Colabmacs

Welcome to Colabmacs — the Collaborative Lab Management and Access Control System.

Colabmacs is a Software‑as‑a‑Service (SaaS) platform designed to help organizations manage shared resources in open, collaborative environments. It brings together access control, training management, scheduling, and usage tracking into a single, unified system.

Colabmacs is used in environments such as:

• Academic core facilities and research labs
• Makerspaces and innovation hubs
• Libraries and community workshops
• Shared commercial or industrial facilities

No matter the environment, the goal is the same: make shared resources easier to access, safer to use, and simpler to manage.

What Colabmacs Does

At its core, Colabmacs helps organizations answer three fundamental questions:

1. Who is allowed to use a resource?
2. What training or approval is required?
3. How is usage tracked and managed over time?

Colabmacs centralizes these answers in one place, reducing administrative overhead while improving clarity for everyone involved.

For Users

For end users — such as researchers, students, makers, or staff — Colabmacs provides:

• Clear visibility into available resources
• Transparent training and access requirements
• Simple booking and request workflows
• A single profile that tracks training, access, and activity

Users always know:

• What they can use
• What they need to do next
• Where to go for access or support

For Organizations

For organizations and facilities, Colabmacs provides:

• Centralized control over equipment, spaces, and services
• Consistent enforcement of training and access policies
• Accurate tracking of resource usage
• A foundation for reporting, billing, and analytics

By automating routine administrative tasks, Colabmacs allows staff to focus on supporting users rather than policing access.

Key Features

• Resource Management
  Centralized control of equipment, spaces, and services

• Access Control
  Rule‑based permissions tied to training, approval, and policies

• Training Tracking
  Comprehensive records of safety and competency requirements

• Scheduling & Bookings
  Clear visibility into availability and upcoming usage

• Usage Tracking & Analytics
  Detailed records that support reporting and operational insight

• Billing & Cost Recovery
  Usage‑based charge generation where applicable

• Requests & Communication
  Structured workflows for requesting access, training, or support

• User Profiles
  A single place to manage access, training history, and activity

Core Concepts

Colabmacs is built around a small set of core concepts:

• Resources
  Anything that can be booked, accessed, or used (equipment, rooms, services)

• Training
  Requirements that must be completed before access is granted

• Schedules
  Availability rules and booking windows for resources

• Access Rules
  Policies that determine who can access what, and when

These concepts work together to create a system that is both flexible and controlled, adapting to the needs of each facility.

Getting Started

The documentation is organized to help different audiences find what they need quickly:

• User Guides explain how to browse resources, complete training, and make bookings
• Admin Guides cover configuration, policies, and operational workflows
• Reference Sections provide deeper technical and conceptual detail

Continue through the documentation to learn how Colabmacs fits into your role and how to get the most out of the platform.