A server computer system connected to a first communications network and including: an instrument communications component configured to communicate with and control a plurality of biological reagent instruments (120a - 120f) using the first communications network, said control exercised according to laboratory information received from a laboratory information system connected to the first communications network, wherein the biological reagent instruments (120a - 120f) are configured to process tissue samples, wherein the laboratory information system stores patient data and the names of tests required to be applied to patient samples; and a user interface component configured to cause, upon receiving a request, user interface instances to be displayed by a client computer device (130a, 130b) connected by a second communications network to said server computer system, one of the user interface instances enabling a user to enter identification data of the user; wherein said user interface instances enable a user at the client computer device (130a, 130b) to control respective virtual pods (140a, 140b) via communication with the server computer system over the second communications network, with each virtual pod (140a, 140b) representing more than one of said biological reagent instruments; wherein the biological reagent instruments of each virtual pod are located in different laboratories, such that the control of the virtual pod (140a, 140b) by the user causes the instrument communications component to correspondingly communicate with and control the more than one biological reagent instruments (120a -120f) represented by said controlled virtual pod (140a, 140b) according to said laboratory information, wherein all of the more than one biological reagent instruments represented by said controlled virtual pod are configured to exclusively perform at least one specific task or type of task and to use one or more of: a predetermined set of reagents; a predetermined set of procedures; and a common set of peripheral devices (135a, 138a); the server computer system further including a laboratory information system interface component configured to interface with, and receive the laboratory information from the laboratory information system, the laboratory information relating to the configuration and/or operation of one or more of the virtual pods (140a, 140b), the server computer system including a user management component and a database component configured to store pod definition data representing one or more virtual pod definitions, the server computer system being configured to receive, from the user management component, credential data for authenticating the client computer device (130a, 130b), and to retrieve user-specific information from the database component using the credential data, and to retrieve from said database component one or more virtual pod definitions using the retrieved user-specific information. an instrument communications component configured to communicate with and control a plurality of biological reagent instruments (120a - 120f) using the first communications network, said control exercised according to laboratory information received from a laboratory information system connected to the first communications network, wherein the biological reagent instruments (120a - 120f) are configured to process tissue samples, wherein the laboratory information system stores patient data and the names of tests required to be applied to patient samples; and a user interface component configured to cause, upon receiving a request, user interface instances to be displayed by a client computer device (130a, 130b) connected by a second communications network to said server computer system, one of the user interface instances enabling a user to enter identification data of the user; wherein said user interface instances enable a user at the client computer device (130a, 130b) to control respective virtual pods (140a, 140b) via communication with the server computer system over the second communications network, with each virtual pod (140a, 140b) representing more than one of said biological reagent instruments; wherein the biological reagent instruments of each virtual pod are located in different laboratories, such that the control of the virtual pod (140a, 140b) by the user causes the instrument communications component to correspondingly communicate with and control the more than one biological reagent instruments (120a -120f) represented by said controlled virtual pod (140a, 140b) according to said laboratory information, a predetermined set of reagents; a predetermined set of procedures; and a common set of peripheral devices (135a, 138a); the server computer system further including a laboratory information system interface component configured to interface with, and receive the laboratory information from the laboratory information system, the laboratory information relating to the configuration and/or operation of one or more of the virtual pods (140a, 140b), the server computer system including a user management component and a database component configured to store pod definition data representing one or more virtual pod definitions, the server computer system being configured to receive, from the user management component, credential data for authenticating the client computer device (130a, 130b), and to retrieve user-specific information from the database component using the credential data, and to retrieve from said database component one or more virtual pod definitions using the retrieved user-specific information.