Why Architects need IT support tips, Architectural technology guide, Building designers software tech
Why Architects Need IT Support
21 December 2021
Every business from every sector requires some form of IT support. If the business you’re in requires you to use any form of software, then you will need that support in place – this is certainly true for businesses in the Architectural sector. Of course, architecture is an old industry that never needed to rely on technology, but the advancements in digital design technology has aided the industry greatly, as well as leading to greater reliance on technology for a number of reasons.
Many IT support providers, such as TechQuarters in London, provide support for architecture firms and their technology stacks. We asked them exactly what types of IT demands architects have, and why it is critical for them to have strong London IT Support Solutions in place.
What technology do architects use?
If you ask any architect what software is most important to their work, there is a good chance they will say a Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. A CAD software is any software that aids in the creation, analysis, modification, or optimisation of a design. In fact, it is used in a vast array of sectors – anywhere that requires meticulous attention to detail for a design will likely use CAD software. CAD can be used for both 2D and 3D design, and there are many different open source and premium CAD software available on the market. There are a range of benefits to using CAD software; for example, it is much more accurate than hand-drawn designs, and it decreases error percentage; code and designs can easily be copied and shared; and editing designs becomes much quicker.
Other technology architects use may be less specific to their sector. For instance, many architects nowadays utilize Cloud technology. The Cloud, as it is commonly referred, has seen a boom in use across both professional and consumer applications; the ability to store data in a datacentre that you can access remotely from anyone around the world has untold benefits.
What is more, Cloud computing can enable architecture companies to virtualise their servers and other critical IT infrastructure. It is even possible for software such as AutoCAD to be virtualised and hosted in the Cloud, so that it can be rolled out to users at multiple locations. The common Cloud computing services include Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure (which is what TechQuarters uses and recommends).
What IT requirements do architects have?
According to TechQuarters, businesses will have slightly differing IT priorities depending on what sector they are in, because often the type of business you’re in will influence the type of technology you use, and also how you use it. This can be applied to all kinds of forms of Small Business IT Support in general. For architects, the data they produce is extremely important; accuracy is essential in architecture, as is having excellent data storage capabilities.
Off-site access to data – Though all important data should be stored securely, and most commonly on the company site, there will also be times when users working in an architect firm will need to access that data from other locations. Perhaps if they are visiting a building site but wish to access sensitive info that is stored in datacentres in their office. Often the amount of data they need to have access to runs into the terabytes; and so reliable storage solutions and remote access via the Cloud is essential.
Disaster Recovery – When you have invested in a sizable technology stack it is important to take into consideration physical risks to that technology. It is common practice in IT to establish Disaster Recovery Scenarios – this is where you plan for the event of catastrophic infrastructure damage; the cause of this could be anything from floods or other extreme weather, to a human-caused disaster.
Large file access – Designing buildings is an immensely complex process, and so it goes without saying that, in this digital world, the files that architects work with on a daily basis are going to be very complex – and complex files are usually very large files. The challenge with working with very large files regularly is that processing all the data in those files can be very labour-intensive for computers. Therefore architect businesses need to be equipped with hardware and software that will make opening and editing large files an easy experience.
Cyber Security – No matter what business you are in, all organisations require cyber security. The data your company holds can be used in many ways by hackers, and so it is essential that you protect that data via a range of solutions, such as Backups, Firewalls, and Endpoint Management.
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