Quick Summary
The Veeva 21R3 release introduces new productivity features—Email to Vault, Vault Mobile, and Google Drive integration—that life sciences teams want to use quickly. The challenge is adopting them without pulling resources off high-priority work or disrupting validated, GxP-compliant systems. USDM manages the update, keeps your Vault continuously compliant, and helps your team drive adoption to maximize ROI.
Let USDM Help Keep You in Compliance and Create More Capacity on Your Team
The Veeva 21R3 pre-release is coming November 1st. We know that it can be quite challenging to keep up with these system changes, especially if you are forced to redirect resources from high-priority projects to manage this release. And what about maintaining compliance? Tip of the iceberg may be an understatement.
What’s New in Veeva 21R3
Veeva 21R3 has great new features, including:
- Email to Vault. Get email content and documents into Vault quickly and easily. Email to Vault can be extended by customers to automate custom, email-driven use cases.
- Vault Mobile. With the mobile application for iOS and Android phones, you can complete document approvals using OneWorkflow and access Vault documents on the go.
- Google Drive Integration. Google Workspace users can check out documents to their Google Drive and edit Office files using Google Workspace applications.
The hidden cost of a Veeva release: Every new feature touches a validated, GxP system. Before your team can use Email to Vault or Vault Mobile, someone has to assess the change, update validation documentation, and confirm nothing breaks regulatory compliance—all while your day job keeps running. That assessment and documentation burden is where releases quietly consume capacity.
How USDM Manages Your Veeva Updates
To ensure that you implement this functionality quickly and seamlessly, let USDM manage your updates and maintain continuous compliance with USDM's Veeva Cloud Assurance. What does this mean for you?
- USDM maintaining your updates and compliance means you minimize risk and maximize your team’s capacity for other projects.
- Leveraging our annual vendor audit means you save time and money.
- Deploying best practices for GxP configurations means greater productivity and efficiency within your organization.
- Training and organizational change management (OCM) by USDM means you can drive adoption to maximize your Veeva ROI.
The Continuous Compliance Approach to a Veeva Release
- Assess the release. Identify which 21R3 features and changes apply to your validated Vaults and where they introduce regulatory impact.
- Validate the change. Apply a risk-based, modern validation approach so testing effort matches actual GxP risk rather than treating every change the same.
- Maintain documentation. Keep validation evidence current and audit-ready as part of an ongoing service—not a one-time scramble before an inspection.
- Drive adoption. Pair the technical update with training and organizational change management so the new features actually get used.
Continuous compliance turns each Veeva release from a fire drill into a routine—validated, documented, and adopted without pulling your team off the work that matters.
Annual Vendor Audit
Annually, as part of the USDM Cloud Assurance™ service and to replace the need for individual audits, Veeva hosts USDM as an independent qualified third-party to audit their design, development, testing, qualification, and maintenance methodologies. The audit is specifically scoped to the Veeva Systems infrastructure and the various Veeva Vaults for compliance to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) software compliance standards.
Results of the audit are compiled into the Veeva Vendor Assurance Report, a comprehensive report and reference document, which not only provides a summary of the audit, but also cites all source material reviewed as a part of the audit activities and provides direct links to all publicly available content. Acting as an independent qualified third party is also a core component of third-party risk management in life sciences, helping you demonstrate vendor oversight to regulators.
Additional USDM Services
In addition to Cloud Assurance services, USDM offers post go-live support via best practices guidance and managed services and validation support for enhancements. Our approach applies modern, risk-based methods—including computer software assurance (CSA)—so validation effort focuses on the changes that carry real regulatory risk, and your electronic records and signatures stay aligned with 21 CFR Part 11 requirements.
Important Dates for Veeva 21R3
October 4: Detailed Vault 21R3 release information posted on Vault Help.
October 26 – November 2: Vault 21R3 R&D and Quality release webinars.
- Register for any or all sessions. You will receive a confirmation email after your registration is approved (you may need to check your spam folder for an email from no-reply@zoom.us).
- Vault Clinical (Vault eTMF, Vault Study Startup, and Vault CTMS)
- Vault Quality (Vault QualityDocs, Station Manager, Vault Training, and Vault QMS)
- Vault RIM (Vault Registrations, Vault Submissions, Vault Submissions Publishing, and Vault Submissions Archive)
- Vault Platform (New features available in all Vaults—relevant to all audiences)
November 1: All 21R3 pre-release Vaults available.
November 1 – 5: Validation documentation available.
November 19: Release to all limited release PODs, VV1-12 and VV1-1069.
December 3: Release to all general release PODs.
Additional Resources
Veeva Implementation and Validation Maintenance
Five Tips for a Successful Veeva Implementation
Minimize Risk and Maintain Compliance on Veeva with USDM Cloud Assurance
Validation Lifecycle Management for Life Sciences Teams
Veeva Partnership
FAQ: Veeva 21R3 and Continuous Compliance
What are the headline features in Veeva 21R3?
Veeva 21R3 adds Email to Vault (getting email content and documents into Vault and automating email-driven use cases), Vault Mobile (document approvals via OneWorkflow and on-the-go access on iOS and Android), and Google Drive integration (checking out documents and editing Office files with Google Workspace applications).
Why does a Veeva release affect compliance?
Veeva Vault is a validated GxP system. New features and configuration changes can introduce regulatory impact, so each release has to be assessed and the validation documentation kept current to maintain compliance with FDA software compliance standards and electronic records requirements.
What is USDM Cloud Assurance for Veeva?
It is a managed service in which USDM maintains your Veeva updates and continuous compliance, deploys best practices for GxP configurations, and provides training and organizational change management so you can drive adoption and maximize your Veeva ROI.
What is the annual vendor audit?
As part of USDM Cloud Assurance, Veeva hosts USDM as an independent qualified third party to audit Veeva’s design, development, testing, qualification, and maintenance methodologies. The results are compiled into the Veeva Vendor Assurance Report, which can replace the need for individual customer audits and helps you save time and money.
When do the 21R3 releases happen?
All 21R3 pre-release Vaults become available November 1, with validation documentation available November 1–5. Limited release PODs (VV1-12 and VV1-1069) receive the release November 19, and general release PODs receive it December 3.
Ready for 21R3 Without the Fire Drill?
Let USDM manage your Veeva update, keep your Vaults validated and continuously compliant, and help your team adopt the new features. Contact us to talk through your 21R3 readiness, or explore USDM Cloud Assurance.