Background
Biostatistics constitutes an important instrument for arriving at valid scientific recommendations in healthcare. Several commercial and free packages exist sharing several different advantages and limitations.

Objectives
The aim of the developers of rBiostatistics.com is to create the first free, cloud-based general-purpose statistical and eLearning software specifically designed for biostatistics, bioinformatics and health services research, with numerous capabilities similar to existing established paid desktop software packages. 

Methods
Following a design science research approach and based on the requirements gathered from domain experts in various fields of research, the developers will be evaluating the functionality and reliability of a new cloud-application for biostatistics, named rBiostatistics.com. The developers and collaborators will be implementing the most commonly used statistical algorithms for biostatistics, bioinformatics and health services research. Furthermore, the developers and collaborators will be implementing the well established software development life cycle (SDLC) to ensure its success. 

rBiostatistics.com is an integrated suite of software including the content management system (CMS) Drupal version 7, R language, R-Studio, as well as integration of several file hosting platforms such as DropBox, Google Drive, Box and iCloud. It fascilitates an easy menu-based graphical user interface (GUI), without the need of scripting, ​independency from any particular operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.) or web browser​ (Internet explorer, Safari, Firefox, etc.), ​compatibility with all desktop computers (including single-boards), laptops, tablets, and smartphones, ​security and privacy in the cloud​, and ​compatibility with CSV and XLSX files.  ​

Results
rBiostatistics.com provides a wide range of statistical and graphical techniques, including descriptive statistics, distribution and tests for normality, bootstrapping, custom tables, parametric and non-parametric comparisons, cross-tabulations, ROC curve analysis, correlation, regression, and survival analysis, meta-analysis, sample size calculations, and bioinformatics. Furthermore, it provides well-designed and publication-quality plots. rBiostatistics.com is freely accessible using a common web browser and combines a menu-based graphical user interface like commercial solutions and a wide range of the most commonly used statistical algorithms for biostatistics such as known from other open source applications. 

Conclusion
The preliminary test results provide evidence that rBiostatistics.com is a stable, functional, and reliable alternative to existing paid software. Many statistical analyses can be efficiently and easily conducted without the need for commercial licenses, costly hardware, or advanced programming skills, making it a solution that addresses the untapped software potential in many developing and low-income countries for teaching and conducting biostatistics.

The rBiostatistics.com Team