Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 19

Jonnalagadda: We see the pros of cloud
computing - such as infinite compute
power at one's fingertips, enhanced security,
effortless collaboration, and platform
versatility - outweighing the cons. Prob -
ably the con that comes to peoples'
minds is whether they'll be able to access
their projects if they lose Internet access.
Security is absolutely a paradigm of significant
concern that companies and their
vendors must tackle together.
Tech Briefs: Are there common limits
of functionality within a software program
when using the cloud option? What
features of the software may be unavailable
via the cloud?
Rushton: If anything, it is more likely
to be the other way around. The cloud,
and the benefit of cloud computing,
opens up more possibilities than ever
before. Rendering and simulation are
the usual culprits when it comes to very
computationally heavy usage and many
clients are known to invest in huge
amounts of computing power internally
to get tasks done as quickly as possible.
However, this hardware needs to be
maintained and updated and it may not
be used 100% of the time, so much of
the value is going to waste. With the
cloud, this can be accessed and utilized
on demand and only paid for when
used.
Lafleche: Cloud and SaaS should not
be viewed as a constraint but as an
enabling mechanism to further improve
the design process. By creating design
technology that is " cloud first, " design
engineers now can work together on
design projects in parallel on the same
assembly lines. This is impossible without
a database-driven platform on the
cloud that supports multi-user editing
with version control. The actual quality
evaluating a " When
cloud-based software
option, it's important to
consider how central the function
is to the core of your business. That
should indicate how much weight
'cons' like security and connectivity
should have.
"
Danielle Lopez
Tech Briefs, September 2021
Cov
you " It is critical to consider if
are prepared for a true digital transformation
before switching to a cloud-capable solution. It is not enough
to do a simple copy and paste of your current engineering process -
the key to successful implementation of a new platform is cultural change.
"
Michael Lafleche
and ro bustness of the platform can be
in creased many times over by implementing
design software on SaaS, as all
software updates and design information
is always up to date for all users
globally.
Brown: We don't believe there should
be limits imposed on users because of
their choice to run in the cloud. So, if a
customer wants to run software in the
cloud, they have the same software tools
as they do on their desktop. We do see
the opportunity to offer more targeted
applications that are aimed at solving specific
use cases or business challenges for
users who are not full-time CAD users.
Jonnalagadda: Cloud software abso -
lutely does offer differences; however,
rather than thinking of them as limits, we
think about them as new possibilities.
Our overall intent is for our software to
increase the productivity of the people
who use it. Cloud software has the ability
to " get smarter " over time about how
it is used, predict what the user is trying to
achieve with it, and offer time-savings and
efficiency-increasing suggestions to help
them get there.
Lopez: Often, cloud software can be
limited by a user's bandwidth, which can
result in latency and hinder the software's
performance. Such problems can
only be controlled by the individual
user's circumstances. Cloud software can
also be impacted by outages to the software
or server, which individual users
have no ability to resolve; most capable
cloud software companies have built in
numerous safeguards and redundancies
to mitigate this risk. Cloud-based software
that requires access to built-in device functionality
may be limited; for example,
camera or microphone use can be limited
by the user's individual device. Software
options that were not initially built to use
the cloud can be limited as well.
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Tech Briefs: Is there a cost difference
be tween a cloud offering and on-prem -
ises software?
Rushton: In my mind, the question is
really about value, not cost. It is about
freeing up experts to spend time on
what they want to be doing, what they
are experts in, and how they add value to
your business. If employees are working
on software updates, trying to arrange
design reviews, or wading through e -
mails, you are not tapping into their full
value and they have a higher cost versus
any software solution.
Lafleche: It may be tempting to look at
price quotes at face value. They may
look similar in price but you should look
a little bit deeper. On-premises applications
re quire design organizations to take
on not only the CAD licenses but also
management of the data they generate,
which leads to the implementation of
costly PDM/PLM software on clients and
servers. It would be a mistake to overlook
other purchases that need to be made to
make all that software work. Companies
must license database software like Mi -
crosoft SQL and plan on remote access
contingencies like a VPN or replicated
data servers for remote facilities.
Brown: When looking at cloud offerings
and on-premises software, companies
need to look at the value that the
offerings bring and the cost factors
involved. The software is one element of
the equation; hardware costs, costs of
staff time to manage the environments,
and cost of upgrading all factor into the
on-premises model. How much money
does a company spend preparing data
that needs to be shared with other companies?
How much does it cost to make
sure that employees have access to the
right data when they need it? How much
does the risk of moving files through
media like email or sharing sites with the
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Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021

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