audit trails, and ALCOA+ data integrity, validated through standard GAMP5 IQ/OQ/PQ protocols. The key difference is delivery model: Saveris Pharma requires on-premises servers, while ATEK delivers compliance in a cloud-native architecture.
Can ATEK match Testo’s portable instrument capabilities?
No — ATEK is a continuous monitoring platform, not a portable measurement instrument manufacturer. Testo’s handheld meters (testo 160, 174, 175, 176 series) serve different use cases such as spot-check measurements, HVAC commissioning, and emissions testing. Many organizations use Testo portable instruments alongside ATEK’s continuous monitoring platform for complementary purposes.
What happens to historical data stored on Saveris Pharma servers when migrating to ATEK?
Historical data from Saveris Pharma can be exported before server decommission. ATEK’s migration team works with your IT department to ensure data archives meet retention requirements. Active monitoring data transfers to ATEK’s cloud platform during the parallel operation phase, ensuring continuous compliance documentation throughout the transition.
Is ATEK more expensive than Testo Saveris Pharma?
ATEK’s all-inclusive pricing should be compared to the full cost of Saveris Pharma ownership: per-logger licensing, GxP software tier upgrade, server hardware, IT maintenance, professional validation services (Standard or Premium package), and Testo Industrial Services calibration. When these costs are aggregated, ATEK’s per-monitoring-point rate is typically competitive. Request a demo for a detailed cost comparison.
Does ATEK work with existing Testo sensors or UltraRange infrastructure?
ATEK uses its own wireless sensor hardware and does not directly integrate with Testo UltraRange base stations or loggers. During migration, ATEK sensors operate alongside Testo equipment during the parallel monitoring phase. This is one reason organizations on proprietary wireless protocols should evaluate total switching costs — ATEK supports open standards (WiFi, LoRaWAN, LTE) to avoid future vendor lock-in.
Does ATEK offer calibration for Testo instruments?
ATEK’s A2LA-accredited calibration lab focuses on environmental monitoring sensors. For Testo portable instruments and non-monitoring devices, Testo Industrial Services in Sparta, NJ remains the appropriate calibration provider.