Engineering Inc - January/February 2018 - 41

new challenges will affect how we
approach our services, and how
we quantify and minimize the
risks that come with them," she
says.
It's clear technology will play an
increasingly larger role in solving
the challenges of urbanization,
says Gregory Bosworth, vice
president of IT at engineering
"Data, business
firm VHB. "To make sure we are
automation
ahead of the curve in addressing
this, we are devoting significant
and improved
resources to keep us current with
efficiencies
technology in terms of the tools
we use," he says.
are critically
Over the past year and a half,
important for
VHB's applied technology services
has evolved into a core service
clients, and
for the firm with executive-level
integrating
representation, Bosworth says.
The firm's focus on technology
applied
includes providing employees
technologies into with the technology they need,
our core services building revenue through new
technology-related services and
is integral."
helping to mitigate business risk.
VHB also plans to continue
GREGORY BOSWORTH increasing its investment in techVHB
nology over the next several years.
"We need to adapt so that we can continue to solve clients' challenges," Bosworth says. "Data, business automation and improved
efficiencies are critically important for clients, and integrating
applied technologies into our core services is integral."
FACING CHALLENGES

need a much higher level of technical skills. Additionally, the level
of support in the office has increased due to the pure volume of
data being brought in."
One of the most pressing areas of concern is protecting systems
and data against a growing array of cybersecurity threats.
"Cybersecurity used to be a discussion that didn't take very
long," Quinn says. "We had anti-virus software and basic firewalls.
These days it's about educating the end-user and letting them
know what today's threats are. Threats change every day, and the
security discussion is a lot more prevalent."
Information security and business continuity top the list of challenges, Repetto says. "Finding the balance between security and
convenience is never an easy task, and IT departments need to constantly look at how to find this balance," he says.
Software diversity can be a challenge when people collaborate
with different companies and need to find a common platform,
according to Repetto.
"Another challenge is storage management," he says. "With
more and more terabytes of data that need to be available to
everyone in every office, we keep pushing technology to be where
we need it to be."
Defining, measuring and maximizing the value of IT remains
difficult for many engineering firms. IT is undoubtedly central to
creating value and therefore continues to account for a rising share
of total investment.
In some cases, the economic value expected from the IT department can be measured through improvement in the overall cost-torevenue ratio while the strategic value can translate into a competitive edge in terms of investment or acquisition capacity.
T. Baker Smith uses percentage increase in revenue per full-time
equivalent-the hours worked by one employee on a full-time
basis-to measure the value of technology spending.
But IT has become so integral to the operations of engineering
firms today that its value should be assumed.

IT will likely play an even bigger strategic role as firms
increasingly use emerging technologies
such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and
augmented and virtual reality

With increased responsibility and reliance
on IT have come a number of challenges for
firms.
"IT has made all of us more connected,
which has created a situation where everyone
expects an instant response," Brothers says.
"This connectivity and expectation of response challenges how
we manage our workforce and our clients. We can't be on all the
time; it is not healthy, and we don't expect it of our staff at Nitsch
Engineering. The challenge is how to provide the IT solutions
that connect our employees to the company and our clients while
articulating our expectations for communication."
Another challenge is the need to hire more people with various
data-related skills.
"You would think that due to all the automation we would actually need less people," Smith says. "I have not seen this. Just the
opposite; we need more folks. However, we need much different
types of people."
Take professional surveyors as an example. "Due to technology
we can gather a tremendous amount of data in a very short time
period," Smith says. "However, people conducting the surveying

"In some cases, technology is a requirement to get the job. In
others, technology is saving the company resources or providing a
better value on the work done," Repetto says. "Different pieces of
technology provide different benefits, and we can't always measure
it the same way. The investment must be in tune with the overall
strategy for the company."
At C&S, any discussion in the firm these days about how to
improve almost always involves technology, according to Quinn.
"If we need better communications, that's a technology issue. If we
need faster development of our products, that's technology. If we
need improved collaboration between companies, that's technology," he says. "IT is what's driving innovation." ■
Bob Violino is a business and technology writer based in Massapequa
Park, New York.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

ENGINEERING INC.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc - January/February 2018