Calibration management software is typically designed for deployment on single-workstation systems and portable devices, or across closed network systems. This allows the software to be used for monitoring processes involving electrical, electronic, computerized, and robotic manufacturing managed through calibration workstations and test benches. Calibration certificate acquisition is also an important part of the calibration management process for most corporations. Calibration certification applicable to adequate calibration management software includes the current good manufacturing process (cGMP) standards for drug and food preparation as issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as associated record keeping under CFR 21, and standards in calibration services as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17025 specification. The more detailed documentation and database interface functionality of calibration management software largely depends on the type of calibration required. The user requirements are very detailed in different industries, and practices are more stringently regulated on calibration of machined parts in public transportation industries, and measurements during food and drug preparation, then say on local machining and internal test equipment manufacturers.
Calibration management software suppliers are typically highly specialized in a given industry. Some vendors write basic software to comply with a variety of different industries and then provide customized packages depending on customer requirements. As such, this integrates software development with calibration services and tends to make much of the commercially-available calibration management software relatively expensive.