There are a few different types of cloud services that are available to companies in the AEC space that are interested in moving operations to the cloud. These companies are using powerful 3D modeling software that can really put a strain on their IT departments and computing budgets. Traditionally, companies that employ developers building custom applications look to the cloud to simplify IT management of internal hardware, which can be costly and tiresome to maintain.
These companies can turn to a platform as a service (PaaS) provider for this capability, which enables their employees to just come into work and start coding. The cloud service provider handles the rest. PaaS adds layers to the traditional infrastructure as a service (IaaS) model, which includes software development capability via the incorporation of runtime environments for the specific code in use. The vendor manages all the hardware platforms and software environments so developers can just focus on building their applications.
Typically, IaaS services provide flexibility to customers by employing their preferred computing environment, which is Windows, Linux or Unix. These customers come to IaaS service providers with a certain amount of networking management expertise to use as they want to maintain control over their software. The customer in these cases is responsible for installing the OS, maintaining the software, and guarding their data.
But AEC companies that use powerful 3D software have different needs. They need the best hardware, aka the best workstations, and they need a cloud service provider that will allow them the highest degree of cost-effectiveness. They need to a pay-as-they go model to access to the most powerful workstations that are specifically optimized for their preferred 3D modeling software.
BOXX Cloud Services
BOXX Technologies, which provides high-performance workstations, is looking to fill this burgeoning need from companies in the AEC space. The company just announced a new product called BOXX Cloud Services (BCS), a high-performance virtual private cloud workstation service powered by overclocked BOXX workstations. Its target customers are enterprise companies that benefit most from highly optimized CAD applications and workflows. Companies that use BCS will be able to pay for as much or as little help that they need from the BCS scalable data center environment without the headache of building their own onsite private cloud.
AEC companies may not have the internal funding set aside for the IT networking expertise needed to set up or manage cloud-hosted deployments.
BCS leverages Teradici PC over IP (PCoIP) technology to deliver high-resolution graphics and the large number of peripherals used in CAD workflows. The result benefits customers that use powerful BCS workstations, bypassing the limitations inherent in the varied hardware capabilities of different individual hardware configurations. In other words, employees can run extremely powerful CAD workflows on any desktop, laptop, notebook or tablet as if the powerful BOXX workstation is following them around. This provides increased mobility and uniformity across an organization.
Bottom Line
BOXX Cloud Services with integrated Cloud Access Software from Teradici is designed to give AEC companies access to powerful workstations anywhere in the world without having to negotiate annoying directives to optimize for their CAD-specific workflows. The flexibility to use a pay-as-you-go model offers organizations the ability to test the program out and scale up or down as needed. With the COVID-19 pandemic, every design team is a now a distributed design team, so BCS might be the right fit for keeping operations on an even keel without having to worry about internal IT hardware headaches.