If you currently use Autodesk’s flagship civil engineering design software, AutoCAD Civil 3D, you may have heard about its close cousin, InfraWorks. InfraWorks is an infrastructure design software that supports BIM processes and helps designers and engineers work in infrastructure projects in a real-world context using cloud capabilities.

The use of building information modeling (BIM) data by building owners and facilities managers is on the rise, a survey by DLT partner, IMAGINiT Technologies reveals. Compared to 2016, the percentage of owners integrating BIM data into facilities management (FM) systems has increased by almost 9%. Yet challenges remain. Many organizations aren’t prepared or equipped to make the process and technology changes required for BIM adoption.

Ah, the good old days, when things were simple. When there were a known number of devices on any government network, and the federal IT pro had a complete understanding of how to secure those devices.

Archeological surveys in untouched areas are tricky at the best of times. Vegetation and trees must be disturbed, heavy equipment is brought in, and the results can still prove inconclusive or fruitless.

But thanks to laser technology, that’s all changing. LiDAR (aka Light Detection and Ranging technology) is helping archeologists champion scientific research without disturbing the natural habitat.

Traditionally, organizations world-wide have utilized Scale-up architecture when it comes to storage. What does this mean? Traditional scale-up architecture utilizes a dual-controller set-up, and adds storage drives as needed to increase storage capacity and performance. Run of storage, add another shelf. Seems pretty straight forward right? Run out of performance, not so straight forward...

When it comes to transportation and site design projects, they all have one thing in common – when finished they need to accommodate a variety of different vehicles, from cars to fire trucks, airplanes to school buses. As a result, it’s important that these vehicle maneuvers be analyzed and incorporated throughout the entire design process. Autodesk Vehicle Tracking (AVT) can help.

Automation, more specifically IT Automation. What is it, who's using it, why is it important?

Lets start with what it is. . . IT Automation is the use of software to create repeatable instructions and processes, also known as a playbook, with the intention of replacing or reducing the amount of human interaction required with IT systems.

But wait. . . Doesn't that mean they're coming for our jobs?!?! No, but it does mean that instead of running around your environment putting out fires, you can spend more time focusing on big picture items and other processes.

Government agencies store large volumes of information. Yet poor data quality and a lack of collaboration across functions can be stumbling blocks to information governance.  Some of the data is dirty, messy, and non-standardized making data sharing a challenge. Without holistic data governance, data is chaotic

But some organizations still see data governance as it used to be – siloed projects focused on compliance. Government enterprises spend all their time struggling to implement data governance. And, in the end, no one trusts the data.

When it comes to network modernization and security, federal IT may be experiencing a case of dueling personalities. On one side, network modernization is essential to a better security posture. This is because outdated legacy IT systems are more prone to vulnerabilities and were never designed to handle today’s threat landscape. However, the very act of modernizing networks may actually be making those networks less secure, at least in the short term.

What does the U.S. government have to do with “connected cars”? Quite a lot.