Transcripts
Foreign.
Speaker B:Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Design Under Influence.
Speaker B:I'm so honored and excited to be joined by my two wonderful companions today from Aurora Bim.
Speaker B:You guessed it, they do bim stuff.
Speaker B:Liz and Megan.
Speaker B:Hello.
Speaker A:Hi.
Speaker C:Yeah, you're right.
Speaker A:We do bim stuff.
Speaker B:They do bim stuff.
Speaker B:And we're going to battle today.
Speaker B:We're going to go to a little bit of a battle.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:We're going to talk about what's near and dear to me in my company, which, you know, we arc it, we do it for engineers, designers and architects.
Speaker B:And we're going to talk about how this exact thing, the IT departments stifle work, stifle projects and basically cause a slowdown and potentially inadvertently because, you know, what we're trying to do is keep our users safe, secure, efficient and operational.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:But when we don't know revit, when we don't understand ACC docs, we will get into it.
Speaker B:When we don't understand these things and we try to help our users, we're doing them disservice.
Speaker B:And the lady's gonna get into this right now.
Speaker B:So, Megan, why don't you set this up for us?
Speaker B:You just had a recent example.
Speaker B:We don't need to name names, but like, what are you like beating your head against the wall right now for?
Speaker A:Yeah, I think that the main idea that I'm trying to communicate to an IT team is that having an internal server based file system is actually slightly more risky than having an Autodesk Docs based file system where you allow users to do essentially the same thing, things that you automatically do for your internal based server projects.
Speaker A:So highlighting that if you're looking at kind of apples to apples on each side, what can you do with the actual data in both of these platforms and why we're restricting one over the other and what the real risks actually are is kind of what we're trying to formulate common ground on right now.
Speaker B:You're too nice.
Speaker B:What exactly is the problem?
Speaker B:I mean, we were very excited as soon as the camera came on.
Speaker B:It's like, well, we want to be a peacemaker.
Speaker B:No, no.
Speaker B:What is it?
Speaker B:Let's define what the problem is.
Speaker B:What is it that your client is unable to achieve with the current situation?
Speaker B:Because we have a lot of emails flying back and forth, so maybe you can set this up for us a little bit.
Speaker A:Currently, basically the administrative role in this cloud based server essentially that hosts all the revit models and the project related data that is used to coordinate with external architects and design teams and actually have the ability to do all of these advanced model coordination and clash detection and all of these things that come with this software that's like a super Dropbox with a viewer.
Speaker B:ACC Docs, right?
Speaker A:ACC Docs.
Speaker A:Yeah, got it, exactly.
Speaker A:So essentially they are being restricted from being able to fully use this cloud based platform because I think of the.
Speaker A:I think it's maybe lack of training and knowledge about how the system actually works and how the risks potentially are not clearly identified.
Speaker A:I think it's just an overall idea that if you give someone admin access or project admin access, that they could invite anyone to the project and then that person could download your model or look at something that they're not supposed to look at or delete something.
Speaker A:The thing is that, yes, that is all true, but you can see everything that everyone does on this platform.
Speaker A:There are activity logs where anyone that touches a file, opens a file, looks at a file.
Speaker A:It actually logs that user, their name, what time you could go back and actually see what has happened.
Speaker A:If you suspect any of these things have happened, then in addition to that, where on a traditional file server you can delete something and they need to call you to get it back.
Speaker A:On Autodesk Docs, you actually can never delete anything.
Speaker A:You delete something, it goes into basically another folder and if you wanted to get it back, you just hit restore.
Speaker A:So that's kind of the big picture of what we're trying to get across, I think, right now.
Speaker A:And I think it's more of an education thing really.
Speaker A:And I think if both sides kind of understood what the other was trying to achieve, then it would.
Speaker A:I think that's like our gateway into figuring out the best solution here.
Speaker A:But, but I think there's definitely some, some conversations that need to happen.
Speaker B:Liz, you got a take on it?
Speaker C:I mean, I agree with, with everything Megan saying, and I think it does come down to education and also that new things are scary sometimes, especially when you have multiple actors in there and you have high stakes projects, maybe with high secrecy and it feels risky to open that door up to just anyone.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So as a BIM manager, why do I need admin access to ACC Docs to do my work?
Speaker B:What is the admin access allows me to do what, otherwise I cannot.
Speaker A:Yeah, so admin access primarily what we're looking to do right now is to harness team Two of the really great features of the Autodesk Docs platform.
Speaker A: owing companies who, prior to: Speaker A:Because the ability to share models between projects or between accounts was not possible.
Speaker A:It was a manual download upload situation if you wanted to go between consultant A and consultant B.
Speaker A:So that was similar to what we used to do when you just sent a file and you had your own internal server project based system going on.
Speaker A:So now what we're looking to do is really harness this new feature that Autodesk has finally given us where we can work on our own hubs and we can send files back and forth that can be linked in directly, which is huge.
Speaker A:You don't have to manually cloud host these files in order to be able to link them in using the cloud hosting linked version.
Speaker A:So this saves so much time and it allows companies to maintain control over their own data.
Speaker A:So previously when everyone went to go work on one person's hub or one company's hub, if they needed to add in a modeler or someone on deadline day because they needed more manpower to finish, they had to ask their client, essentially, can you please add modeler A, B and C?
Speaker A:Because we're behind on our deadline, we need more hands on deck.
Speaker A:It's essentially, I think everyone really didn't like that setup.
Speaker A:That's why Autodesk came up with this bridging option so that you can now maintain your own projects on your own hubs, work on your own data, and then share what you want to through these bridge connections.
Speaker A:So that's the main thing that we're trying to achieve right now.
Speaker A:And we're actually trying to test and show a team how this could work.
Speaker A:We're requesting project admin permissions and we're running into this roadblock.
Speaker A:They want to do this for us, essentially.
Speaker A:Then the next one is the Revit model upgrades.
Speaker A:The IT department for this client that I'm working with, they actually do the model upgrades.
Speaker A:And that also is risky because they don't know the intricacies of Revit and what can go wrong during an upgrade and what they need to document before and after the upgrade.
Speaker A:That's something that a BIM lead or a BIM manager should be managing to make sure that the issues are flagged and it's done at the right time.
Speaker A:When everyone's out of the model, when no one is needing to get in there, and work on it.
Speaker A:And then the last one would be, I think Liz touched on it a little bit.
Speaker A:There's these other modules that you can use on Autodesk Docs, like model coordination, which a lot of companies are starting to use, where you can essentially set up a coordination space while you're working on different models.
Speaker A:And it will, in the background, perform like a clash detection exercise, essentially.
Speaker A:And you can go in there and look at it at any time, you know, during the design process.
Speaker A:And it helps inform, you know, what's going on with the models and you can update it before you get into ca.
Speaker A:And you're actually doing the clash detection in navisworks or whatever platform you want to work with.
Speaker A:So, yeah, that's a lot.
Speaker C:I don't have anything to add.
Speaker C:You covered it all, you know, you.
Speaker B:Said, hey, you know, you look like you may have want to say something, I don't know.
Speaker C:But then she said some things, so it was perfect.
Speaker C:She said it all.
Speaker B:Yeah, I see all these emails flying because of this.
Speaker B:So how do you think this is going to go?
Speaker B:And like, advice we're going to come up with afterwards to different IT professionals and departments within the companies.
Speaker B:But how do you think this is going to go?
Speaker B:Where is it?
Speaker B:Do you feel the IT department is giving in a little bit or are they still holding their ground?
Speaker A:Right now they're holding their ground pretty firm.
Speaker A:I think it's going to require some, I think, education and some openness to listening to what these BIM leads and project managers are trying to do and how it is actually affecting their ability to coordinate and have effective model management and usage of this Autodesk Docs platform.
Speaker A:The restrictions they're putting on it are actually inhibiting the full use of it.
Speaker A:And so, I mean, and I understand that there are risks and you know, in talking with Boris from your team, you know, his, his main point was that there needs to be education and training before people are granted these types of access.
Speaker A:And I fully agree.
Speaker A:So if that's, if that's the, the key to the Castle, then let's do it.
Speaker A:But I think there has to be an openness and a willingness for IT to understand how this is really, actually hurting the projects and our ability to work on them.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's actually education both directions, I mean, to IT and to the users.
Speaker C:And I also think that BIM should be seen by the IT department as a kind of sister organization because we do have to dig into stuff that requires higher level of admin rights.
Speaker C:And we do understand how these things work and we are careful and we don't want to mess it up because it ruins our day too.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:And this is why, you know, part of like the whole thing for ARC IT because we focus on aac, you know, we work with people like you, we work with people like Willard, you know, on the other side of this with archicad specifically because it's essential function to the organization because the CAD and all that stuff didn't really need that much collaboration.
Speaker B:At least it didn't have all those native collaborative features, right, like bridging and stuff like that.
Speaker B:But now the whole advantage of Revit is this idea that, you know, multiple people can work at it at the same time and you can, you know, clients request this, this sort of stuff.
Speaker B:And with, with that said, I think it's.
Speaker B:The education piece is critical.
Speaker B:But before, let me ask you this.
Speaker B:How new is this Autodesk Docs functionality to this to the organization?
Speaker B:You bring as an example, is this fairly new?
Speaker B:Has IT department had a chance to kind of integrate this into the, you know, standard operating procedures?
Speaker B:Or this is just like you guys brought it in yesterday?
Speaker A:No, they've had, they've had a few years with it.
Speaker A:But I think as a lot of some consultants, essentially they end up working the old way where they go work on someone else's hub.
Speaker A:So all of this stuff is a non point because they, you know, the, the architect or whomever controls all of this access.
Speaker A:And that makes sense, it's their hub.
Speaker A:But now what's happening is that this, I think Covid really pushed it to the forefront that you want to get these Revit models off of these local servers.
Speaker A:For many reasons.
Speaker A:The functionality is better up on the Autodesk construction cloud.
Speaker A:You can access it from anywhere that you have an Internet connection.
Speaker A:You can have team members all over the world and you can really harness different specialties and strengths and teams without having to basically grant access or a remote desktop into your internal file servers in order to work like this.
Speaker A:A lot of companies are actually transitioning from even placing Revit models period on their servers and actually hosting everything up in the cloud.
Speaker A: Prior to: Speaker A:There was only those projects that would get hosted up there.
Speaker A:The rest of them would stay internal.
Speaker A: But after: Speaker A:So there was this like, oh, well, we already have this system where we could host our revit file and everyone can access it and we can keep working while it is figuring this out to get us all secure access through VPN or RDP into our network that's sitting in the office while they're at home.
Speaker A:Then let's do that.
Speaker A:So I think that's where we saw the big shift.
Speaker A:And now I, you know, with this, this current client they actually are, that is one of their goals is any of their internal projects.
Speaker A:They are hosting their revit files up there, but it is fairly new.
Speaker A:So, you know, within the last like two, three years, I would say.
Speaker A:So they have quite a few protocols around it.
Speaker A:Like they've, you know, if you want access to a project, they have a link that they send you and you type your name in in your email and it adds you to the project through their channels, essentially.
Speaker A:And their team is knowledgeable about the things that they specifically are doing.
Speaker A:But I think the problem still lies in the knowledge of the software as a whole and the construction cloud as a whole and what it's really being used for and how the other side of the office potentially needs to be able to do those things and not just them.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Does Autodesk offer, as far as, you know, like off top of your head, any kind of training specifically targeted to IT departments and then to BIM managers?
Speaker B:I mean, BIM managers, I'm sure, but IT departments?
Speaker A:That's a great question.
Speaker A:I mean, I know at Autodesk University I've seen a few IT companies who come and they give talks and, and.
Speaker A:But they're kind of like you guys, they're unicorns.
Speaker B:Nobody like us.
Speaker C:Nobody, nobody, nobody.
Speaker A:They're few and far between, you know, the IT companies that actually get into the Autodesk ecosystem and understand how it's a different beast than any other software that they're probably used to dealing with.
Speaker A:With the updates and the versions and the desktop connector and Autodesk Docs and all the things and also the ever changing names makes it super fun for everyone.
Speaker A:That's the other side of this too.
Speaker A:The BIM 360 side of ACC Docs, which is the previous version, which is now archived and we recommend not starting any new projects over there because Autodesk went over to ACC Docs and basically then started creating all of these other tools like bridging and they are improving model coordination and all the other aspects on the docs side and they kind of left BIM360 where it was.
Speaker A:So there's also projects that are still on that platform where the permissions and all this control also behaves differently.
Speaker A:So that adds another layer into this.
Speaker A:If you're working on projects that are hosted on the older version of ACC Docs, it is different.
Speaker A:And I think it's essential for them to understand the difference in those two as well.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:So here's kind of the advice, right?
Speaker B:The advice that I'm gathering, you know, and from the exchanges that we've had with this issue over the last couple week, week and a half or so, I think it behooves.
Speaker B:So if you are, you know, AAC company and has internal, and you have internal IT department, send them to Autodesk University or at least, you know, provide access and make sure, because that's a business critical tool set.
Speaker B:This isn't, you know, this isn't.
Speaker B:This is kind of like remote access to the building.
Speaker B:I would say that level.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because, you know, it's access to your, to your data.
Speaker B:But, but as you said, without, without giving BIM managers the ability to do their work, what's the point of the building?
Speaker B:So if you have a building and you manage an access where your people can't get in, why have a building?
Speaker B:You're paying rent.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so I think that's, you know, everybody understands building access management and, you know, key cards and all those things.
Speaker B:But this needs to be understood just as well.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:And look, we're also growing and improving in this.
Speaker B:But those of you out there who are looking to, you know, hire an IT company that gets it, you know, arc it, we get it.
Speaker B:And this is a big part of what we.
Speaker B:So we save a lot of money by doing only one industry.
Speaker B:So we save a lot of money not having to learn every single business and spend all kinds of time figuring out basic issues that we've already solved a hundred times.
Speaker B:But where we expand time is on managing tools like this complex operational Software, whether it's Archicad, whether it's Revit, whether it's AutoCAD and stuff like that, like you called upgrades, right.
Speaker B:There's a cycle to upgrades and there's, there's devils in the details because this could, this could take the office out or at least individual architects or engineers out for potentially days if you don't do it.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So bottom of bottom line, you know, we'd love to have your business, if you're looking for IT company that understands your business other than that.
Speaker B:Any parting words of wisdom from you, Liz, or Megan?
Speaker B:Liz, maybe you can say a thing.
Speaker A:I have more to say.
Speaker C:I said plenty of things just listening to Megan discuss.
Speaker C:She's airing.
Speaker C:She's dealing with a lot of this right now.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I guess the parting words are education is key.
Speaker C:And that new things don't have to be scary.
Speaker C:And that please let us in the building instead of just pressing our noses against the glass.
Speaker B:Please let us in the building.
Speaker B:I love that.
Speaker A:Are we not by a bouncer?
Speaker C:Yeah, a very big, angry bouncer.
Speaker B:It bouncer.
Speaker B:All right, ladies, have a fantastic weekend again, thank you very much for your time.
Speaker B:I know you have to prepare, you have to take time of your day.
Speaker B:You guys don't even take as much new business because you're very, very busy.
Speaker B:But people who do need help, they should reach out to you.
Speaker B:Aurora Bim is there to help.
Speaker B:And I wish you all, I mean, wish you all fantastic weekend.
Speaker B:Thank you very much for watching and listening and we'll see you all next time.
Speaker C:Thank you.
