Drawing on years of experience of deploying remote working technologies to the world’s leading AEC businesses, Keith Ali, MD at Creative ITC, discusses how construction firms can unlock competitive advantage from implementing effective hybrid working platforms.
The UK construction industry is forecast to bounce back from the economic impact of Covid-19. With improving investor confidence and growing investments in transport, renewable energy, residential and commercial projects, rapid technology scale-up is a key factor in boosting post-pandemic industry resilience.
Enabling global teams to collaborate effectively and deliver projects more quickly is a huge opportunity for an industry that’s traditionally operated on ultra-low margins. Now, with the transition to widespread hybrid working, many are considering (or reconsidering) virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to improve workforce mobility and productivity.
But unlocking IT investment is a tough ask in the current climate and for 60% of UK architecture and engineering firms cost remains a major barrier. The problem is compounded by the fact that many AEC companies have struggled to get VDI to work, primarily because off-the-shelf solutions weren’t designed for heavy graphics users handling AutoCAD, Revit and Enscape apps, or project teams working on huge BIM datasets. Evolving rendering solutions have placed ever-growing demands on IT infrastructure and these power users have become shackled to a traditional office-based IT set up.
So, how can construction businesses achieve what many deem out of reach – unlocking real business benefits from investment in a sustainable solution to boost collaboration and productivity, one that actually works across the entire workforce?
The chances of long-term VDI success greatly increase when you know the five common pitfalls to look out for – and how to avoid them.
- Unrealistic resourcing
Managing a VDI solution long-term is anything but simple. You can spend a lot of time firefighting issues with legacy infrastructure, cloud deployment and user problems. Be honest about your team’s skillset and examine existing infrastructure closely when choosing a deployment model.
Find a provider offering fully-managed consumption in a private cloud, on-premise, or hybrid in one seamless solution giving IT teams the freedom to decide where VDI workloads sit. The managed service provider (MSP) route brings savings on infrastructure, upgrades, licensing, application deployment, support and headcount. Scrutinise their technical credentials and abilities to provide ongoing management. Check your business will benefit from access to the latest technologies and how often these will be updated.
- One-size-fits-all assumptions
One-size-fits-all solutions wrongly assume all staff will have the same VDI needs. Look for a purpose-built platform that assures user experience identical to, or better than, in the workplace – for power users and knowledge workers alike. A supplier with a successful track record in the AEC sector – one who fully understands virtualisation in the cloud and how industry-specific applications and network services behave together – will be invaluable.
- Empty money-saving promises
Beware providers promising to save you money. IT infrastructure costs can remain flat or rise slightly. A specialist provider can unlock much greater value for around the same outlay.
Additional IT gains include enhanced data security, built-in disaster recovery, smaller storage footprint, faster IT provisioning, centrally managed updates and less helpdesk traffic leaving more time to spend on transformational IT projects.
- Inaccurate financial comparisons
Ensure cost comparisons are like-for-like. In moving from self-managed on-premise VDI or WVD to Desktop-as-a-Service delivered by an MSP, calculate the total cost of ownership over a five-year period. Factor in hardware refreshes, virtualisation software, additional GPU, salaries, training, out-of-hours support, power and rack space.
Look for an MSP offering scalable pricing. Pay per user, per month, per profile by purchasing credits you can stipulate and reallocate, providing burst scalability when needed.
- Overlooking productivity gains
Don’t ignore business gains from improved collaboration and productivity. Successful VDI adoption enables global teams to deliver projects faster at less risk and cost; employees benefit from faster access, improved version control, and time saved eliminating rework and duplicated effort. You can quantify the value using time/pay calculations or similar activity-based costing models.
As construction businesses strive to flourish in the new era of hybrid working, IT teams must overcome increased financial scrutiny when seeking investment in new technologies. Taking a holistic approach to VDI investment will result in a compelling case demonstrating clear ROI, making it easier for finance and IT directors to reach the right business decision.
