Ideate, Inc. Publishes a First – a Civil 3D Virtualization Study in Success

SAN FRANCISCO, California – 10/10/2013 - Autodesk Gold Value Added Reseller Ideate, Inc., a solutions provider offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, today announced the publication of its first Virtualization-focused Study in Success, “Ideate Consulting and IMSCAD Lead ESA to Autodesk Design Solution Virtualization Mastery.”

Ideate customer Environmental Science Associates (ESA), a leading environmental science and planning firm with offices in the Western and Southeastern United States, faced challenges when the firm needed to seamlessly integrate IT hardware and its office and accounting software with graphics-intense Autodesk design technology software. Virtualization looked promising, provided it could be achieved within the firm’s desired parameters of a reliable, cost effective, and functional solution.

ESA enlisted Ideate Consulting and its strategic ally, UK-based IMSCAD, and as John Lessard, Director of Information Technology, ESA, said, “We spent several hours at Ideate. The comparison to anything we had experienced to date was night and day. We determined that the concept of running AutoCAD Civil 3D in a Citrix environment was not only possible. Virtualization, it turned out, was very doable.”

The first-of-its-kind Study in Success reveals how these expert allies partnered in scoping, installing, and configuring the components, then implementing a successful desktop virtualization project that is working for ESA with Autodesk design software, and specifically with AutoCAD Civil 3D.

Bob Palioca, President, Ideate Inc., says, “Being able to use any hardware from anywhere is facilitating fast-paced collaboration for ESA. The firm is streamlining software deployment and upgrade procedures, all while lowering its costs. Our goal is always to have our customers be overwhelmingly delighted with the solutions we provide, and we could not be more pleased.”

Ideate has published “Ideate Consulting and IMSCAD Lead ESA to Autodesk Design Solution Virtualization Mastery,” online. Download the Study in Success at ideateinc.com/ideas/case

About Ideate, Inc.
Ideate, Inc. is a leading Autodesk Authorized Developer with 25+ years’ experience in software development and specific focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM) and is a leading Autodesk solutions provider offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the AEC industry since 1992. Headquartered in San Francisco, California and operating five Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATCs) in the northwestern U.S., Ideate is recognized as an Autodesk Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk’s highest levels of authorization.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, ATC and Civil 3D are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries.

Citrix is a trademark of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
 

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Virtualization’s Impact on the AEC Industry

Ideate is always investigating new technologies that affect AEC firms’ workflow. Virtualization is one of those technologies. Server virtualization has been around for a while, and the firm’s IT Department/Consultant has been at the forefront of server virtualization.

Application virtualization is a different type of virtualization technology. Application virtualization is the dividing of a server into separate ‘virtual’ computers and then pooling the RAM resources of the server to serve all the virtual computers. Why is this a ‘game-changer?’

• No need to purchase new laptops/workstations every 18-24 months. 
• Ability to allocate resources (CPU + GPU) based upon usage metrics. Resources can be allocated dynamically, so each user gets the RAM they need, when they need it.
• Deployment of software applications, users, and resources can be done centrally and pushed out to the users. Resource usage can be monitored and measured.
• Lastly, users can access the firm’s software assets from anywhere, using any hardware (MAC or PC), through virtualization’s secure URL interface.  

Sounds easy, right? Well, it turns out there are some key issues to consider. This is what Ideate has been researching and testing over the last year. Here are some key factors to consider: 

• Buying the right server hardware is crucial. Most critical errors to user satisfaction are because the hardware was bought on price, without thought of usability. 
• Make sure your virtualization partner has Autodesk and virtualization experience. Most IT consultants are very experienced at virtualizing Microsoft Office programs, and not experienced at successful Autodesk software virtualization. 
• Have the right Autodesk licensing. Virtualization is not a methodology to use one license of Autodesk product to serve many concurrent users. A review of the Autodesk Software Licensing Agreement is essential.

Want to know more? 

• Watch Ideate’s Virtualization video – What is the Business Value for AEC Firms?
• Email Ideate at consulting@ideateinc.com for more information. 

Ideate Consulting can provide both implementation and support services to ensure your firm’s successful move to virtualization.

Don’t forget to look through the great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2014 releases for Revit Structure, Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, Navisworks, Civil 3D, AutoCAD and more: ideateinc.com/2014

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David Haynes, NCARB, PMP, LEED AP
Ideate Director of Consulting

David is a Registered Architect, Project Management Certified Professional, who previously had his own architectural practice and was President of a commercial design-build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an Architect, contractor, developer and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently provides business process analysis, virtualization and change management solutions for AEC clients across the United States involved in the design and building industry. Follow David on Twitter: @dhaynestech

Get it. Know it. Use it.

Ideate - IMSCAD Alliance Brings Citrix Virtualization, Networking, Collaboration and Cloud Technologies to Customers

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 03/08/2012 - Ideate, Inc. (ideateinc.com), an Autodesk Authorized Developer and leading Autodesk solutions provider offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the AEC industry, announced today it has formed a strategic alliance with UK-based IMSCAD (imscad.co.uk).
IMSCAD, a recognized global leader in the deployment graphical 2D and 3D CAD applications and now CAD delivery on Citrix, is a long standing Citrix Solutions Partner and an Autodesk Development Partner, having assisted Autodesk in the development of “Citrix Ready” products. The Ideate-IMSCAD alliance brings Citrix, the market leader in application delivery and cloud technologies, to the Ideate product portfolio, with the experience, expertise and support of IMSCAD.

Citrix is number one in desktop and application virtualization, as well as the leading supplier in cloud infrastructures. Autodesk “Citrix ready” products empowers CAD users with the benefits of virtualization, being able to work from anywhere on any device with workstation comparable performance. IT departments benefit from reduced management costs and improved data security by centralizing both applications and data onto central servers. 

According to Ideate, Inc. President, Bob Palioca, “The Ideate and IMSCAD alliance helps us streamline customer access to Ideate software solutions, training and consulting services and to virtualization, networking, collaboration and cloud technologies. When we put the right tools and solutions within our customers’ reach faster and easier, they succeed and they are delighted. That is our mission.” 

Ideate, Inc. and IMSCAD will host a joint webinar detailing the benefits of running CAD applications on the Citrix platform on March 21, 2012 at 12PM PST. For complete details and registration, visit ideateinc.com or contact Ideate Director of Consulting David Haynes via phone at 888-662-7238 x 1047 or email at david.haynes@ideateinc.com

About Ideate, Inc.
Ideate, Inc. is a leading Autodesk solutions provider, offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting as well as 3D printing services to AEC professionals. Established in 1992 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Ideate is recognized as a Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk’s highest levels of authorization. Ideate, Inc. operates five Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATC): San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose, California; Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Ideate facilities are Autodesk Authorized Certification Centers, providing globally recognized certification courses for professionals who sell, service and support Autodesk products and solutions. For more information visit www.ideateinc.com

Ideate, Inc. is also an Autodesk Authorized Developer with 25+ years experience in software development and specific focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM). Ideate BIMLink lets users pull data from a Revit file into user-friendly Microsoft Excel and push Excel data into Revit with equal ease. www.ideatebimlink.com

Ideate Explorer for Revit, is a simple, powerful Revit add-on to explore, quantify and manage the 10,000+ building elements in your Revit model. www.ideateexplorer.com

Autodesk, ATC and Revit, are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

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