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Autodesk Revit is a desktop BIM software, designed for the AEC(Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industry. As construction requirements evolve, Autodesk Revit offers advanced features to facilitate designing, scheduling, modeling, annotation, and visualization.
But as projects grow in scale and teams become more distributed, businesses have begun to realize the limitations of traditional on-premises IT setups. Teams now demand an IT platform that enables them to collaborate more effectively and securely, and to streamline project development.
Cloud hosting offers Autodesk Revit users a more agile, flexible, and secure IT platform. It enhances their productivity by eliminating the desktop-related constraints of access, security, and scalability.
Let’s discuss how hosting Autodesk on the cloud can be a game-changer for your business.
1. Multi-Team Collaboration
The AEC team works together to bring a project’s vision into reality. The architects design the layout, which is then checked for feasibility and compliance by the engineering team, followed by the contractors, who do most of the groundwork. This level of collaboration is not possible in the traditional IT setup, where revisions and reviews depend on lengthy email threads.
Autodesk Revit cloud hosting provides a centralized platform for collaborating on multi-disciplinary projects. Teams can review, share, and approve designs in real time while maintaining full visibility into revisions and project history. With Revit hosted in the cloud, businesses gain a unified, end-to-end view of the entire project lifecycle.
2. Work Flexibility
The AEC industry is one of the most agile in the world. It requires contractors and engineers to be at multiple sites while being aware of the project status. However, in the traditional IT setup, Autodesk Revit and data reside in the local system or server, limiting access to project status.
With Autodesk Revit on the cloud, architects, contractors, and engineers can access the applications and data from any location on their smartphones or tablets. It helps them work in tandem with the field office, even when on-site. Hosted Autodesk Revit unbinds teams from the confines of the office premises and enhances flexibility.
3. Data Security
An AEC business handles critical data, including project schematics, infrastructure plans, vendor details, site data, and client information. Any data breach can result in millions of dollars in damages.
According to Construction Drive, credential exposure was a major threat to the construction industry, accounting for 75% of alerts. Cyber threats, such as ransomware and phishing, benefit from in-house security vulnerabilities to compromise critical data.
Autodesk Revit hosting providers counter these cyber threats by deploying a multi-level security environment with features such as multi-factor authentication, 256-bit data encryption, Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDPS), gateway firewall, antivirus/antimalware, and OS patching.
Moreover, admins can restrict access to applications and files depending on different roles and projects, preventing unauthorized access. These security features enable your team to work from remote locations on personal devices without worrying about data security.
4. Sustainability
Sustainability has become one of the core responsibilities of the construction sector, owing to the tonnes of waste generated annually. According to an Autodesk survey, 97% of AEC business leaders reported making efforts to be more sustainable.
In addition to using sustainable materials and recycling, they must adopt energy-efficient IT solutions to reduce their carbon footprint. However, a traditional IT setup has a significant carbon footprint due to high energy consumption and hardware refresh cycles.
Autodesk Revit on the cloud significantly reduces a business’s carbon footprint. Cloud hosting optimizes IT resource management by allocating resources based on requirements. Moreover, your application and data are hosted on virtual servers that can be upgraded instantly without hardware replacements. By hosting Autodesk Revit on the cloud, you can ensure sustainable operations with profitability.
5. Hassle-Free Operations
Working on a project involves various functions, including designing layouts, ensuring structural integrity, managing risks, and construction. The last thing any AEC business wants is to expend their manpower and resources into IT management.
However, when Autodesk Revit is installed on a local machine, you must deploy a dedicated IT team for hardware replacement, upgrades, monitoring, and management. Moreover, the team is responsible for providing technical support, adding to operational stress.
With Autodesk Revit hosting, you outsource the entire IT management function to the service provider. As your application and data are hosted on the cloud, the provider is responsible for all IT tasks. Moreover, the service providers offer 24/7/365 customer support to resolve issues of all remote users, irrespective of their location.
6. Automated Scalability
The construction business is dynamic. You do not know how many projects you will be working on at a given time. Consequently, IT resource needs change with the workload. However, the legacy IT setup does not allow such flexibility with resources. You must procure or upgrade hardware according to the increase in project demands, leading to recurring expenses. But when this demand decreases, IT resources sit idle.
The flexible nature of cloud computing allows your business processes to be dynamic. At a given time, you can configure IT resources according to your project requirements. If in the future, the requirements increase or decrease, providers can instantly modify their current configuration. Pricing is based on a pay-as-you-go model, where you pay only for the resources utilized.
7. Device Compatibility and Independence
Autodesk Revit is a Windows application that supports only 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11. Hence, for Mac or Linux users, it becomes a compulsion to work on Windows. Moreover, you can use the software only on one system. If that system gets damaged or corrupted, you can experience considerable downtime.
When you host Autodesk Revit on the cloud, the software and data access become independent of the device and operating system. You can access Autodesk Revit on any operating system, including Windows, macOS, Ubuntu, and Android. All you need is an internet connection and login credentials to work on the application.
8. Enhanced Performance
Autodesk Revit is a powerful BIM software that requires a high configuration system to function optimally. Moreover, graphics-intensive software demands GPU support (NVIDIA® GRID (K260Q or later) or AMD MxGPU (Radeon Pro V340 or later)) for 3D visualizations and modeling.
Autodesk Revit hosting providers such as Ace Cloud Hosting deploy a high-performance computing (HPC) environment with GPU-powered virtual desktops. These desktops can easily accommodate Autodesk Revit’s requirements with parallel processing and autoscaling. Moreover, providers let you choose the GPU that best suits your requirements. With GPU-based virtual desktops, multiple users can work simultaneously on Autodesk Revit without any lag.
Run complex BIM models faster using NVIDIA-powered cloud desktops built for Revit workloads.
9. Cost Optimization
Working on legacy IT setup demands significant investments in procuring and deploying high-end desktops. Moreover, as these desktops become obsolete, you must perform regular hardware refreshes. Consequently, you must hire an IT team to take care of all IT tasks. Other recurring expenses, such as power bills and IT training, also add to the expenses.
Hosted Autodesk Revit minimizes these expenses as everything, from applications to data, is hosted on the cloud servers. They provide you with the required IT resources and accomplish all IT management tasks. You incur only the bill charges as per your plan.
10. Guaranteed Availability
Working on a project requires continuous collaboration between architects, engineers, and contractors. Therefore, Autodesk must always be accessible to all stakeholders. However, in the case of local desktops, any incident, from a minor technical glitch to a major geographical event, can cause downtime.
On the other hand, Autodesk Revit hosting providers guarantee a minimum uptime of 99.99% in their SLA. They deploy hardware redundancy and backup equipment to prevent downtime because of hardware issues and security breaches. Moreover, their Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) plan ensures continuous operations in the case of a natural disaster.
Autodesk Revit On Cloud: The Perfect Recipe for Success
Cloud hosting removes the limitations of in-house IT, giving Revit users anytime access, on-demand scalability, and strong data protection. To unlock these benefits fully, choosing the right hosting provider is critical. The best way to do that is to try it first.
Ace Cloud Hosting delivers customized Revit cloud hosting for the construction industry. Run Revit on a GPU-powered platform with unlimited user access, 99.99% uptime, 30-day backups, multi-level security, and 24/7/365 expert support.See the difference for yourself. Experience Autodesk Revit on the cloud with a 7-day free trial today.