Maximizing the Value of Your Veeva Investments

When each Veeva application is supported in isolation, the cracks begin to show quickly. What looks like progress at the individual team level often translates into duplicated work, disconnected integrations, and blind spots across the business.

Commercial may request a customization that overlaps with Regulatory’s project. Quality may need an integration that no one else has visibility into. Leaders end up reconciling duplicate spend, conflicting timelines, and gaps in oversight that threaten both efficiency and compliance.

Everest Group (2025) notes that as Veeva expands into dozens of Vault applications, life sciences organizations increasingly struggle to manage disconnected deployments, driving demand for consolidated CoE support.

When every team runs its own playbook, compliance slips, adoption falters, and  cross-functional alignment breaks down.

“Multiple vendors create gaps that slow progress and increase risk. A CoE unifies governance so leaders can finally stop firefighting and focus on scaling with confidence.”

– Sandy Tammisetty, VP of the Veeva Services Practice Group, Conexus Solutions, Inc

A Veeva CoE enables organizations to transition from piecemeal rollouts to a centralized governance model. Standards are applied consistently, and every Veeva application is managed as part of the broader operating model — not in isolation.

At its core is a “team behind your team”: a single point of contact managing daily coordination, backed by SMEs with deep expertise across applications. Leaders gain both operational support and strategic guidance, closing the gaps that typically emerge when work is fragmented.

A CoE also brings discipline to the delivery process. Development, testing, and deployment are integrated into a single DevOps culture, rather than being conducted as separate tasks. That predictability makes it easier to expand Veeva adoption without things slipping through the cracks.

Beyond structure, a well-run CoE delivers lasting benefits. It provides flexibility to scale as new Vault modules are added, new markets are entered, or regulatory demands shift.

Standardized processes and governance also strengthen audit readiness and compliance oversight. The results are measurable.

Equally important, a CoE safeguards institutional knowledge. Centralizing expertise that might otherwise be lost with individual vendors or contractors ensures continuity and consistency. And it doesn’t just react to issues: a strong CoE actively monitors Veeva’s roadmap, pilots new features early, and positions the business to capitalize on innovation.

A biotech company developing therapies for urothelial cancers had been relying on multiple vendors to manage its Veeva applications. Each team worked in isolation, resulting in duplicated builds, increased costs, and an uneven experience for end users. Leaders recognized the setup wasn’t sustainable but lacked a clear path to consolidation.

By adopting a Center of Excellence model with Conexus, the company gained a single framework for governance and support. Onboarding was completed in just four weeks, with standards and SLAs defined from the outset.

Change management, help desk support, and new-hire training were then integrated into a consistent delivery rhythm. The impact was immediate: releases ran more smoothly, user confidence grew, and downtime decreased.

Most notably, the company achieved nearly 30% cost savings compared to its multi-vendor model, demonstrating how consolidation can transform scattered operations into a more reliable and cost-efficient system.

Pharma leaders often ask where to begin. These five steps lay the groundwork for a CoE that not only avoids common pitfalls but also builds a foundation that can scale as Veeva adoption grows.

1. Start simple – Resist the urge to over-customize early. Out-of-the-box functionality helps teams get comfortable, drives adoption, and avoids the burden of maintaining unnecessary
2. Consolidate early – A single partner overseeing all applications keeps functions aligned, ensures consistency across Commercial, Regulatory, Quality, Clinical, and Safety, and prevents duplicate spending on similar solutions.
3. Build a team, not a role – A CoE is never just one person. Establish a central point of contact backedby SMEs for each application. Executive sponsorship is critical: visible backing from senior leaders ensures that priorities are aligned across functions.
4. Spot shared needs – Cross-functional teams often request similar capabilities without realizing it. A CoE can identify overlaps, deliver one solution, and share costs and benefits across groups.
5. Think cross-functional – Design governance to unite functions, supported by structured change management that keeps teams engaged and ensures compliance remains strong.

Imagine a way of working where technology supports the business rather than holding it back. New applications can be added without disruption, shared capabilities are designed once and scaled broadly, and leaders gain a clearer view of performance, allowing them to plan with confidence.

For pharma leaders, the message is clear: longterm success with Veeva depends on building a CoE that keeps the platform connected, compliant, and ready for the future.

“Start simple — use Veeva’s core functionality first, then expand. Too many companies over-engineer their early solutions, adding complexity that slows adoption. A CoE helps you grow in stages, solving once and scaling solutions across teams instead of rebuilding them function by function.”

– Sandy Tammisetty, VP of the Veeva Services Practice Group, Conexus Solutions, Inc.

Sources:
Everest Group, Veeva Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025; Veeva Systems, Veeva Pulse Field Trends Report