Seamless collaboration is the future for many industries. But it is indispensable for the future of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry (AEC) sector. A recent McKinsey report found that 80% percent of average cost overruns come from change orders. Imagine how well the industry would perform if that statistic weren’t there. Years before the pandemic erupted, the AEC industry rapidly moved toward remote and hybrid work models. Competitive firms wanted to make it easy for the right talent to join their project teams.
According to the World Economic Forum, 98% of people surveyed want to work from home for the remainder of their careers. A Gartner survey found 82% of businesses plan to retain a remote work environment. Enabling remote work is only one part, albeit a foundational one, of an increasingly complex question. As more work goes on outside a corporate office environment, businesses will use cloud technologies to make applications and files available from anywhere on any device. The question is how to stay current and competitive with the rapid changes in the industry.
The AEC industry continues to undergo tectonic shifts away from labor-intensive methods to automation through digital technologies. The growth of digitalization paves the way for more rapid adoption of technologies such as Building Information Modeling.
The Promise of Building Information Modeling (BIM)
BIM is a computer-based tool used by architects, engineers, and builders to design residential housing to high office buildings. The time-saving and improved efficiency modeling potential is enormous where entire life cycles of buildings are manageable. Building owners can benefit from real-time monitoring of energy expenditure peaks and valleys, physical maintenance requirements, etc. Why not connect the smart features of the building into the BIM equation.
The power of BIM is growing as more and more cloud-connected technologies take collaboration and connectivity to whole new levels. Think about the integration of BIM so that cities can monitor civic resources like water and power consumption. Waste and recycling initiatives could become more efficient. But for all of that transformational power and potential to save money and build better and more efficiently, BIM is what Mitchell Hughes, author of the Future of BIM is Seamless Collaboration, calls a downstream tool. Hughes writes that architects, engineers, and building designers don’t want many upstream changes coming in from contractors.
Project team leads must make information and communication accessible across a well-managed, secure environment for architects and engineers to use what BIM offers fully. You want an easy-to-understand way for all project stakeholders, from the design captain to the contractor and building manager, to tap into the information they need. One way to do this is through the adoption of Desktop-as-a-Service (Daas).
DaaS is an evolution of the old Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
The difference, and what a significant difference, is that DaaS is cloud-based. The fact that a company’s IT infrastructure is in a cloud environment accomplishes many things, not the least of which is relieving the company of the burdens of daily administration, upgrades, patching, and troubleshooting that goes along with an on-premises VDI deployment. Let’s face it, an IT refresh and managing many desktops and mobile devices can eat up much time; and, therefore, money.
The custom fit of IronOrbit’s INFINITY Workspaces allows internal IT professionals the mental bandwidth and time they need to strategize with business leadership to develop initiatives that can have a direct and meaningful long-term impact on the company’s success. Not only improving efficiencies but also setting the stage for new digital innovation. Better Communication and Collaboration mean fewer change orders. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) would enable handling the necessary changes quickly and easily. The entire industry would become faster and more efficient.
The technology professionals at IronOrbit are passionate about helping companies unlock the full potential of being on the cloud. We’re also passionate about seeing the promise of BIM fulfilled. IronOrbit’s INFINTY Workspaces is not just DaaS, but a gateway into a multilayered cloud ecosystem offering unprecedented value and benefit.
Learn more about IronOrbit’s INFINITY Workspaces; download your copy of the INFINITY brochure.
Back when most of the IT experts of today began in the industry, the only infrastructure that was readily available and dependable was on-site servers and networks that were bulky, expensive, and time-consuming to manage and maintain. The last ten years have witnessed tremendous advancements in information technology. Now, IT engineers can design, develop, and implement a company’s entire IT infrastructure within a cloud environment in a fraction of the time it used to take. This good news isn’t just for the IT experts, but for the everyday business owners as well!
Because cloud infrastructure is readily available, you can take advantage of high-powered cloud computing through Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS). Although DaaS may sound complicated, it’s not. You can use any internet-connected device to access your operating system, applications, business data, and even your desktop settings.
What does that mean for your business? It means anywhere, anytime secure access to your company’s workflow. But that’s just the beginning of the high-impact benefits for forward-leaning companies that choose to leverage the power of Desktop as a Service.
1
Eliminates Grunt Work
Using a DaaS saves your IT department from having to do mundane grunt work such as application licensing, patching, and troubleshooting.
Outside of the fact that DaaS lowers your IT management cost by shifting that responsibility to the cloud provider is the fact that your organization has to spend less effort on maintaining your IT assets. Even companies that have outsourced their IT maintenance to a 3rd party still have a measure of IT housekeeping that they must do internally. DaaS makes IT maintenance and management hands-free for your staff – allowing them to be more effective and efficient in the tasks they were hired to do.
If you’re tired of employees complaining about their computers – or about the IT support – if you’re sick of doing endless updates, upgrades, patches – all to avoid the blue screen of death – DaaS is where you want to be. Most cloud providers offering DaaS have proven their ability to maintain their promise of 99.99% reliable uptime. That’s good news for your workflow and for your ability to focus on your work – not IT issues.
2
Data Redundancy
DaaS puts your company’s workflow in your hands instead of at the mercy of IT roadblocks, ransomware, or a natural disaster like hurricanes, fires, and tornados.
You don’t have to worry about a local network crashing – because there is none. It’s all in the cloud. You don’t have to think about losing data if your laptop dies – because your actual “computer” is virtual and all your data is stored in the cloud. Instead of having an operational IT system and a Business Continuity strategy backup system, you’re using your Business Continuity system every day in the cloud.
Since your data is stored at a secure facility offsite; or, in the case of IronOrbit, stored at multiple data centers, it is protected against onsite server failure or natural disasters. Having redundant backups provides a safety net. If a natural disaster impacts data center one, data center two kicks in automatically.
3
Increased Security
IT support teams in businesses take reasonable precautions to guard against cybercrime. These security measures cannot compete with the security technologies employed by cloud providers delivering DaaS options for businesses.
Critically DaaS shifts the security burden away from the individual device and places it within a data center infrastructure designed for the highest levels of protection. To put it simply, it would be cost-prohibitive for a small to mid-size business to hire even one IT security professional to protect their in-house systems to the level of a Tiered private cloud hosting partner.
Data is no longer vulnerable on a local device but held – and regularly backed up – in a secure hosted environment; it is also encrypted and can be made accessible only through multi-factor authentication protocols. The addition of a designated managed service provider also has its advantages. Systems are monitored 24/7. For example, a managed service provider can prevent someone from stealing data using a USB. That’s why enterprise-class organizations, the military, and the government are overwhelmingly looking to cloud providers to host their workflow. The security is there.
Muhammad Ali’s combination of his heavyweight body, speed, and reflexes was revolutionary and made his boxing style artistic. Ali said he needs to, “Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” In order to be resilient, companies need to do the same thing.
4
Enhanced Flexibility, Agility, & Mobility
We’ve already noted that cloud infrastructure along with new virtual desktops for your staff can be deployed in record time in comparison to traditional on-site IT setups. But that’s just a baseline. Consider the fluctuations of the marketplace over the past few years. The companies that survived and thrived were the ones most able to, in the words of Mohammad Ali, “Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” Companies need a high level of agility combined with decisive leadership that can act quickly. DaaS allows you to scale up or down easily, add or reduce capacity, and change directions on the fly if needed.
Once you’ve moved your IT system to a DaaS, mobility becomes much easier. Modern companies are flexible enough to have their employees work from anywhere and on any device of their choosing. To thrive in the new cloud ecosystem, companies will need every tool available to be resilient. Teams will have to expand and contract at a moment’s notice, and they will need to respond quickly to opportunities the moment they appear. DaaS is a building block that makes all of that possible.
Being agile and flexible enables organizations to pivot if need be to remain resilient. Mauro F. Guillen writes, in a recent HBR article, that “successful companies often pivot to a business model that’s conducive to short-term survival, and long-term resilience and growth. Pivoting is a lateral move that creates enough value for the customer and the firm to share.”
The focus is now on productivity, elasticity, and value to the customer. These are the main characteristics that will drive the proliferation of DaaS in business.
5
Reduces Upfront Costs
DaaS reduces enormous upfront costs. Imagine all the hardware you’d have to invest in just to get started. In-house IT infrastructure and computers have to be purchased and implemented with the next 3-5 years of business operations in mind. Recent events have shown that it is impossible to predict the next year much less project 3 to 5 years out.
Even during times of stability, it is often a challenge to budget for hardware replacement. CFOs have to also account for the depreciation of capital expenditures. From the moment you open the box on a new computer, the value depreciates. With many companies still in recovery mode, many are having to delay refreshes altogether, even at the risk of struggling with outdated technology.
DaaS provides the luxury of keeping IT aligned with workflows no matter how dynamic and volatile they may become.
Since DaaS is subscription-based, you’re renting equipment. This subscription-based model moves expenditures from a capital expenditure (CapEX) to an operational expenditure (OpEx). You’re only going to pay for what you use; therefore, if you use a lot, you’re going to pay more. Correspondingly, if you don’t use very much, you pay a minimum amount. This is a CFO’s dream come true because it streamlines operations in ways that lower overall operational costs.
CFOs love DaaS and other cloud-based solutions because of the budget predictability provided by packaged solutions but the fact that they can move CAPEX expenses into the OPEX column. This provides a range of financial and tax efficiencies. #1 in those efficiencies is that your company doesn’t have to pay a large amount of money for in-house servers and networks to be installed. And when your business grows, you don’t have to factor bigger, better servers (with bigger and better prices) into your budgets. Moving IT expenditures from CAPEX to OPEX gives you the flexibility to utilize your cash reserves for other, pro-growth initiatives. Having a fixed and predictable monthly fee certainly makes budgetary planning and forecasting much easier than the break and fix nature of on-premise servers or even in-house VPNs.
6
Energy Conservation Helps the Environment
You’re only one company, but you want to do your part for the environment – and you want your consumers to SEE you doing your part for the environment. Because DaaS allows you to use your devices for longer and to partner with eco-conscious cloud platforms, you can do your part for the planet without it costing you more to do so.
A study conducted by the Carbon Disclosure Project found companies that utilized cloud computing saved a total of $1.3 billion annually and reduced carbon emissions by an equivalent of 200 barrels of oil.
Just imagine the hardware and electrical power needs of even a small-size company. An organization saves tremendous amounts of energy by moving its IT system to a DaaS environment because no onsite servers are gobbling up massive amounts of electrical power. More employees working from home means fewer carbon emissions from vehicles traveling to and from work every day. When you start to consider the number of companies and the number of employees involved, the amount of carbon emissions is significant.
As our lives, work, and thinking turn increasingly towards protecting the climate, conserving energy by leveraging shared data centers will become more attractive and competitive. As this move to remote data centers matures, operators will begin to assess “greener” options for on-site power generation. Data centers are an excellent opportunity to integrate on-site energy generation facilities such as hydrogen applications, solar panels, or a combination of heat and power solutions (CHPs).
Marc Garner, VP of Schneider Electric’s Secure Power Division.
Marc Garner, VP of Schneider Electric’s Secure Power Division.The Vice President of Schneider Electric’s Secure Power Division, Marc Garner wrote in Data Center Dynamics, “Technology has become a key enabler for both businesses and consumers alike, and throughout 2020, dependency on digital infrastructure has increased dramatically. In fact by 2035, Schneider Electric estimates that all IT will consume 8.5 percent of global electricity – compared to 5 percent in 2021 – and data centers are expected to take up a large share of this demand. Many of today’s data center operators, from hyperscalers to cloud and colocation service providers, have already led the market by example, and publicly declared ambitious commitments towards Net Zero, adopting more sustainable approaches to digital business.
Microsoft, for example, has started transitioning to using renewable wind energy – a trend that will likely only continue to increase as awareness and demands for renewables from end-users and governments surge.”
Conclusion
Your business is moving into the future, whether your IT systems are ready for it or not. Using virtual desktops in a DaaS environment ensures you’re always working on the latest version of your operating system and applications. That in and of itself is a compelling reason to move to DaaS,
but that’s only the beginning. Consider that DaaS also gives you a built-in business continuity system. Because your data and workflow are securely housed in the cloud, you never have to worry about how much time, money, and lost opportunities you’d sacrifice if your company’s on-site server goes down.
As Gartner describes in a recent report, technologies utilized by organizations are increasingly conceptualized and implemented outside of the traditional outsourced IT department. Gartner found that the total business-led IT spend averaged around 36% of the total formal IT budget. Business leaders rightfully see digital transformation as an organization-wide discussion, and no longer the sole purview of the IT department.
This article categorized 6 key benefits for companies moving to DaaS. Depending on what priorities are driving your organization at the moment, you may be drawn to one specific DaaS advantage or another. Think about both short and long-term goals in your choice. You might consider DaaS to make hardware refresh more affordable in the short term but also reap the cost and business benefits delivered by DaaS as it has a deeper impact on the continued growth and success of your business long term.
“The IronOrbit INFINITY Workspaces is ideal for professional graphics workstations used by engineers, architects, and designers across industries, from AEC to M&E to manufacturing. With Quadro performance from the cloud, on any connected device, professionals working from home can stay productive.”
Matt McGrigg, Global Director of Cloud Business Development, NVIDIA.
Future-Proof Technology Solutions
Fully customized, dynamic, modular, scalable, and secure Turn-Key solutions with GPU performance rivaling a physical workstation.
Digital Transformation →Workspace Virtualization
Business Optimization →Industry Optimized Solutions
Data Integration →Centralization and Management of Data
Hyperautomation → Adoption of AI and ML Technologies
Multiexperience →Implementation of AR and VR
Who We've Helped
Dant Clayton
Spending an average of $3,000+ on workstations, only having to replace them every 3-5 years just doesn't work anymore. The cloud offers unlimited upgrading and no more hardware refreshes.
Giroux Glass, best known for its work on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, has established itself as one of the nation's most respected glazing contractors since 1946.
“When COVID-19 started, we were able to provide latency-free workspaces to users with substandard home internet connections using IronOrbit. What started out as a move to optimize our business operations really ended up becoming a lifesaver for our organization.”
Mike Albitz
MSA Professional Services
“Even through using a hotspot on my phone, I can access everything I need. I was able to pull up a CAD drawing at a client meeting and we were able to look at it and get an answer right then and there!”
Jennifer Howe
SMMA & ACEC Massachusetts
“We deal with life and death issues. It’s critical for our IT environment to remain online and reliable. Especially now. We are grateful for all the hard work the IronOrbit team has done. They have really built us an incredibly stable network & virtual desktop system.”
IronOrbit Voted One of Orange County’s Top Work Places 2020!
A Few Reasons to Join the Team
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INFINITY
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The Benefits of Being Part of the Team
IronOrbit Team Members are highly motivated, highly intelligent individuals who are passionate about what they do. It's only logical to provide the same in benefits.
Remote Work Positions
401(k)
Health & Dental Benefits
Paid Training & Education
Paid Time Off
Take Their Word for IT
We'll let the team members speak for themselves.
Joining the IronOrbit Team is a great move both personally & professionally.
Tiffany Lockwood
Project Manager
“IronOrbit has empowered me to learn and grow in my career. IronOrbit has a collective innovative mentality to constantly improve not only technology, but our daily work life. I look forward to working with the IronOrbit team for many years to come.”
Jonathan Cruz
IT Support Specialist
“I enjoy the opportunity to help our customers have a pleasant experience with technology and ease their frustration when needed.”
Bobby Apodaca
Business Analysis & Planning
“I love working at IronOrbit because each day is unique & challenging. The technology’s fascinating and our team’s fantastic. It’s refreshing to be part of an evolving organization that enables and invests in its clients, employees, products, and services.”
We deliver on our promises – and in the occasional times that we fall short, we admit it, take responsibility, make it right, and take all the necessary steps to prevent it from happening again.
Synergetic Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts
Our differences, rather than hold us back, make us stronger and more versatile as a whole. We collaborate effectively across groups and departments, working as one to demolish our goals and deliver consistent and ever-improving value to our clients.
Proactive Seek-And-Act, Not Wait-And-See
We always try to anticipate and resolve potential problems before they can affect our clients. We practice this in every area of our business – from development and operations to support and billing.
Innovative Always Improving & Evolving
We're always looking for ways to serve our clients better, whether it's becoming more efficient or developing new products or features altogether.
Reliable Results You Can Depend On
If you're in need of service, we are never more than a phone call or email away. We're here to help 24/7/365.
Empowering Helping Others Reach Their Full Potential
We believe in helping others to reach their full potential, whether they’re colleagues or clients. We do this through advice, training, technologies, services, or through delegation of authority – no cookie-cutter solutions here.
IronOrbit Was Created to Empower Companies Like Yours
Who We Are
IronOrbit is a privately owned and fully integrated Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Powerhouse. We are a Specialized Cloud Services Leader focused on planning, deploying and fueling Digital Transformations for major industries and verticals. IronOrbit innovates, develops, and produces comprehensive technology solutions, specializing in GPU-Accelerated cloud workspaces, for some of the biggest IT-related challenges facing modern businesses.
IronOrbit, is located in beautiful Anaheim Hills, California and was founded in 1997 as an MSP. IronOrbit evolved into a cloud solutions provider offering comprehensive technology solutions for more than two decades.
Our Commitment
to You
We're committed to being your technology advocate.
We will listen to your needs and provide you with recommendations to help keep your company growing and your employees happy. Together we'll succeed in reaching your goals.
The Values We Live By…We ASPIRE!
ACCOUNTABLE We Deliver, or We Adapt
We deliver on our promises – and in the occasional times that we fall short, we admit it, take responsibility, make it right, and take all the necessary steps to prevent it from happening again.
SYNERGETIC Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts
Our differences, rather than hold us back, make us stronger and more versatile as a whole. We collaborate effectively across groups and departments, working as one to demolish our goals and deliver consistent and ever-improving value to our clients.
PROACTIVE Seek-And-Act, Not Wait-And-See
We always try to anticipate and resolve potential problems before they can affect our clients. We practice this in every area of our business – from development and operations to support and billing.
INNOVATIVE Always Improving & Evolving
We're always looking for ways to serve our clients better, whether it's becoming more efficient or developing new products or features altogether.
RELIABLE Results You Can Depend On
If you're in need of service, we are never more than a phone call or email away. We're here to help 24/7/365.
EMPOWERING Helping Others Reach Their Full Potential
We believe in helping others to reach their full potential, whether they’re colleagues or clients. We do this through advice, training, technologies, services, or through delegation of authority – no cookie-cutter solutions here.
Just a Few of the Industries We've Assisted
AEC Industry
The IT Director at SMMA knew the entire AEC industry was on the edge of a digital transformation.
The UCLA Library service encompasses thirteen libraries spread across campus. IronOrbit was able to provide IT resources to a constantly-changing user base.
Brown & Weinstein Tax and Financial Group is a financial services firm with several Southern California locations. IronOrbit centralized and streamlined their entire IT infrastructure.
Complete, Long-Term Data Loss Prevention. Lightning-Fast Restoration. Full system snapshots, enabling rapid restoration. Best-of-breed RPO & RTO of as little as 15 minutes and 2 hours.
Enterprise-level security comes standard. Ensure compliance just by moving to the IronOrbit cloud. IronOrbit complies by default with PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, and many other data control regulations.
Our INFINITY Workspaces solution provide busy business owners like yourself the freedom and flexibility you need. A complete ICT solution for all of your users. Whether remote or in-house, we handle everything for you. Allowing you the freedom to focus on more important things, like running your business.
Wonder What It’s Like to Work With IronOrbit? (Our Process)
Consulting
We listen to what our clients want to do with their IT systems, taking their organizational objectives and timetables into account.
Design
We formulate a solution that addresses our client’s concerns with their current IT environment but that also enables them to pursue their next-stage goals.
Implementation
We bring the required IT solutions online while being careful not to interrupt the client’s daily workflow.
Continuous, Caring Support
We pride ourselves on speedy response times and maintaining a high touch with our customers (24/7 US-based support).
Everything You Need to Get Your Business up & Running With the All-in-One ICT Solution
For a Fixed-Monthly fee, IronOrbit provides a turnkey solution that leverages the power of the cloud for the assets that matter most.
Microsoft 365 support, 24/7 IT support, Cloud Workspaces for ALL of your users. Fast, secure, backed up and future-proof.
Your digital transformation.
Blazing-Fast, All-Flash/SSD Hosting; Launch In 1 Second
Email Encryption, 2FA & MDM Add-Ons Available
UNLIMITED CPU, RAM & Microsoft Software Upgrades
24/7/365 All-Inclusive Support (W/ Engineering)
Highly-Secure, HIPAA, PCI DSS, & SOC 2 Compliant
99.999% Uptime Guarantee
We Know There Are Business Dangers Out There
Being Non-Compliant Can Damage Your Reputation
Don't leave your IT infrastructure to a single person. Rely on our team who is dedicated to protecting your business from threats.
Lost Productivity Is Wasted Money
If your system goes down for 1 second, you're losing money. Being with IronOrbit enables 99.999% uptime!
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Get away from wasting money on constant hardware upgrades. We extend the life of all your current hardware thanks to our SMX Technology!
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We Assist Business Owners
CLIENT STORY
G&C Corporation
“It was crazy! We had servers all over the place. Different applications everywhere, it was chaos. We chose IronOrbit because they could streamline the operations. They would be on call for us and be there in the event of emergencies. So it was time to move forward.”
David Kurrasch, the CEO and founder of K-Co Products, shares the one thing he did to free up more time so that he could focus on growing his business. K-Co distributes innovative products like the popular Monkey Hook and the Little Big Shot.
“A lot of times I'll be at home and think, 'Man, I forgot to take care of this’. With IronOrbit I can walk into any room at home, open my laptop, and I'm suddenly at work. I can take care of whatever it is and not have to worry about it anymore. I can be anywhere in the world and be at my desk. I don't have to back-up anything because it's already backed up.”
Now, more than ever, business owners need easily accessible and dynamic computing, communications, and collaboration capabilities. Put simply, IronOrbit INFINITY Workspaces (hosted desktops), are your computers in the cloud. And they are optimized for what business owners need to accomplish.
Your applications, your files, your operating system – even your personal desktop shortcuts and settings – it’s all there for you. INFINITY Workspaces are faster and more powerful than your laptop or desktop computers and can be accessed securely via any internet-connected device.
Your All-in-One ICT Solution.
Technology &
Cloud Innovations
Check out our blog for the latest in the cloud and
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Cybersecurity as a Cost of Doing Business
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Security & Compliance Services - Threat Detection. Email Security. 2FA. Legal Compliance.
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Post-Pandemic Business Success is About Renewal
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Today's Cloud Ecosystem Economy and Why it is Important to Understand
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IronOrbit’s INFINITY Workspaces Help Prepare Future Design & Engineer Talent for Sustained Success
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Home (UPDATE)
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Why is Digital Transformation So Important to Sustained Success? (Part 2)
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Our Data Centers
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Corporate Social Responsibility
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Contact Us
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Partnerships
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Apply Technology to Improve Business Outcomes for 2021
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GPU-Accelerated Workspaces That Leverage the Computing Power of the Cloud.
AEC GPU-Accelerated Workspaces
Many AEC firms are gravitating towards IronOrbit’s industry optimized and GPU-Accelerated INFINITY Workspaces. Powered by NVIDIA’s virtual GPU technology, they are quickly becoming an industry standard for graphic and compute-intensive applications. Slow internet speeds, bandwidth limitations, outdated hardware, and bulky, costly workstations are a thing of the past.
IronOrbit’s INFINITY Workspaces are tailored to fit your business, workflows, and requirements for a seamless experience with 3D rendering, visualization, and any BIM or CAD applications.
THE BENEFITS OF REMOTE WORK
SMMA & Remote Work
Long before the coronavirus, the leadership team at SMMA – one of Boston's most prominent architect firms, recognized the value in offering their team to work from home or in the office.
Wonder What It’s Like to Work With IronOrbit? (Our Process)
Consulting
We listen to what our AEC clients want to do with their IT systems, taking their organizational objectives and timetables into account.
Design
We formulate a solution that addresses our client’s concerns with their current IT environment but that also enables them to pursue their next-stage goals.
Implementation
We bring the required IT solutions online while being careful not to interrupt the client’s daily workflow.
Continuous, Caring Support
We pride ourselves on speedy response times and maintaining a high touch with our customers (24/7 US-based support).
The BIM/CAD Cloud Your Architects & Engineers Will Rave About
For a Fixed-Monthly fee, IronOrbit provides a turnkey solution that leverages the power of the cloud for the assets that matter most.
Computing Capacity & Speed
Mobility & Flexibility
Scalability & Agility
Cybersecurity
Business Continuity
Backups & Disaster Recovery
Cost Savings & Predictability
Enhanced Productivity
Real-Time Collaboration
Synchronize Architectural Projects From Concept to Construction
The Perfect Cloud
Built for BIM and CAD to deliver a smooth, seamless, GPU-Accelerated experience for architects, engineers and construction professionals.
Cloud Journey
Moving to the cloud is the single most powerful decision you can make to optimize your business, drive innovation and advancement, while facilitating growth and reducing costs long term.
Safe & Secure
We standardize multiple levels of security, which are unparalleled in the industry. Your entire infrastructure is protected by state-of-the-art technology at Tier 4 Data Centers and surveillance.
Continuity You Can Count On
Our Business Continuity features Enterprise-grade backups and disaster recovery with data centers strategically placed throughout the US & Canada, with reliable 24/7/365 support.
NVIDIA Quadro augments our ability to deliver an agile, flexible, and scalable solution for real-time collaboration from anywhere on any device. Inherently secure mobile and remote access, combined with high-powered GPU technology, enables us to truly deliver future-proof designs without limitations.
“The IronOrbit INFINITY Workspaces is ideal for professional graphics workstations used by engineers, architects, and designers across industries, from AEC to M&E to manufacturing. With Quadro performance from the cloud, on any connected device, professionals working from home can stay productive.”
Matt McGrigg, Global Director of Cloud Business Development, NVIDIA.
“We were trying to get a Proof of Concept going just when Covid hit,” says Mike Albitz of MSA. For IronOrbit it was an opportunity to save jobs and keep a geographically dispersed team of architects, engineers, and designers working productively.
Giroux Glass, best known for its work on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, has established itself as one of the nation's most respected glazing contractors since 1946.
Join your peers for an insightful discussion of the AEC industry, the state of the world, and the advancement of new technologies. These discussions are invite only and kept smaller to encourage healthy conversation. Nothing is scripted or sales oriented. We intend to enlighten our participants and viewers, and make navigating the AEC technology environment just a little bit simpler.
As architects of business transformation, our cloud solutions are designed and optimized around the unique demands of your AEC firm. Our INFINITY Workspaces are customized to improve workflow efficiency across all departments. We strive to provide an enhanced user experience that boosts productivity and fosters collaboration. The fixed monthly fee stabilizes and reduces overall IT costs, while increasing competitive advantage and building sustainable profitability.
IronOrbit Is Your Key to Driving Development & Advancement in Architecture, Engineering, & Construction
Your teams will design and build more effectively because they can collaborate and focus on their projects. On the backend, procedures and processes will be streamlined with the peace of mind knowing your data is backed up and secure in Tier 4 data centers. On the front end, your teams of talented professionals will enjoy a seamless GPU-driven experience that is always available from anywhere on any device.
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INFINITY Workspaces are designed to provide the same or better GPU performance compared to physical workstation. IronOrbit develops fully customized, dynamic, modular, scalable, and secure Turn-Key solutions that fit specific user profiles within the AEC industry.
Our Key Initiatives include:
• Migrate traditional workstations to fully digitized, cloud-based workspaces
• Provide AEC specific solutions that boost efficiency and reduce TCO
• Tailored GPU-Accelerated DaaS Products for every user profile
• Committed to perfecting the UX in adopting and utilizing DaaS solutions
“The IronOrbit INFINITY Workspaces is ideal for professional graphics workstations used by engineers, architects, and designers across industries, from AEC to M&E to manufacturing. With Quadro performance from the cloud, on any connected device, professionals working from home can stay productive.”
Matt McGrigg, Global Director of Cloud Business Development, NVIDIA.
Who We've Helped
Dant Clayton
Spending an average of $3,000+ on workstations, only having to replace them every 3-5 years just doesn't work anymore. The cloud offers unlimited upgrading and no more hardware refreshes.
Giroux Glass, best known for its work on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, has established itself as one of the nation's most respected glazing contractors since 1946.
Designed & Built for Creative & Technical Professionals
We Speak Your Language
What Our Clients Say
“When COVID-19 started, we were able to provide latency-free workspaces to users with substandard home internet connections using IronOrbit. What started out as a move to optimize our business operations really ended up becoming a lifesaver for our organization.”
Mike Albitz
MSA Professional Services
“Even through using a hotspot on my phone, I can access everything I need. I was able to pull up a CAD drawing at a client meeting and we were able to look at it and get an answer right then and there!”
Jennifer Howe
SMMA & ACEC Massachusetts
“The customizability & scalability of the platform have made it easy for us to add employees & expand as needed, as well as attract & retain the best engineering talent with a work-from-home option.”
Matthew Harper
VP of Technology, Dant Clayton
The “All-in-one”
IT Solution
INFINITE UPGRADES
Unlimited hardware and software
upgrades. Microsoft 365 & more.
INFINITE COMPUTING
A dynamic platform that scales to support your workloads when needed most.
UNMETERED BANDWIDTH
Unlimited data transfer in and out for
no additional charge. Includes backups & Internet usage.
SECURITY & COMPLIANCE
IronOrbit complies by default with PCI DSS,
HIPAA, SOC, & many other data control
regulations.
BACKUP & DISASTER RECOVERY
Daily offsite backups & snapshots to a
dedicated DR facility. Rapid recovery
w/ RPO & RTO as low as 2 hrs.
24/7 US-BASED SUPPORT
Dedicated support teams w/ SLA of down
to 10 seconds response time, 15 minutes resolution time.
“The IronOrbit INFINITY Workspaces is ideal for professional graphics workstations used by engineers, architects, and designers across industries, from AEC to M&E to manufacturing. With Quadro performance from the cloud, on any connected device, professionals working from home can stay productive.”
Matt McGrigg, Global Director of Cloud Business Development, NVIDIA.
Future-Proof Technology Solutions
Fully customized, dynamic, modular, scalable, and secure Turn-Key solutions with GPU performance rivaling a physical workstation.
Digital Transformation → Workspace Virtualization
Business Optimization → Industry Optimized Solutions
Data Integration → Centralization and Management of Data
Hyperautomation → Adoption of AI and ML Technologies
Multiexperience → Implementation of AR and VR
Who We've Helped
Dant Clayton
Spending an average of $3,000+ on workstations, only having to replace them every 3-5 years just doesn't work anymore. The cloud offers unlimited upgrading and no more hardware refreshes.
Giroux Glass, best known for its work on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, has established itself as one of the nation's most respected glazing contractors since 1946.
“When COVID-19 started, we were able to provide latency-free workspaces to users with substandard home internet connections using IronOrbit. What started out as a move to optimize our business operations really ended up becoming a lifesaver for our organization.”
Mike Albitz
MSA Professional Services
“Even through using a hotspot on my phone, I can access everything I need. I was able to pull up a CAD drawing at a client meeting and we were able to look at it and get an answer right then and there!”
Jennifer Howe
SMMA & ACEC Massachusetts
“The customizability & scalability of the platform have made it easy for us to add employees & expand as needed, as well as attract & retain the best engineering talent with a work-from-home option.”
Matthew Harper
VP of Technology, Dant Clayton
Designed & Built for Creative & Technical Professionals
We Speak Your Language
The “All-in-one” IT Solution
INFINITE UPGRADES & USAGE
Unlimited hardware & software upgrades, including Windows, Microsoft 365, and more.
MODULARITY / SCALABILITY
Modular, Future Proof, and Purpose Built to Scale Up
or Out as needed.
DISASTER RECOVERY & BUSINESS CONTINUITY
Dedicated facility for daily offsite backups/snapshots; Rapid recovery RPO & RTO. as low as 2 hours.
MORE COMPUTING FOR LESS
More Powerful infrastructure for better Builds & Designs, and Faster GPU’s
SECURITY & COMPLIANCE
Default Compliance with PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOC, & many regulatory compliance standards.
24/7/365 US-BASED SUPPORT
Dedicated teams with aggressive SLAs – 10-second response & 15-minute resolution time.
There is no denying the impact COVID-19 has had on us over the past couple of months. The coronavirus has managed to work its way into every conversation, news headline, and social media post.
The coronavirus is a pandemic according to the World Health Organization. The threat of the virus spreading
has changed the way we live. We have to prepare ourselves for the upcoming months. Canceling large events and gatherings is one way to mitigate the spread of the virus. Sports, schools, churches and many businesses have closed. Or they avoid interaction with the public. Social distancing is the new mandate. Government officials have urged us to not congregate in large crowds. Stay at home if possible. Many companies are sending emails to employees asking them to work from home if possible. Companies that aren’t set up to work remotely are scrambling to make it happen. What was once an option has become a necessity.
This article will provide some options on how to deliver a great work from home experience. None of these technologies are new. If used in combination they will ensure a better work-from-home experience.
Let’s start with the one that can take on many forms and methodologies: BYOD. Bring your Own Device. Gartner defines BYOD as allowing someone to use a personally-owned device to access a company’s resources. This could be the company’s email. It could be actually installing a VPN client on their home computer. Each company has a different take on the level of access granted to non-company assets.
The “Bring Your Own Device” concept has been around since 2004. It is not a new trend. What is new is the popularity of using personal mobile devices on the job. The security risks of allowing access to corporate resources has discouraged some companies from adopting a BYOD policy.
Bring Your Own Device
In this post by Remote.CO you can get a sense of the varying level BYOD plays at different organizations. BYOD had its start in the mobile device world. Companies were tired of purchasing cell phones for employees. Employees were tired of carrying around 2 phones. Employees carried their personal phone and the locked-down, outdated one provided by the company. Since then, companies have other ways of getting business data secured on personal devices.
Mobile Device Managers
Microsoft Intune and VMware Airwatch are MDM programs that help protect corporate data on personal devices. Employees have access to an Enterprise app store where they can consume their internal data while using their device of choice. The employee first opts in to install the MDM agent on their device. The list of devices with current modern Operating Systems is no longer limited to only smartphones. Once the agent is installed, the company can push down a profile that allows the device to be managed. Both Intune and Airwatch have a robust set of policies available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. What degree of enforcement the company has on the phone will vary on the company and device type. Once the agent is deployed, and the configuration of Security baseline is set, the device can be actively monitored and secured. This could mean enforcing Bitlocker encryption for Windows 10 devices or managing Filevault on macOS with Intune.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
VDI technology has taken many forms over the years. In its purest form, VDI is accessing a virtual machine over the network from a client or web-browser. This enables companies to have virtual machines always available on the internal network. These virtual controlled Existing management systems control these machines. Security tools protect the company provided applications and data. Having a proper VDI solution for employees to use can be a major advantage. Especially if they need to travel or work from various locations and/or devices. If a company already has VDI in place today, the process of deploying new virtual desktops is easy. It only takes seconds to accommodate new users.
VDI began as a technology installed on-premise or in a company’s private data centers. Later VDI transitioned to the cloud. The major VDI players Citrix, VMware and Microsoft all have major cloud offerings. This is called DaaS or Desktops as a service. Citrix and Microsoft host their DaaS offerings within Azure. VMware can host desktops in AWS, Azure, and the IBM Cloud. Google Cloud is coming soon.
The ability to leverage cloud-based virtual desktops has great advantages. Especially in certain situations like Disaster Recovery. Traditional VDI takes longer to procure and deploy new hardware. DaaS has some extra benefits like less IT overhead. This is because the cloud provider manages more components.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a means of which a computer user is granted access only after successfully presenting 2 or more pieces of evidence (factors) to an authentication mechanism. These are usually having to do with knowledge (something only the user knows); possession (only the user has it); and inherence (like fingerprint voice scan, or retina scan).
Let’s discuss the use of a multi-factor authentication solution. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a subset of multi-factor authentication (MFA). It ensures you can pass multiple criteria for identity. This includes something you know (password or security PIN). It also includes an object like a security token or fob. Finally, something physical that is specific to you (fingerprint, retina scan, facial recognition). A 2FA solution would offer only 2 of these mechanisms to prove your identity.
We’ve all had to input our email or phone number when signing up for an account online. Using a mobile banking app is a good example. An authentication mechanism can be a one-time-password sent to you via text message. It could be using your phone’s builtin face or fingerprint reader. These are ways to prove your identity.
The FBI warns MFA solutions are not completely foolproof. Still, it’s the best way to thwart cyber-thieves from stealing your data. Having a second form of authentication proof is safer than only having a long password. Most modern smartphones and laptops have a built-in fingerprint or smart card reader. There are several key players in the MFA space. The top leaders include Okta, Microsoft Azure MFA, and Duo (recently acquired by Cisco). Duo uses a simple cloud-based 2FA approach. Their system integrates with various types of applications. When a user attempts to gain access, a VDI or VPN provider sends a push notification to your smartphone. The user acknowledges the push notification on their smartphone. There’s no need to enter a second password or copy a 16-digit PIN for verification.
The order from management is to stay at home. Do not come to the office for the next 2 weeks. Work remotely until government and health organizations deem the coronavirus has been contained. Don’t worry about a report or project plan saved on your office desktop. Embrace VDI technology.
Do Your Work, Anywhere, and on Any Device
If you’re new to working from home, make sure your technology is in order. One important aspect of working remotely is communication. Make sure you have the bandwidth needed to support your tasks throughout the day.
The order from management is to stay at home. Do not come to the office for the next 2 weeks. Work remotely until government and health organizations deem the coronavirus has been contained. Don’t worry about a report or project plan saved on your office desktop. Embrace VDI technology.
VDI means working from a virtual desktop every day. Your data is always available, accessible from wherever you are and protected. Your data is more secure now than it ever was when kept on-premises. The data is backed up across different geographic regions within the cloud. There is no need to worry about catastrophic power or network outage at your local data center. It’s also always on and provides a consistent experience whenever you need to access it.
Maybe you don’t need a full Windows Virtual Desktop to get your work done. You just need access to a handful of SaaS apps like Salesforce.com. An Okta or other MFA solution can help authenticate you from an outside connection. This allows you to gain entry to those specific internal resources without the need to install a VPN client.
Or, what if all you really need is to access your corporate email and files on your phone while safe at your home? Having your smart device enrolled in your company’s Mobile Device Management solution can provide the access you need while keeping the business data secured.
Deciding how to start a remote work enablement plan for your team can seem like an overwhelming task. Like other challenges, it can is not so daunting when done in small steps. Better yet, it is a good idea to bring in experts who can design a solution that works best for your business.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach. While there are many ways to enable employees to work from home, there is only one that is perfect for your needs.
Many adversities are beyond our control. It is helpful to focus on those things we can control. We can take steps to prepare for the uncertainties ahead. We can do what is best for our employees and our loved ones.
Using the cloud to work remote is less to do with “social distancing,” and more to do with benefiting your company. Being on the cloud will democratize opportunities for you across the board. You’ll see that remote work is not so much a challenge to overcome, but a business advantage to achieve.
Check out IronOrbit INFINITY Workspaces! The Ultimate Remote Work Tool!
Seamless collaboration is the future for many industries. But it is indispensable for the future of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry (AEC) sector. A recent McKinsey report found that 80% percent of average cost overruns come from change orders. Imagine how well the industry would perform if that statistic weren’t there. Years before the pandemic erupted, the AEC industry rapidly moved toward remote and hybrid work models. Competitive firms wanted to make it easy for the right talent to join their project teams.
