Why Organizations Choose ATEK Over Traceable Products
Every Traceable instrument arrives with that distinctive calibration certificate — an individually serialized document from an A2LA-accredited laboratory tracing measurements back to NIST standards. It is a genuinely compelling value proposition: buy a thermometer or WiFi data logger, and calibration documentation is already handled. But as regulated facilities scale from individual calibrated instruments to enterprise-wide continuous monitoring, they discover that NIST-traceable hardware and a cloud portal for viewing device data are not the same thing as a validated monitoring platform. The gap between a Traceable WiFi logger feeding TraceableLIVE and a facility-wide compliance monitoring system is where organizations start evaluating alternatives.
Understanding Traceable Products
Traceable is a brand within Antylia Scientific, the company formerly known as Cole-Parmer. Cole-Parmer was founded in 1955 in Vernon Hills, Illinois, and has been through multiple ownership changes: Thermo Fisher Scientific sold it to GTCR (a Chicago-based private equity firm) in 2014 for $480 million; GTCR rebranded the parent company as Antylia Scientific in 2021; and in May 2025, GTCR sold Antylia to Brookfield Asset Management and CDPQ for approximately $1.34 billion. Traceable itself operates out of Webster, Texas, designing and manufacturing calibrated lab instruments — thermometers, humidity meters, timers, and WiFi-connected data loggers.
The Traceable product line’s hallmark is the inclusion of NIST-traceable calibration certificates with every instrument, issued from their A2LA-accredited (ISO/IEC 17025:2017) calibration laboratory. Their TraceableLIVE cloud platform connects to WiFi-enabled Traceable data loggers, providing remote monitoring, alerts (email, text, push notifications), and data logging through a tiered subscription model: Free (limited), Basic (standard monitoring), and Premium (with 21 CFR Part 11 compliance features).
Traceable Products’ recognized strengths include:
- NIST-Traceable Calibration Included with Every Product — Each instrument ships with a serialized calibration certificate at no additional cost. For lab managers purchasing thermometers or data loggers, this eliminates the separate step of sourcing calibration services — a genuine convenience that most competitors charge extra for.
- Cole-Parmer Distribution Network — Traceable products are available through Cole-Parmer, Fisher Scientific, Amazon, and numerous lab supply distributors. This broad availability means procurement teams can purchase through existing vendor relationships without new supplier qualification processes.
- Affordable Entry-Level Lab Instruments — WiFi data loggers and digital thermometers are priced accessibly for individual lab and storage monitoring needs, making Traceable a common starting point for organizations beginning to instrument their environments.
Common Challenges with Traceable Products
Organizations evaluating or currently using Traceable Products frequently encounter these considerations:
- TraceableLIVE is a device portal, not an enterprise platform — TraceableLIVE was designed to display data from Traceable WiFi loggers. It works well for viewing individual device readings and receiving basic alerts. However, facilities needing multi-site enterprise dashboards, configurable escalation protocols with phone call escalation, role-based access across departments, or integration with building management systems find that TraceableLIVE’s architecture was not built for that scope. It is a cloud add-on to a hardware product, not a purpose-built monitoring platform.
- 21 CFR Part 11 “compliance” is limited to Premium tier features — TraceableLIVE Premium advertises 21 CFR Part 11 support, including audit trails and unique user credentials. But regulated facilities often find gaps when they dig deeper: no validated electronic signatures meeting FDA requirements, no IQ/OQ/PQ documentation included, and audit trail depth that may not satisfy ALCOA+ data integrity principles during an inspection. The compliance features are a step in the right direction, but they sit within a platform that was designed primarily as a data logger interface.
- Ownership instability across three transitions — Cole-Parmer’s journey from Thermo Fisher to GTCR (2014), through the Antylia rebrand (2021), and now to Brookfield/CDPQ (May 2025) means the parent company has changed hands three times in a decade. Each transition raises legitimate questions about R&D investment in the Traceable product line specifically, platform development priorities, and whether TraceableLIVE will receive the engineering investment needed to evolve into a mature monitoring platform.
- Scaling beyond individual loggers becomes manual — Deploying five Traceable WiFi loggers in a single lab is straightforward. Deploying 50 or 200 across a multi-building facility reveals limitations: device management at scale, coordinating recalibration across dozens of units, managing alert routing for different teams and locations, and generating facility-wide compliance reports from a platform built around individual device data streams.
How ATEK Addresses These Needs
An Enterprise Platform, Not a Device Portal: Organizations that outgrow TraceableLIVE’s device-centric architecture need a platform designed for facility-wide monitoring from the ground up. ATEK Cloud provides multi-site dashboards, configurable alert escalation with phone call capability, role-based access for quality teams and facilities managers, and compliance reporting that spans an entire organization — not just a list of individual device readings. Explore ATEK’s research and academic monitoring solutions to see how a platform approach differs from device-by-device monitoring.
Validated FDA 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance Beyond Premium Tier Features: TraceableLIVE Premium includes audit trails and user authentication — useful features, but not the same as validated compliance infrastructure. ATEK provides validated electronic signatures tied to authenticated users, immutable audit trails built on ALCOA+ data integrity principles, complete IQ/OQ/PQ documentation included at no additional cost, and one-click compliance reports designed for regulatory submissions. The distinction matters during an FDA inspection: software features are not the same as validated 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.
24/7 Live Excursion Monitoring vs. Push Notifications: TraceableLIVE sends automated alerts — email, text, and push notifications — when readings go out of range. But notifications require someone to be awake, notice, and act. ATEK’s Montreal-based monitoring team provides 24/7 live response with a 5-minute guarantee. When an ultra-low freezer storing irreplaceable biological samples drifts at 3 AM, the difference between a push notification and a live phone call from a monitoring specialist can determine whether samples are saved or lost.
Predictable Pricing Without Feature Gating: TraceableLIVE’s tiered subscription model means 21 CFR Part 11 features are locked behind the Premium tier. Organizations discover that the “affordable” entry point requires upgrading to access compliance capabilities they actually need. ATEK’s all-inclusive per-monitoring-point pricing bundles sensors, cloud platform, calibration, validation documentation, training, and 24/7 support — every feature available to every customer, with no tier upgrades required as compliance needs grow.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Traceable Products | ATEK | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIST-traceable calibration included | Yes (with every product) | Yes (included in service) | Comparable |
| A2LA-accredited calibration lab | Yes (ISO/IEC 17025:2017) | Yes (in-house) | Comparable |
| Distribution channel breadth | Cole-Parmer, Fisher Scientific, Amazon | Direct | Traceable |
| Entry-level pricing accessibility | Lower per-device cost | Per-monitoring-point subscription | Traceable |
| Enterprise monitoring platform | TraceableLIVE (device portal) | ATEK Cloud (enterprise platform) | ATEK |
| FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance | Premium tier features (partial) | Validated, native compliance | ATEK |
| 24/7 live excursion response | Automated notifications only | 5-minute guaranteed live response | ATEK |
| IQ/OQ/PQ documentation | Not included | Included | ATEK |
| Bilingual support (EN/FR) | Not available | Montreal-based bilingual team | ATEK |
Who Benefits Most from Switching
- Research labs and biotech facilities that started with Traceable WiFi loggers for freezer and refrigerator monitoring and now need to scale to a facility-wide platform with enterprise dashboards, escalation protocols, and compliance reporting that TraceableLIVE cannot provide
- Pharmaceutical organizations on TraceableLIVE Premium that discovered during audit preparation or regulatory inspection that the platform’s 21 CFR Part 11 features do not include validated electronic signatures, IQ/OQ/PQ documentation, or the audit trail depth required for a defensible compliance position
- Multi-site facilities managing dozens of Traceable devices where coordinating recalibration schedules, managing alert routing across departments, and generating unified compliance reports has become a manual administrative burden that a purpose-built platform would eliminate
Making the Transition
Migrating from Traceable data loggers to ATEK’s platform follows a structured process designed for organizations whose monitoring needs have outgrown device-level cloud monitoring:
- Monitoring Assessment — We review your current Traceable deployment: how many WiFi loggers are active, which TraceableLIVE subscription tier you use, what alerting and reporting workflows you have built, and where coverage gaps exist. For facilities on TraceableLIVE Premium, we document which 21 CFR Part 11 requirements are covered and which are not.
- Parallel Deployment — ATEK wireless sensors install alongside existing Traceable loggers. Both systems run simultaneously during the validation period so no monitoring data is lost. ATEK’s sensors connect to the cloud immediately — no WiFi configuration complexity or router dependency issues.
- Compliance Documentation — Complete IQ/OQ/PQ documentation is included — the validation package that TraceableLIVE does not provide. Your quality team receives everything needed for the next regulatory audit, including validated electronic signatures, audit trail documentation, and data integrity protocols.
- Operational Cutover — Phased transition by area or facility. Traceable loggers are retired as ATEK sensors take over each monitoring point. Any Traceable thermometers or instruments used for spot-check measurements remain in service — ATEK replaces the continuous monitoring function, not your bench instruments. Request a demo to walk through the migration for your specific setup.
When Traceable Products May Be the Right Fit
Traceable is a strong choice for organizations that need individual calibrated instruments — a NIST-traceable thermometer for a lab bench, a WiFi data logger for a single refrigerator, or a humidity meter with included calibration documentation. If your monitoring requirement is limited to a small number of devices, you do not need enterprise-wide dashboards or complex escalation protocols, and TraceableLIVE’s Basic tier provides sufficient visibility, then Traceable’s combination of affordable pricing, included calibration certificates, and easy procurement through Cole-Parmer distribution channels is genuinely hard to beat for simple, device-level monitoring.
When ATEK Is the Better Choice
Choose ATEK when you need:
- An enterprise monitoring platform that manages facility-wide compliance across dozens or hundreds of monitoring points — not a cloud portal designed to display data from individual Traceable WiFi loggers
- Validated FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance with electronic signatures, ALCOA+ audit trails, and included IQ/OQ/PQ documentation — not TraceableLIVE Premium features that stop short of what FDA inspectors audit
- 24/7 live excursion response from a dedicated monitoring team, not automated push notifications that depend on someone being awake to act on them
- All-inclusive pricing where every compliance feature is available to every customer, without tiered subscriptions that gate 21 CFR Part 11 capabilities behind a Premium upgrade
- Bilingual support from a Montreal-based team for Canadian facilities operating in both English and French
Start with a free assessment to see how ATEK’s platform compares to your current Traceable setup for your specific monitoring requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ATEK include NIST-traceable calibration like Traceable Products?
Yes. ATEK provides NIST-traceable calibration from an A2LA-accredited in-house calibration lab, included in the service at no additional cost. The key difference is not calibration traceability — both companies provide it — but what surrounds it. ATEK’s calibration is part of a managed service that includes scheduling, documentation, and sensor rotation so your facility never has a calibration gap.
Is TraceableLIVE Premium really 21 CFR Part 11 compliant?
TraceableLIVE Premium includes compliance-adjacent features such as audit trails, unique user credentials, and secure data storage. However, it lacks validated electronic signatures meeting FDA requirements, does not include IQ/OQ/PQ documentation, and its audit trail depth may not satisfy ALCOA+ data integrity principles during a regulatory inspection. ATEK provides native, validated FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance with all documentation included — designed to withstand FDA audit, not just claim compliance features.
How does ATEK’s pricing compare to Traceable WiFi loggers plus TraceableLIVE?
Traceable’s per-device pricing appears lower at the point of purchase. However, the total cost includes the data logger hardware, the TraceableLIVE subscription (Premium tier for compliance features), recalibration services, and the internal time to manage device-level monitoring workflows. ATEK’s all-inclusive per-monitoring-point pricing bundles sensors, cloud platform, calibration, validation documentation, training, and 24/7 support. For multi-point deployments requiring compliance features, the total cost of ownership is typically comparable or lower with ATEK.
Will the Brookfield/CDPQ acquisition of Antylia Scientific affect Traceable products?
Brookfield Asset Management and CDPQ completed their acquisition of Antylia Scientific (Traceable’s parent company) from GTCR in May 2025 for approximately $1.34 billion. While product availability has remained stable, this marks the third ownership change in a decade. New ownership groups typically evaluate brand portfolios and investment priorities. For organizations planning long-term monitoring infrastructure, this ownership trajectory introduces uncertainty about whether TraceableLIVE will receive the development investment needed to evolve into a mature enterprise platform.
Can I keep my Traceable thermometers if I switch to ATEK?
Yes. ATEK replaces the continuous monitoring function — the WiFi data loggers and TraceableLIVE platform — not your bench instruments. Traceable thermometers, humidity meters, and timers used for spot-check measurements, calibration verification, or bench-level work remain in service. ATEK’s wireless sensors handle the 24/7 environmental monitoring, alerting, and compliance reporting that a purpose-built platform is designed for.
How long does it take to migrate from Traceable loggers to ATEK?
A typical migration from Traceable WiFi data loggers to ATEK’s platform takes 2-4 weeks from initial assessment to validated go-live, depending on the number of monitoring points and facility complexity. ATEK’s wireless sensors deploy quickly with no complex WiFi configuration, and the parallel operation period ensures continuous monitoring coverage throughout the transition. IQ/OQ/PQ documentation is included so your quality team has validation records from day one.