Excitech experience issue 3

CPD certified articles inside

EXPERIENCE an Excitech Professional Services publication - ISSUE 3

BIM IN CONSTRUCTION FOCUS: Part

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

SNIPPETS, EDM .... and MORE!

CASE STUDIES WILLMOTT DIXON & EVANS + LANGFORD

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OPINION

ALEX DEWAR from EXCITECH - “Can’t I just put it all in the cloud?”

CAFM

“Beyond The FRONT DOOr” - Keeping a Building operational

COMMENT.

ABOUT EXCITECH Excitech is the UK leader in “technology for design”; in thought, delivery, service and support particularly for the built environment.

Leadership Excitech has led innovation in the development of processes and technologies, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) before the term was coined, delivering benefits in world leading projects. Our technology forums, user groups, seminars and web meetings share ideas, knowledge, expertise and experience with and between our customers.

This third issue of Excitech Experience again builds on the topic of BIM, especially in construction. While the previous issue set out the potential benefits of BIM for construction we are now going a stage further with an actual case study from Willmott Dixon. In particular this emphasises some of the drivers for the use of BIM processes in the company and the project, the implementation needs, and how the project progressed.

But this issue goes beyond the use of BIM in construction to look at “the I in BIM”: its relevance and management. There are many drivers for the adoption of BIM but a key one for the eventual owners and occupiers is using this information for the ongoing management of that asset. Articles in this issue describe ways to collate and manage information during completion (so building upon the design model), and introduces some of the needs of facilities managers which can be aided by such information.

I will make no apology for claiming Excitech is probably unique, because of our years of experience in both design/ construction and in facilities management solutions, in its understanding of the whole BIM process from end to end.

These articles only touch on some of the potential, the issues, the techniques and the processes which are here or are coming; but hopefully they give you some food for thought.

Further articles look at wider issues of design data management, email management and the relevance of “the cloud” to our information technology systems and processes.

Altogether, I hope an interesting and informative read for you.

It is the recognition of this knowledge, expertise and partnering, including Autodesk Consulting Specialisation, that sets apart our industry expertise and customer care.

Solutions that Deliver Our focus is not just on delivering complete solutions but, with our professional services teams, supporting our customers through to seeing a real return on their investment.

From initial consultancy and bid support, to understanding and developing our clients’ requirements and opportunities, we work closely with them to provide the consultancy, systems, implementation services, training and support.

Project and Building Lifecycles Excitech is unique in its knowledge of the whole building lifecycle; from review and planning through design to construction and on into facilities/asset management. Our expertise extends to the essential aspects of design data management through each stage of the project and asset lifecycle.

Quality and Reputation Excitech achieves high standards and is certified to BS EN ISO 9001:2008 and Tick-IT for software development.

From a headquarters north of London we support customers, large and small, across the UK as well as global organisations across Europe, the US, the Middle East and beyond.

Excitech is independent of major software suppliers but has high levels of technical accreditation from leaders in each field including ARCHIBUS, Autodesk, HP and Microsoft.

Finally, if you wish to comment on these articles please continue to do so via info@excitech.co.uk .

Bob Garrett Editor

Excitech HQ, Enfield

Front cover image courtesy of Autodesk.

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CONTENTS.

SNIPPETS Topical news items.

CASE STUDY: WILlMOTT DIXON BIM JOURNEY In this article we study Willmott Dixon’s BIM journey starting in 2010 to the current day using their Birmingham City University project as a real-life example of BIM in practice.

Manage BIM FOR handover Building Information Modelling provides the opportunity to greatly enhance what is provided to the client when a building is completed – and doing this more economically. Software tools to assist in this process are available and this article looks at the process and a tool to aid this delivery.

Beyond THE FROnt door Building Information Modelling (BIM) is proving to be a great process in delivering information-rich, fully co-ordinated design projects. However, once the design work has finished, will the owner/occupier benefit from reusing this information or will they just be provided with traditional paperwork?

ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT FOR DESIGN DATA Managing design data is a key concern for every organisation in design and construction. Poor control can result in increased costs and greater risks. This article looks at some of the key features of EDM systems appropriate to design, and other, document types.

CASE STUDY: Evans + Langford MAIL MANAGER With an ever-increasing number of emails and attachments connected to projects, it can be a huge task to search within your email inbox and retrieve specific information on a task. It can get even more complicated when you are not too sure who sent you the email, or cannot recall the date it was sent. Evans+Langford explain how they solved this problem within their organisation with the help of Oasys Mail Manager, the popular Outlook plug-in.

OPINION: ALEX DEWAR Alex Dewar, Head of IT Solutions at Excitech, discusses cloud technology and the role it has to play in both the present and future.

DESIGN SOLUTION SURVEY In its third survey of recent years Excitech has identified key trends and measures in the use of technology for design as well as the supporting processes and activities.

Architecture

Consultancy

manufacturing and Fabrication

Building Services

Design Data Management

process, Plant and Energy

Civil Engineering

Facilities Management

Structural Engineering

CONSTRUCTION

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CONTENTS

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SNIPPETS. ARCHIBUS announce New Regulatory Compliance Management Application ARCHIBUS, the world’s leading developer of facilities management software, has released ARCHIBUS V.20.2, which features a new Compliance Management application. This application proactively manages regulatory obligations in order to mitigate risk, ensure a safe work environment, and reduce administrative burdens.

This new revision of ARCHIBUS also provides a room reservation plug-in for Microsoft Outlook and also now fully supports AutoCAD 2013, AutoCAD Architecture 2013, and Revit 2013, as well as Apple Safari and Google Chrome browsers. Among other feature enhancements is a COBie import function.

Excitech’s Rob Clark HOSTS LAB at autodesk University 2012, Las Vegas Our very own consultant, Rob Clark, will be conducting a hands-on lab entitled “Structural and Civil Co-ordination” in November at Autodesk University 2012 in Las Vegas .

NEW FOR Excitech REVIT TOOLKIT - Element Renumber Utility The Excitech Revit Toolkit is a set of utilities developed and published by Excitech to enhance the benefits you get from Revit technology. The new Element Renumber facility is an extremely useful new tool going beyond a limited discipline-specific solution. This has been added to the toolkit alongside the powerful Excitech Revit Coordinate Scheduling application.

Structural and civil engineer disciplines need to co-ordinate closely in many projects. Examples include forming retaining walls at the correct height; ensuring foundations do not clash with existing and proposed utility information on site and ensuring a site is correctly graded to host a bridge.

In Rob’s lab, users will build a basic site in AutoCAD Civil 3D, re-grade it and add utility information. After this they will extract the co-ordinates and use Revit Structure to develop a superstructure and foundations before final co-ordination including clash detection in Navisworks. The lab is aimed at users looking for a benefit from integrated and coordinated infrastructure information in their Revit workflows and vice versa; alongside those looking to project manage site information including full co-ordination with the building elements in a BIM workflow.

Excitech AEC Technical Forum The Element Renumber facility has the capability of renumbering any category in Revit and it can utilise room numbering information in this process. For example, a user can renumber all doors sequentially through a ground floor. If the user’s model has room 1, 2 and 3, with 2 doors in each; one option would be to automatically number them 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 2-2, 3-1, 3-2.

Key executives from major UK AEC organisations attended Excitech’s annual AEC Technical Forum in London in early July. The focus of the day, was very much BIM: in practical delivery within the construction stages, in its future, and in some of the tools for delivery. There were project presentations from Costain and Willmott Dixon, an update and discussion on the Government Construction Strategy from David Philp, standards and processes updates from the RIBA and NBS, and an exploration of current and potential tools for COBie file production from Excitech.

autodesk cloud services

Another example use would be structural engineers renumbering piles automatically; or a building services engineer numbering lighting fixtures; the latter could again include the room numbers if required. Filters, prefixes, suffixes, zero padding and much more can also be added.

Download our Revit Toolkit 2012 here: http://www.excitech.co.uk/EE3RT

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NEWS

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Autodesk 360 is a cloud-based platform which provides access to storage, a collaboration workspace, and cloud services to help improve the way a user designs, visualizes, simulates, and shares their work with others any time, anywhere.

Autodesk are offering 3GB of free storage and a workspace to collaborate upon account creation. With an Autodesk product subscription, additional powerful functionality only available on Autodesk 360, including new features for BIM can be accessed. Secure access to design files is offered so customers can work and share designs with confidence. Autodesk have also invested heavily in the security and reliability of the Autodesk 360 platform to protect and back-up users work.

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OUR BIM JOURNEY The contractor’s perspective In this article we study Willmott Dixon’s BIM journey starting in 2010 to the current day using their Birmingham City University project as a real-life example of BIM in practice.

Willmott Dixon have committed to harnessing BIM technology and methodologies to deliver quality in the design, build and management of their projects. They believe that the time, cost and waste that can be saved with BIM will prove significant as clients look for greater quality and value. Let’s explore this further!

Competing for a BIM-based Construction Project In 2010, Birmingham City University (BCU) required a construction project to be delivered using Building Information Modelling (BIM) processes for the benefits they felt it would generate.

Contractor submissions needed to demonstrate and document their capabilities of delivering a BIM compliant solution and workflow.

Excitech supported Willmott Dixon (Construction) with consultancy, bid support and training at the BCU bid submission stage to bolster Willmott Dixon’s BIM capabilities and overall knowledge alongside assisting them in the accurate production of the BCU tender. As part of this process Excitech partnered with the Willmott Dixon Central BIM team who would take a BIM co-ordination role in the project and roll out the BIM methodology across the company.

During 2010 Willmott Dixon primarily used conventional, as per other contractors, bid submission methodologies and implementation techniques on projects. This approach would involve design co-ordination in a 2D environment, hard copy mark-ups, 2D PDF data flow, hard copy drawing issue, information sharing via email, paper-based Operation & Maintenance manuals with a conventional handover of as-built data to the client.

AUTHOR Alistair Challans Marketing Executive alistair.challans@excitech.co.uk

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CASE STUDY

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The Birmingham City University project required those tendering to define a BIM process for the benefits BCU believed it would provide. As part of the bid stage, interested companies were required to demonstrate their BIM knowledge in the following areas: •

Overall plan for project implementation and success using a BIM process.

How they would manage the BIM process once in place.

How they intended to work with the design team.

How they would pass information to the client.

• • •

Bidding for this project therefore involved Willmott Dixon thinking and operating in a different manner to normal: operating a BIM methodology and implementing a BIM environment throughout their supply chain.

Excitech consultancy and the Willmott Dixon Central BIM team aided a smooth shift for the project team to a BIM methodology on all levels for this bid. This enabled them to push forward in a BIM environment and fully engage their corporate BIM team.

The resulting tender process was split into a two stages. A different set of requirements were asked for at each stage by BCU. At stage 1 Excitech helped Willmott Dixon demonstrate their BIM capability by assisting in the development of a BIM model for the building, which also involved their supply chain partners. A detailed method statement and programme for developing the model was also generated. Excitech scoped out an initial BIM execution plan for the project with Willmott Dixon showing key applications, ownership and development of the BIM information generated.

Stage 2 of the tender process required Willmott Dixon to enter into greater detail of the BIM process and involved the formation of a “BIM Strategy”.

It was at this stage that Excitech fully engaged and collaborated with the Willmott Dixon corporate central BIM team to achieve their desired result.

A fully priced BIM management and output specification was required to prove and define the benefits of driving a BIM implementation with regards to reducing the number of clashes, snagging and defects, and declare any cost benefits associated with these. A detailed plan of roll-out (implementation times) across design, contractor and sub-contractors was also generated. The capability of the Willmott Dixon design chain partners had to be referenced at this stage. Excitech helped define key applications that would enable the design information to be captured and reused by all parties of the project team including the client, the design team and the sub-contractors enabling them to comment on the design during the construction phase.

Over the whole bid and tender process Excitech helped fine-tune the Willmott Dixon corporate central BIM team’s understanding of BIM and the drastic changes BIM offered from a traditional 2D environment. The project required high levels of organisation and understanding of data between the design team, contractor and owner. It was vital that BCU were shown at the tender stage how Willmott Dixon would pass the information generated by the design team around, capture it and reuse it in other ways that would benefit the client. Excitech’s knowledge, capability and experience in this project collaboration area proved invaluable to them.

The Willmott Dixon project tender would also involve new software and hardware requirements to fulfil its objectives. Excitech were perfectly positioned to both provide and configure the project hardware and software having first-hand knowledge of the project’s requirements from the outset. This all-in-one service from Excitech meant Willmott Dixon could be confident that the implemented tools would achieve their goals across all objectives. Willmott Dixon invested in Navisworks, Synchro and Revit. Synchronization between these programs was configured by Excitech. A range of new laptops were purchased to run the software efficiently and ensure all areas of the BIM environment could operate without problems.

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CASE STUDY

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“ Bidding for this project therefore involved Willmott Dixon thinking and operating in a different manner to normal: operating a BIM methodology and implementing a BIM environment throughout their supply chain. ”

Bid win and construction stage Willmott Dixon won the tender and were thus required to deliver BCU’s BIM project.

Excitech continued to provide support throughout this next phase to Willmott Dixon’s BIM development programme and central BIM team as they built their practical experience. Excitech consultancy also assisted the project implementation and handover phases. This relationship involved creating an efficient project collaboration system for all parties involved in the construction phase as well as developing the supporting processes for its management and use.

Having won the tender Wilmott Dixon moved forwards to deliver the construction phase of their BIM proposal. This involved installation of relevant project hardware and software alongside implementation of a collaboration system as part of the BIM environment.

It was clear that the project collaboration system in place was not of sufficient standard to share the future data that would be generated around the implemented BIM methodology. To solve the project data collaboration issue, Excitech helped implement Autodesk Buzzsaw as a means of managing the distribution of the generated data quickly and easily around the teams. A number of processes had to be modified and improved to work in the new Buzzsaw collaboration system and to garner the benefits offered by the BIM methodology.

The format of issued project data had to change early on, from PDF format to a DWF format. Willmott Dixon had used PDF traditionally, but the move to DWF enabled smaller project file sizes, the retention of information within the BIM model and mark-up could be applied to the DWF using Autodesk Design Review software. As a result of transitioning from PDF to DWF the time taken for the design teams to generate 2D issued information was also reduced.

A Buzzsaw protocol was produced to ensure that all parties in the project knew where, how and when to upload information to the system. This ensured data quality and consistency throughout the project implementation. Excitech also implemented a “work in progress” structure. This established a “for information and approval” area alongside an “as-built and approved” area which helped Willmott Dixon define when documentation could be formally issued to the client via their document management tools.

The collaborated and coordinated building model proved invaluable during the design review process and at the project meetings which were held on a one or two week basis. At these meetings, instead of the traditional approach of working on 2D hard copy information, Willmott Dixon and the client could view the complete coordinated model live on screens, “walk around and through” the model, create sections and mark-up necessary issues that needed to be addressed.

In parallel to the project collaboration setup, Excitech helped enhance and expand the BIM deployment plan as had been documented at the bid stage. The following areas of the deployment plan were enhanced: • • • •

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eliverable milestone drops were specified.

D Defining and detailing of the applications used across the whole project.

Identification of key contacts.

Definition of how sub-contractors that were not using applications such as Revit would fit into the process.

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After this detail was added to the BIM deployment plan, Excitech worked alongside the Willmott Dixon central corporate BIM team to generate a project-specific BIM procedure. As this was approached it was soon realised that the client (BCU) had their own BIM methodologies in place, and so did each of the design team members. All these different parties needed to run a coordinated BIM process to ensure a successful and efficient construction phase. Unifying all parties with a full project-specific BIM procedure cemented a singular approach to reduce risk and increase cost savings throughout the chain.

WILLMOTT DIXON’S “BIM JIGSAW”, 2012 COPYRIGHT: WILLMOTT DIXON

However, the implementation of a unified BIM approach showed the positioning of the project datum point worked fine for the Revit delivered models but when subcontractors started to utilise CADmep+ and AutoCAD this datum point would have been better positioned on the intersect of grid lines. It was also clear that the naming of family files, family types and views which were already defined in the BCU client procedure were not consistent. The naming should have been completed at the beginning of the design stage. The client had requested specific parameters to be associated to all the model elements and this had also not been followed. Excitech and Willmott Dixon raised this issue so it could be resolved for future projects and future phases of the BCU development.

Excitech provided assistance and guidance on the differences between a “clash free” and “clash resolved” model.

This involved defining the costs associated with producing either type of clash model and therefore determining the Willmott Dixon choice of “clash resolved”. On the first run of the project’s clash model some 35000 clashes were revealed. This highlighted that a clash management matrix needed to be established to break these down into manageable defined areas. Each of these areas could then be associated to an owner; meaning that responsibility to resolve or approve the clashes was placed in manageable chunks and allocated to the correct parties.

Sub-contractor information needed to be incorporated with the design BIM to reduce/prevent clashing and hence need for rework. This would avoid unnecessary costs during the build process. However, due to the slow uptake of BIM in some sub-contractors it was proving difficult to capture this information in a coordinated manner. This resulted in the likes of secondary steelwork and steelwork detailing being delivered in a 2D environment which was to be addressed in the future.

Concerning the BIM project’s MEP requirements, it was initially planned to convert Autodesk Revit MEP data to CADmep+ via FABmep+. However, the sub-contractor was not comfortable with the layout of proposed services during the design phase. This meant the sub-contractor had to reproduce elements such as duct runs, pipework, cable trays, etc. from scratch in CADMEP+. This resulted in unnecessary rework and highlighted time wasted trying to coordinate the design models. It was recommended that in future the sub-contractor must engage with the design team at an earlier stage for greater coordination, therefore reducing the need to re-layout services.

Excitech and Synchro produced 4D construction sequencing (time) for the project but this was not used as a full management tool. This was presented to BCU who can now see the benefits of construction sequencing and will implement it on future projects.

With Excitech’s contribution via consultancy, BIM experience and technical support Willmott Dixon fulfilled their tender stage requirements and proposal, delivering full satisfaction for the client in the construction stage.

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BIM AT WILLMOTT DIXON - 2012 Whilst it is some years yet before BIM will be in universal use, Willmott Dixon is introducing it with some determination during 2012 and making BIM an integral part of their future strategy.

The intention is that 25% of new projects will use this modelling process in 2012.

Quality of data is a key factor for Willmott Dixon in ensuring that the company’s projects are a success. Poor, late or out-of-date information can lead to delays, non-recoverable costs and rework that could otherwise have been avoided.

Over the last few years, Willmott Dixon has invested in collaboration software systems to ensure that teams can access the latest project information. However, there can still be issues with information that has not been properly coordinated, leading to costly errors. As a response to this, the company is now investing both in Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Building Information Modelling & Management (BIMM) which utilises consultants’ three dimensional models to create efficiencies in the construction and operation process.

Willmott Dixon will work with capable consultants and ensure they comply with Willmott Dixon’s defined set of standards and protocols to provide the correct level of information. To help implement and further develop the strategy, a central BIMM Strategic Team has been created within Capital Works. BIMM champions are now identified to help lead project implementation processes. From now on, when each new tender is received it will be assessed to see if it is appropriate to adopt BIMM for it.

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AUTHOR Steve Rudge Consultant steve.rudge@excitech.co.uk

MANAGE BIM FOR HANDOVER Building Information Modelling provides the opportunity to greatly enhance what is provided to the client when a building is completed – and doing this more economically. Software tools to assist in this process are available and this article looks at the process and a tool to aid this delivery.

Design - Build - Manage Building Information Modelling has been fairly common in the design space for many years though it was often called co-ordinated 3D, SME (single model environment), CDE (common data environment) and data rich modelling, to name a few. This, with the standards such as BS1192:2007, has helped us all focus on the collaborated approach to a better flow and management of design data and the delivery of projects over the past ten years.

Use of such technologies within the construction stage has been the exception rather than the rule; and maintaining the process through to client handover has been even rarer. Typically the contractor would still only receive the design data in 2D PDF non-intelligent formats or just paper hard copies.

Over the past couple of years this culture has begun to change; contractors are now beginning to see how BIM can enhance their delivery to reduce time and cost while improving quality and reducing risk to ensure they can deliver with greater cost certainty.

The government mandate requiring public sector construction to be delivered in level 2 BIM as a minimum by 2016 has now made the industry sit up and focus on what BIM is and what it can do from the design space into construction and beyond. This is good news for the industry as a whole.

Many contractors are now implementing BIM in one form or another and beginning to see the benefits of using the data-rich co-ordinated geometry and reusing the data available from the BIM process to generate construction sequencing, clash-resolved designs or improvements in the design review process and workflow of data. However, the contractor needs to ensure that all the data generated from the build space, fit-out and design space is not lost. We don’t want the building owner or client to only receive traditional hard copy Operation & Maintenance manuals, lifetime records and as-built information in order to manage the building over the next few decades in a traditional format. Much of this data is, or can be made, available from the BIM process; so let’s be efficient, deliver a better service and ensure this is reused.

Data can now be transferred through each stage of a project without the data and knowledge drop that traditionally happened. BIM does not need to lose focus once the build is complete and the data is handed over for building life cycle management. The data can be captured, stored, reused and linked to the 3D as-built geometry.

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We must remember that a contractor is not a design outfit and subcontractors get involved to produce construction detail, so when looking at producing a BIM workflow through a contractor we need to consider: • • • •

Most contractors don’t own BIM/CAD systems or have the trained people to use them.

Most projects include models from several ‘consultants’ using a variety of BIM compliant systems - a contractor can’t buy them all.

The complexity of BIM applications with ever-increasing file sizes so contractors may not have the software/hardware to cope.

Most BIMs are unintelligent or semi-intelligent when it comes to FitOut or FFE information.

From BIM to BLM (Building Life cycle Management) So how can the BIM data during design, construction and fit-out be linked to a system that will aid the facilities management and building life cycle management?

This is where a solution such as ArtrA can be implemented. ArtrA is an enterprise solution and at its core is a database management system with a graphical front end. It employs client-server technology and is built around an SQL database that can easily be integrated with other database platform applications. This then provides a single source of information with a means to collate and link an entire project’s “bundle” of information and documentation into a single manageable resource that can be handed over or transferred between project stakeholders throughout the design, construction, fit-out, FM and life cycle phases.

ArtrA provides the functionality to search, link, tag and report on information stored in BIM, as well as the ability to add new construction and maintenance data captured from the site. Snagging, QA/QC, progress monitoring, commissioning, inspection and maintenance tasks can all be captured and stored in the system to facilitate a single source of data.

So in the future you click on the element or room and all the data captured through the project is instantly available for viewing and investigation.

When the ArtrA system is implemented, disciplines can be established so that the relevant people only see the information that needs to be addressed. A the fire officer may only want to see fire ratings of doors and partitions, or fire extinguisher data captured during regular inspection; whereas the heating engineer will need to see the heating distribution system , radiator data, isolation valves, boiler data etc. Ultimately ArtrA can be configured to suit any requirements and display only information to aid clarity of the task in hand.

O&M manual production is a costly exercise that must be delivered for the building owner at the handover stage. However, what can be established here via the ArtrA system utilising the BIM and linked documentation is a sophisticated solution to deliver a complete data set with, potentially, a 50% reduction in cost to generate. Linked into this also could be the soft landing data: animations and walk-throughs can be linked to aid the owner during maintenance tasks and operational procedures.

The BIM geometry is captured and co-ordinated in Navisworks which is the The maintenance team managing the building will be the end user of all graphics driver behind ArtrA allowing any format of BIM to be integrated, the BIM information and again these people will not be CAD or 3D literate; and at the same time the database is populated with the parameter data they will struggle manipulating the 3D geometry and orbiting it around to stored with this. This now allows us to search or manually select a modelled obtain clear views so that elements and information can be interrogated. element and link all the additional data, maintenance records, data sheets, photographs, pointcloud as-built capture, 2D drawing details etc. to that element.

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Because Navisworks is the graphics engine behind ArtrA, viewpoints can be generated so the user can simply click on the managed view and the model will be navigated to show the required area. Taking this one step further, ArtrA can be managed via scanning barcodes or RFID tags; so, in the door frame, or on a major plant item, a bar code can be produced and applied, then by using mobile media devices we can scan these which will in turn automatically navigate to the model view and display all the linked documentation and data.

RFID tagging can also be utilised to manage the location and delivery of construction components to the site, so a goal post scanner can be positioned at the site entrance and as a truck loaded with steel or pipework which has previously been tagged passes through this the system can capture all the items being delivered so that progress can be monitored and tasks awaiting certain components can then commence.

As part of the government BIM strategy, information is to be captured during the design, construction and fit-out of a building and stripped out in the lowest common denominator which is basically to populate a spreadsheet template; this is known as COBie (Construction Operation Building information exchange).

As ArtrA is a database that stores all the project information, COBie can be generated directly out of the system and it has the capability not just to generate the COBie drop during the design phase but during the as-built phase so the owner has true building data capture.

Most facilities management systems are driven in one form or another via a database within the application, so again ArtrA can link its captured data to these systems to provide a more intelligent and data rich FM solution.

Summary BIM authoring tools such as Revit, ArchiCAD, and Tekla are developed for designers and engineers using powerful workstations and laptops. Construction teams, FM managers and building owners are working on-site, mobile within the building and often away from hard linked Internet connections. So tablet PCs and mobile media tablets are the future in this space but we need to ensure what is deployed on them is useful. We need to ensure building information (BIM) is captured at all stages of a project and is reused not just by the contractor but during the building life cycle management for years to come.

We need to ensure that the BIM process provides benefit to all parties in the project from the concept feasibility stage, during main design, through construction, and now we can see how BIM can be brought right through to aid the owner in the life cycle management of the building for the future.

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BEYOND THE FRONT DOOR

With the surge of interest in Building Information Modelling (BIM), those involved in the design and construction phases of building life cycle management are increasingly seeking to consider the activities involved in keeping the building operational during the occupation phase.

Excitech has been providing products and supporting services to clients within each of these phases for over 20 years. With our early work in pioneering BIM and integrated facilities management projects, we are well positioned to share our experience and understanding of lifecycle management.

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This article looks to provide information to those interested parties and answer a few of the basic questions about facilities management such as, what it is, why organisations place importance on its function and what different types of system are available. The article will conclude by looking at how the software solutions are evolving to interact with Building Information Modelling systems.

What is facilities management?

According to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), facility management is a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology. But what does that mean? To make sense of this statement, think of yourself as a facility manager of your own home.

Consider the disciplines as broadly being property management, general management and supportive services. Then think of the people as your family, the process as the way you like to live and play, and the technology as the equipment we use. With this analogy we quickly build a picture that facilities management is about combining management and services in a way that supports the needs of the our family, our home and the things we use within it to achieve happy, functional, safe and effective living environment.

In the same way that keeping the home operating effectively requires a lot of work and a myriad of skills, an organisation has to undertake hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of tasks each month to achieve their facilities management objectives. While the list is too exhaustive to cover in this article, a few high level tasks are illustrated below to offer an insight into the scale.

Selection of Facility Management Tasks Management of property costs or income

Movement of people and furniture

Management of the leases or freehold

Valuation of assets

Management of energy and utility costs

Insurance of the building and its contents

Budgeting of finances

Grounds maintenance

Management of technology

Cleaning

Assessing the condition of the environment

Recycling

Planning and conducting building and asset maintenance

Provision of catering and hospitality

Interior design

Risk assessment & prevention

Planning of space

Safety planning

Planning and management of building projects

Maintenance of vehicles and chauffeuring

At a first glance this shortened list still looks intimidating, but by reverting back to the earlier analogy that most people are facilities managers the list becomes easier to relate to. For instance, when thinking about a home it is easy to recognise that payment of mortgages and rent is property cost management; that switching off lights and heating in unused rooms is energy cost management; that organising space to best suit the size of the family is space and occupancy management; and the building of extensions and remodelling of redundant bedrooms into games rooms or studies is the planning and management of building projects. In this last scenario, it is also probable that move management is used. Similarly, periodical inspection of gutters; the servicing of security locks and heating and cooling systems are maintenance management activities; gardening is a form of grounds work; and maintenance of vehicles is an example of fleet management.

The services provided by facilities management are sometimes divided into categories called ‘hard services’ and ‘soft services’.

Although definitions vary, many agree that hard services relate to services that support and maintain a building’s mechanical and electrical services such as heating and ventilation systems, lifts, electrical distribution, emergency lighting and fire protection.

Soft services are commonly thought of as those services involved in the general upkeep of a building and its grounds. These can include cleaning, waste management, pest control, gardening, security, front of house services such as reception and visitor management, and in some organisations room set and minor move management.

AUTHOR Andrew Compton Head of CAFM Products and Services andrew.compton@excitech.co.uk

12

Excitech Experience

November 2012

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Copyright © 1985 - 2012 Excitech Ltd

The case for facilities management systems In a home it is often possible to manage the tasks through spreadsheets, to-do lists, a little balancing of bank accounts, a calendar and perhaps the occasional helpful reminder from the children or a partner. When we get individual elements at home wrong or the information we need to make informed decisions isn’t easily accessible, we may become frustrated but the fallout isn’t always damaging or costly. However, when we multiply our family of 4 to become 500 employees, or our single dwelling becomes a property portfolio of 10 buildings, then the management task becomes a much greater challenge and the risks associated with ineffective management bring significant risks from a commercial, operational, organisational, legal and costs perspective. For example, an organisation that doesn’t understand and manage its space may over-procure buildings or fail to adequately reduce their property portfolio during lean times; a building with faulty locks and sprinklers systems may prevent employees working; unmanaged health and safety risk may result in litigation; and an organisation that conducts more reactive than preventive maintenance may find their maintenance costs spiralling out of control.

While the responsibility for managing these areas often lies within the head of estates or facilities, it is clear that the impact can touch everyone. It is for this reason that the facilities function and operation is increasingly reported on at the highest level and usually across the entire board of directors.

When reflecting back on the benefits that facilities management solutions have brought, organisations often report the following as being the initial drivers of the purchasing decision: educed operational costs and improved service delivery.

R Improved effectiveness in terms of cost and quality of service.

Improved ability to manage asset maintenance programmes.

Improved planned maintenance.

Improved storage and access to essential documentation such as property leases, inspection certificates and operation and maintenance documents.

Improved ability to ensure compliance with workplace and environmental legislation.

 

 

               

 

When considering facilities management systems, acronyms and unfamiliar terms seem to fall out of every brochure and from every website. To help de-mystify the individual acronyms and make sense of the different solutions, think of systems as being either individual or point solutions that meet a specific need within one category or a broader system that is capable of meeting a greater number of need. Most point solutions have a category specific acronym. For example, space planning and occupancy solutions are commonly referred to as Computer Aided Facilities Management solutions or CAFM ; Maintenance Management systems are referred to as Computerised Maintenance Management Software or CMMS; Project Management is referred to as Integrated Project Delivery or IPD; and Sustainability and Environmental Health and Safety as EHS.

 

Systems and acronyms

         

                 

•

          

• • • • •

  13

Excitech Experience

November 2012

ARTICLE

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Copyright © 1985 - 2012 Excitech Ltd

Although opinions vary on whether BIM is a process that stops at the end of the construction phase or continues through into occupation and operation, what is clear is that BIM encourages the creation of usable information on buildings, space and assets; and that this information can be passed into the FM model in electronic format. The provision of this information as a reliable, accurate and up-to-date data set of commissioning data is a huge benefit to building operators and could remove many painful, expensive and time-consuming tasks that typically happen post-construction and may take 6 to 12 months to complete.

Such tasks include: surveying the building to establish the accuracy of as-built plans; the linking of drawings to the database; and establishing an association between spaces, employees and assets.

Some of the more forward thinking facilities management solution vendors have been quick to recognise that developing their solutions in a way that allows building information to be tied to their enterprise databases provides a real benefit to building operators and early leaders in this area are already providing the following functionality through their technology extensions: • • • • • Once understood, these acronyms are straightforward as they generally refer to a single point solution in a single category. When organisations choose to take a more holistic approach to facilities management they often look towards more integrated solutions that benefit the organisation as a whole. Such systems have been evolving since 1990 and have become known as Integrated Workplace Management Systems or IWMS. These systems gain such a badge of approval when they comprise 5 core areas of functionality in facilities management, these are : • • • • •

Project management Real estate/property portfolio management and lease administration Space and facilities management Maintenance management Sustainability / facility optimisation and compliance

The most successful implementations of IWMS are thought to come from solutions that include broad integration, the use of a common user interface (web based wherever possible), workflow tools that drive and manage work processes, and have executive dashboards plus strong reporting capabilities.

An IWMS helps organisations rationalise their infrastructure, reduce their total cost of ownership, and gain competitive advantage to cope with market and organisational changes. They are also said to reduce costs between 5% and 10%, and deliver a fast payback and double digit return on investment.

BIM meets FM Whilst facilities management solutions have been evolving since the early to mid 1980s, their use has remained firmly within the operational phase of buildings’ lifecycles. However, with the wider adoption of building information modelling (BIM) in the design and build phases, more owners and operators are beginning to consider the benefits BIM can pass to facilities management during the occupation phase.

•

Link BIM design applications to enterprise databases.

Access the enterprise databases directly from within the design application.

Query BIM data—across different buildings, sites, countries and time zones—from within the facilities management application.

Link space, equipment, asset, and portfolio inventories to multiple building models instead of only one.

Provide full commissioning information to manage buildings effectively from “Day One”.

Ability to consume COBie data and map directly into the facilities management database.

In addition to these specific benefits, the ability to access an accurate 3D geometrical representation of a building will be of interest to workers across almost all areas of facilities management who gain the ability to view, analyse and understand the buildings and spaces they manage in a much more intimate way and with a reduced labour and time requirement.

Summary The increased interest in Building Information Modelling has encouraged those involved in the design and build phases of a building lifecycle to take a closer look at what is involved in facilities management. Facilities Management is a multi-disciplinary profession that seeks to ensure the business assets, spaces and people are aligned to support the business objectives. Without effective facilities management the ability of an organisation to function efficiently is constrained. Similarly, an organisation can be exposed to significant commercial, operational, legal and financial risks. To limit these risks, organisations often deploy software based systems and these are usually either a collection of point solutions which meet specific needs or in some instances broader more integrated IWMS solutions. IWMS solutions comprise five core areas of functionality: these are project management; real estate/property portfolio management and lease administration; space and facilities management; maintenance management; and sustainability and facility optimization.

Finally, an increasing awareness of the benefits of BIM has encouraged software vendors to begin developing their solutions and technology extensions. They are linking BIM design applications with enterprise databases such that information can be accessed and updated directly within the design applications. They can also allow BIM data to be queried and analysed across buildings, sites, countries and time zones; and provide 3D representations of the building that can be used by workers across the differing facilities management disciplines.

In the next edition of the Excitech Experience magazine, we will build on this article and look at the elements involved in selecting the right Facilities Management software.

14

Excitech Experience

November 2012

ARTICLE

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Copyright © 1985 - 2012 Excitech Ltd

ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT FOR DESIGN DATA Managing design data is a key concern for every organisation in design and construction. Poor control can result in increased costs and greater risks. This article looks at some of the key features of EDM systems appropriate to design, and other, document types.

In June 2007 Excitech published an article in our DPJ magazine entitled ‘EDM & Collaboration – Where is it all going?” This article gave an introduction to Electronic Document Management (EDM) and the key elements people consider when looking for an effective EDM solution.

Reading the article five years later it is quite clear that some aspects have remained the same (people’s requirements) whist others, especially technology, have moved rapidly forward. So sit back and let us take a look at how things are today.

Architecture, Engineering and Construction Needs It is fair to say that within the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, with the ever increasing volume of models, images, emails, documents, drawings and other project information, the quantity of data we’re dealing with is substantial, and with the extensive use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), this is increasing still further.

In terms of complexity, we find ourselves working on joint ventures, with numerous organisations, in multiple locations and with remote workers which all contribute to a far, far more complex data flow; and finally, we are certainly all under commercial pressures to be more efficient.

For many years, most, or the majority of organisations have stored their data locally, whether that be on network drives or local hard drives. With all this data to manage and competing pressures on our time it is no wonder that we are having difficulties managing it. A phrase that I often hear when talking to people about data management is ‘Information Islands’ or ‘Digital Silos’. This is where information is owned by a department or an individual meaning no one outside of the team can access it. This leads to information being duplicated causing huge data flow, productivity and compliance issues for organisations.

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Excitech Experience

November 2012

ARTICLE

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Needless to say, the requirements from our industry have pretty much remained unchanged, systems must still :• • • • • •

Be easy to use, powerful and secure Provide around the clock availability Work the way users work, ideally with a different interface for different types of users Integrate seamlessly in to each user’s environment Be easy to adjust and configure Be able to grow with the organisation’s needs over time

Electronic Data Management (EDM) Systems EDM systems can provide support for organisations, projects and users with a variety of processes related to the tracking, retrieval, and storage of electronic documents. The concept behind an EDM system is that it performs all the tasks required to effectively manage an organisation’s electronic documents.

Individual electronic files/documents (and from here I will use the term ‘document’ to mean any type of file be it a CAD drawing, image, report, model or anything else) are assigned metadata to assist in their correct filing and tracking. For example, a CAD drawing may include metadata that describes the type of drawing, its scale, who drew/approved it and a drawing title. Documents are stored (with associated metadata) with the objective of retrieving them later whenever needed. Retrieving a particular document from the typically large volume of business documents can be difficult or even impossible unless a sound EDM system is in place.

Convenient and quick retrieval is always one of the key objectives of installing an EDM system. These electronic documents are typically stored within central servers (often referred to as Vaults) or dedicated storage facilities in a networked system.

If required, paper documents can also be entered into an EDM system by simply scanning images of them. The EDM system will prompt the user to provide information (metadata) about the document to aid access, storage and retrieval.

A major benefit of EDM software is the ability to track and manage multiple versions of the same document. For this reason it is essential to clearly

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tasks as well as nested workflows. Task reassignment and rerouting are effectively implemented. Status updates, document reviews, revisions, and user comments become streamlined activities. Security and integrity of the documents progressing along the workflow path are maintained by implementing access rights and version control or managing the read and read/write control during the life cycle of the document. Audit trails and the subsequent reports are easily defined. Automated workflow saves time and money.

identify the latest version, including the sequence of all the different versions in existence. Some EDM systems allow for version compare, so allowing users to visually identify changes between different versions of the same document.

If the same document is being worked on by two users at the same time it can create version control problems when that information is saved.

To avoid these issues EDM systems often lock documents to ensure that only one user can modify a document at any one time, ensuring a linear progression.

Workflows, often in the form of standard operating procedures, exist in every organisation. Automation of the workflow process, whether structured or ad-hoc, results in a timely execution of tasks, minimising the time-consuming and sometimes redundant activities of the typical business day.

Documents can contain information which is confidential or may only be changed by some individuals. EDM systems can ensure that access to the system and particular documents is restricted only to those with the correct access permissions so ensuring the confidentiality or integrity of data. They also reduce the number of documents displayed to the user, as they often only display information relevant to that user’s role.

Business processes typically involve the movement (or workflow) of documents from the organisation to third parties, from department to department inside the organisation, and from person to person in a department. Often several people with different roles and responsibilities will have to review the document before it completes its intended workflow. A well organised and efficient movement of documents can significantly speed up business processes and improve on quality, whereas when documents are manually pushed through this process there is the risk that they can be lost or processes overlooked.

A workflow can be either structured or ad-hoc. A structured workflow typically is designed to control repetitive activities, and bring order and control to such processes, whilst ad-hoc workflow can be modified while the project or activity is in progress.

CAD-Specific Workflow Requirements CAD files are typically much larger in size than standard business documents and require stricter management of repository resources.

MicroStation reference files and AutoCAD XREF files associated with an accessed CAD file should be easily identifiable and displayed or downloaded with the selected drawing.

Controlling access to documents as they pass through their life cycle is one of the most important components of an automated workflow related to CAD drawings. Access control should be invoked automatically when a document status change occurs. As an example, when a document enters into a Quality Control (QC) state or status, the document should be controlled to allow red-lining of the document by those persons assigned to the QC functions, while ensuring others cannot modify it.

The Document Workflow Process An EDM system typically provides much more than document storage and retrieval; it can aid and support processes in the form of workflows.

The term ‘workflow’ is obviously still widely used when discussing data management requirements and functionality. Workflow is the sequence and routing of tasks performed by members of a workgroup to complete a job. Discrete tasks performed by any workgroup are associated with particular documents and/or versions required to accomplish the task at hand and, ultimately, the job.

Metadata related to a document may also require access control features.

In some instances, metadata related to a document should not be modifiable when the document status dictates that the document content itself may not be modified. Metadata should be definable on an individual status basis.

The potential benefit of an integrated and automated workflow within the document management function, unavailable in a repository-only system, is substantial. Automated workflows allow parallel and serial

BlueCielo Meridian Workflow

Unchanged/Released

Benefits of an EDM System Start change

****************************** Quick Search & Retrieval

Under Change

Automated Document Numbering

Start Change

Structured Document Storage

Start Review

Version/Revision Control Rejected

Reject

In Review

Start Change

Email Storage Workflow Control

Approve

Full Audit Trail Automatic Email Notification

Approved

Access Control Release Unretire Retired

Released Retire

16

Excitech Experience

November 2012

ARTICLE

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Therefore, it is only natural that we are seeing such technology entering the workplace.

Automatic notification through corporate e-mail systems should occur based on status change. This feature should have the capability of configuration on a project basis because mail messages and routing information can change from project to project.

Collaboration Technologies in AEC

Document notes should be available to allow the user to define the reason for status change and also to define document content changes as they occur at any step in the document workflow. These notes should contain at a minimum the author’s name, date and time, note type (i.e. general, status change, revision, system-generated etc.), note subject, and note content.

Benefits of Automated CAD Workflow Integration of CAD production tasks into an automated workflow results in a myriad of benefits that include: • • •

Productivity improvements as the workflow is streamlined.

Document access improvements for all project team members.

Productivity improvements resulting from the decreased time required to locate drawings, facilitated by the use of metadata.

Productivity improvements from the ability to view files quickly prior to launching the associated native application.

Productivity improvements from automated document distribution and reproduction.

Analysis improvements from the ability to simultaneously view scanned legacy drawings alongside more current as-built information.

Quality and response time improvements since versioning control allows prompt response to change orders.

Quality and productivity improvements resulting from the EDM system preventing duplicate production efforts via the check-in/ check-out process.

Security improvements as documents are secured from unauthorised access or change.

Project accounting and forecasting improvements from automatic generation of reports reflecting time spent on individual drawings, milestone progress, backlog, etc.

Audit trail improvements that allow document access and state changes to be tracked to evaluate existing workflows and better define or streamline future workflows.

• • •

• •

• •

•

Although some EDM vendors are adding additional licence functionality to allow access to the vault via the web it is fair to say that most EDM systems are used within one organisation behind their firewall on their own network. However that doesn’t always benefit everyone and this is where ‘Cloud Computing’ can assist.

The Cloud.

Cloud Computing, or ‘The Cloud’ as it is often referred to, gets its name from the IT symbol that represents the Internet on IT diagrams. But what is cloud computing? In the simplest of terms, it is IT-as-a-Service. Instead of building your own IT infrastructure to host databases or software, a third party hosts them in their large server farms and your company has access to its data and software over the Internet.

Cloud computing has been brought in to the limelight with the popularity of sites such as Facebook and Flickr, where users can upload files, post comments and invite friends and family to view them. This way of sharing data and communicating with our network of friends has now become part of our daily routine.

Online collaboration software (SaaS – Software as a Service) is becoming even more popular within the AEC market. The fact that most, if not all, AEC projects involve multiple organisations sharing documents means there is a definite potential for such services. As internet and supporting IT technology grows so does the interest in collaboration technologies.

The AEC industry is information dependant, with the ever increasing amount of models, images, emails, reports and other project information, the volume of data we’re dealing with is substantial, and with the extensive use of BIM, this has grown still further and become more sophisticated.

As previously mentioned we often find ourselves working on joint ventures, in multiple locations, with remote workers which all contribute to a far, far more complex data flow and finally, we are certainly all under commercial pressures to be more efficient. It’s no secret that AEC projects are often known for delays and the use of incorrect or inconsistent information, all amounting to additional project costs. Therefore, it is not surprising that having the ability to send large volumes of project data to a single data repository, quickly and securely is changing the way some AEC projects are run.

Such systems can be provided, as already suggested by service providers, but it also possible for a lead organisation in a project to provide such facilities to its project partners.

Benefits of Collaboration Technologies • • • • • • • • • • •

Reduced distribution costs (printing, couriers & post) Reductions associated with storage & archiving documents Reductions in travel and meeting costs Less time spent chasing and searching for already existing data Faster drawing revision and approval cycles Faster mobilisation of project teams.

Faster and more consistent communications.

24/7 access, anytime, anywhere Less chance of working on out-of date data.

Better audit trail Reduced Risk

Conclusion The requirement for data management is not new. In fact, with the volume of documents and emails used on a daily basis, the management of such data is now becoming an onerous task.

With our requirements remaining the same it is often down to the software vendors to use the enhancements in IT technology to improve and streamline how our data is managed.

Whether you require a vault based EDM system or a cloud based system there are solutions available to make document management and collaboration a far less laborious task. In fact, in some instances the two solutions are working in partnership, the vault based EDM system managing a business’s internal documents whilst linking and publishing approved documents to other external participants via the Cloud.

Driven by our demand to use these social networking sites we have seen a rapid development of cloud-enabled devices. With the wide range of smartphones and tablets available and the ability to upload or capture data on one device and have it automatically synchronised with multiple other devices means that consumers are only a finger swipe away from a vast amount of online information.

17

Excitech Experience

November 2012

ARTICLE

http://www.excitech.co.uk

Copyright © 1985 - 2012 Excitech Ltd

OASYS MAIL MANAGER With an ever-increasing number of emails and attachments connected to projects, it can be a huge task to search within your email inbox and retrieve specific information on a task. It can get even more complicated when you are not too sure who sent you the email, or cannot recall the date it was sent. Evans+Langford explain how they solved this problem within their organisation with the help of Oasys Mail Manager, the popular Outlook plug-in.

AUTHOR Emma Parker Marketing Coordinator emma.parker@excitech.co.uk

Evans+Langford Evans+Langford are construction consultants based in Maidstone, Kent.

Founded in 1963, the consultancy started as a small family company, but has grown and diversified to twenty staff working on small to large projects mostly within the UK. They are structural and civil engineers, land and building surveyors, geo-environmental engineers, project managers, construction, design and management coordinators and contract administrators; and they are often asked to be involved in a project from start to finish. This means a large number of documents being created and shared with the team.

Simon explained his thoughts regarding Mail Manager: “I was very impressed with Mail Manager; it seemed to remove the problem of finding emails and reduce the time spent searching. The main attraction was that it was intuitive; it was clearly designed for engineers by engineers. It definitely suited the way we worked.”

Simon then had a demonstration version of Mail Manager installed on his PC to show the other Partners, and he was confident that they would love it. “I knew that the day-to-day hassle would be taken away and they would see the benefits immediately”, he says.

Searching for an email management solution To deal with this huge number of emails and attachments that were relevant for all of their projects, the company created an electronic filing system. However, this system meant that they had to file their emails and the attachments separately, which made them time-consuming to find.

Evans+Langford has continuously combined modern methods with traditional values to provide a quality service to a wide range of clients across all business sectors. This attitude is also applied to technology both out on site and in the office, and so Simon Robertson, Partner at Evans+Langford, started to look for a document management system that would make searching for emails and attachments easier.

The Partners were also impressed and decided to purchase Mail Manager through Excitech, as “Excitech understood my business; I explained my need and Excitech came up with a solution that fitted the bill.

They understood that CAD drawings were different from other email attachments and how we work as a company. Also, as Excitech look after our hardware support and Autodesk subscriptions, it would mean having a single point of contact, which is an added benefit.”

In the Autumn of 2011 Simon contacted many potential suppliers but these companies were offering solutions that didn’t fit in with the way Evans+Langford work. They didn’t understand the requirements and were offering something too complex for their consultancy.

Implementing Mail Manager

In October 2011, Excitech had a meeting with Simon regarding their AutoCAD subscriptions and it was then that Simon mentioned that he was searching for a document management system. His account manager introduced him to a range of document management solutions, including Oasys Mail Manager.

In early November 2011, Evans+Langford rolled out Mail Manager to all of the twenty-five employees within the company. It was met with an all-round positive reaction, including from a member of the team who was notoriously sceptical of new technology. The feedback from the company showed that the most beneficial features were the software’s plug-in to Outlook, as well as the search facility. Everybody saw the benefit and now uses Mail Manager to store and search for all their project documents.

Mail Manager is an Outlook plug-in that allows users to file and search their emails and attachments in one central location; and by keeping related documents together, emails and attachments are easier to find. Mail Manager also features a fast and powerful search tool, making it easy to view emails in system folders just as you would through Outlook’s preview.

As the implementation has been so successful for their projects, Evans+Langford now also use Mail Manager for internal processes, such as HR and accounts. Simon concludes “it was a very successful software implementation, with Mail Manager solving problems overnight and producing immediate benefits”.

18

Excitech Experience

November 2012

CASE STUDY

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OPINION. ALEX DEWAR

ALEX DEWAR, Head of IT Solutions AT EXCITECH, DISCUSSES CLOUD TECHNOLOGY AND THE ROLE IT HAS TO PLAY IN BOTH THE PRESENT AND FUTURE. When the economy entered the current downturn there were widespread standard patterns of IT deployment. Larger businesses had servers in the server room, smaller businesses had a server in the corner of the office, and the majority of users had a cream or black mini-tower under their desk.

Whilst the economy is still uncertain, I have had increasing numbers of conversations with businesses since summer 2011 about renewing their IT infrastructures. I ascribe this upturn in interest in IT renewals to something which I call the “rust doesn’t sleep” effect. I see increasing numbers of businesses reaching a tipping point where the risk inherent in continuing to run an aging IT infrastructure outweighs the risks of dipping into cash reserves or taking out a lease (at very attractive interest rates).

Soon I started noticing a common topic cropping up in virtually every meeting. At some point my companion will say “we’re weighing up whether to replace our IT Infrastructure or put it all in the cloud”.

There are though exciting and genuinely useful services becoming available. Most businesses are running what I describe as “Cloud augmented” or “on-premises/cloud hybrid” IT infrastructures. They select what is best run in the cloud, and what is best run on-premises, and combine the two.

Autodesk, Adobe and Microsoft recognise this reality and are still promoting largely on-premises document authoring.

Meanwhile, the order of the day is “buyer beware”. I have heard a number of examples of questionable sales tactics and downright misleading ROI calculators being used by cloud vendors eager to grab market share.

This new world of “Cloud augmented” and “on-premises/ cloud hybrid” IT represents opportunities and challenges.

Opportunities to maximise still constrained IT budgets and acquire new business capabilities and new levels of resilience.

Challenges including:

A lot has changed in the last few years, some but not all cloud related:

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19

So the answer to the question “Can’t I just put it all in the cloud?” is still “No!”. Or at least the answer to the implied question “can I get rid of all this troublesome and expensive IT stuff and subscribe to a cloud service which does everything for a few pence per user per month instead?” is a definite “No!”.

Excitech Experience

Autodesk once again support the Apple Mac platform, with native AutoCAD for Mac and endorse a number of other applications running under Parallels.

With minimum fuss, the market has accepted Windows 7 64-bit as the new standard desktop operating system for technical and professional users.

Autodesk support Citrix XenApp for an increasing number of their products.

Some businesses running virtual desktop infrastructures operate a BYOD (bring your own device) policy; something which would have been anathema to IT Managers a few years ago.

Microsoft have upgraded and rebranded their flagship cloud suite, Office 365. This includes Exchange Server, Exchange Archiving, SharePoint Server, Lync Server, Office Web Apps, Office Professional Plus, and more.

Autodesk have embraced the cloud with their Autodesk 360 benefits including file storage, editing, viewing, rendering, energy analysis, structural analysis, and collaboration. A whole portfolio of cloud tools to supplement on-premises model creation and editing.

Adobe’s approach with their Creative Cloud service is a cloud subscription scheme allowing businesses to rent rather than purchase their software. The software is still downloaded and run on-premises, but Creative Cloud also includes cloud synchronisation, storage, sharing and publishing to supplement on-premises document creation.

There is a plethora of “prosumer” cloud storage, synchronisation and sharing services including DropBox, iCloud, SkyDrive, JungleDisk and more. Some initially free and some chargeable. Some firmly in the consumer space whilst others offer business quality services.

Many strong and well established email filtering, continuity and archiving services existing including Mimecast, Websense and Symantec.cloud (formerly MessageLabs).

The cloud service I most often hear requested is Cloud Backup. There is great demand, especially among SMEs, to move away from tape backup and outsource data backup to a cloud service.

November 2012

OPINION

http://www.excitech.co.uk

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Performance – few users will tolerate cloud alternatives which perform worse than their on-premises predecessors; that is not progress.

Internet connection bandwidth and resilience – cloud services increase our reliance on our Internet connections so we may well need faster and more resilient Internet connections.

Security – with on-premises IT our company data is stored behind the company firewall and when used remotely, accessed over a secure VPN connection. Security of data in a cloud service needs to be considered. Will it be accessible to anyone who gains access to an authorised user’s login name and password?

Fragmentation – IT departments and users are accustomed to all of our data being on a set of servers in the server room where the IT department can manage them and where users can find all company data (reports, correspondence, email, drawings, photographs, etc.), in a coherent filing system. No serious business would contemplate a fragmented solution with business data spread across a disparate collection of different cloud services. This would be completely unmanageable, unusable and fraught with risks.

Supplier resilience – for any business-critical service or data we need to be sure the cloud services providers we are entering into business with are survivors with a strong track record.

Portability – I would like to see a lot more portability of cloud services than exists in the market to date. We are used to portability in the mobile phone and utility markets, where we can shop around and switch supplier with minimal drama. We need to see the same flexibility from cloud email and cloud backup providers.

So can’t I just put it all in the cloud? No, but we are in an exciting, innovative, fast moving period of cloud and on-premises coexistence.

Copyright © 1985 - 2012 Excitech Ltd

“CAN’T I JUST PUT IT ALL IN THE CLOUD?”

20

Excitech Experience

November 2012

OPINION

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Copyright © 1985 - 2012 Excitech Ltd

DESIGN SOLUTIONS SURVEY In its third survey of recent years Excitech has identified key trends and measures in the use of technology for design as well as the supporting processes and activities. The survey was carried out in June/July 2012 and analysed 350 responses from Excitech customers and non-customer from across the design and construction industry. This article summarises some of the key findings; a more detailed report was provided to recipients and is available from Excitech on request.

AUTHOR Bob Garrett Marketing Director bob.garrett@excitech.co.uk

Building Information Modelling There is no doubt that BIM is the hot topic of this time: in conferences, exhibitions, magazines and social networks. However, some still raise doubts as to its importance; or dismiss claims to its importance or relevance as “BIM wash”. This survey underscores the changes by showing the dramatic increase over previous years where BIM is being made a requirement by a customer or project partner. In 2009 and 2010 this was only seen by just over 20% of respondents; now it is seen by 48% of respondents. A significant increase.

However, this requirement may be in danger of not being met because only 33% of respondents say their organisation’s design philosophy is BIM (though this varies between nearly 59% in large organisations and 24% in organisations with fewer than 5 users involved in design. There is, though, action underway as 54% of respondents say they are exploring or introducing BIM into their organisations. Interestingly though this does not seem to be borne out by the statistic that only 37% are requiring BIM of project partners. Maybe this will show significant changes in future as the BIM requirement “ripples through”.

Changes Being Seen In Requirements No changes being seen Modelling(BIM)

2012

Requiring 3D design

2010 2009

e.g. DWG, DGN etc.

0%

10%

Design Project Management With changes in design processes such as those for BIM we also asked about top 5 issues or challenges in design project management.

Ensuring standards and consistency, revision control and actually managing internal workf lows and processes were all identified by more than half the respondents. Collaboration and managing deliverables were not far behind to make the total top 5.

Drawing and document distribution methods continue to change as more use project collaboration services (up from 37% in 2010 to 51% this year), and fewer mail printed documents or media such as CDs (down from 58% in 2010 to around 48% this year).

20%

30%

40%

50%

Top 5 Issues/Challenges in Design Project Management Delivering to third party extranets QA compliance Content management Revision control Comparing drawings Managing deliverables Data management for remote/mobile

Ensuring standards and consistency Email management 0%

21

Excitech Experience

November 2012

ARTICLE

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Copyright © 1985 - 2012 Excitech Ltd

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

IT Systems Organisations are continuing to invest in new IT systems for extra performance, access to newer software and, indeed, new platforms for new ways of working. In PC systems and their Windows operating systems, the move from Windows XP to Windows 7 is well underway and with most moving to 64 bit systems for the performance improvements these are capable of.

Operating Systems Windows 7, 64 bit

All PCs

Windows 7, 32 bit

Most PCs

Windows XP, 64 bit

Some PCs Few PCs

Windows XP, 32 bit

No PCs 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

The increased reliability, speed and ubiquitous nature of the Internet is facilitating new services and new ways to work. This is highlighted by the increased use of distributed systems; and there are potentially even more dramatic changes being considered.

Use of Distributed Solutions Cloud computing services Microsoft Remote Desktop

Currently Using

Citrix Desktop Virtualisation

Considering

WAN Optimisation Autodesk Revit Server 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

The same is true for portable devices where the benefits of powerful, Internet-connected mobile phones have demonstrated what is possible and what could be even better with a larger screen and new applications.

Portable Devices Tablet Computers (Android) Tablet Computers (Microsoft) Use Currently

Tablet Computers (Apple iPad)

Considering

Laptop computers 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Conclusion Use of such survey results, in this summary and in the more complete report, can help an organisation compare their own position and identify trends which may be relevant to business planning.

Most significant in this report is the impact BIM is having, though it also suggests that the demand is probably outpacing the ability to deliver; and that the demand is likely to increase further as the government’s construction strategy deadlines approach and the requirement is passed on to project partners.

Finally, though not shown as broadly in this summary, is the fact that despite the economic situation, or maybe because of it in a competitive sense, organisations are continuing to invest in new processes, technologies, training and support.

22

Excitech Experience

November 2012

ARTICLE

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Copyright Š 1985 - 2012 Excitech Ltd

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