BIM files indexed in AVAIL’s searchable, shareable content management system (CMS) can be hosted on a firm’s local server or the cloud. The best part? Firms don’t have to choose: they can host all their content one way or in combination. Discover the best content hosting strategy for your firm below.
Some content management systems (CMS) require all of a firm’s content to be hosted on the cloud, but this practice can raise security risks.
Many firms like Cushing Terrell prefer to work completely on network servers. This is especially true for AEC firms who work on government projects.
At AVAIL, we know firms have different needs and preferences. That’s why we let firms choose: BIM files can be hosted on both a firm’s local server and the cloud. This flexibility makes it easier to manage and share content across a firm, as well as with customers and contractors—while keeping all files secure.
Firms can host a Channel on a local server and select files to share to the cloud for easy sharing, or they can index content already cloud-hosted on a system like SharePoint or OneDrive. Here are three ways firms can host and manage content in AVAIL.
For security and reliability reasons, many firms prefer to self-host their BIM files on a local server or machine. To index those files and folders so they are searchable and shareable with AVAIL, simply drag and drop them to an AVAIL Channel. The files will continue to be hosted in their original locations, but they can now be tagged and searched for easy use, along with the other files in your firm’s dedicated library.
Learn more about the indexing process from a local server.
To make it easy to share files and folders across offices and with remote employees, customers, and contractors, we built AVAIL Host in Cloud functionality in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2020. With Host in Cloud, BIM managers can locally manage folders and then securely publish files or an entire Channel to the cloud when needed for easy sharing. This way, not everything has to be hosted to the cloud, but, when it is most convenient to distribute a file or Channel via the cloud to someone, the option is only a few clicks away.
Learn more about Host in Cloud in our FAQ.
For firms who already manage content on the cloud, AVAIL can index those files just as it can index files on a local server. Firms using third-party cloud platforms like OneDrive, SharePoint, Panzura, Autodesk Docs, Box, Dropbox, or Google Drive can use AVAIL’s automated feature Dynamic Paths to index.
Learn more about the indexing process from the cloud.
It’s important to note that these are not “either,” “or” options. AVAIL is meant to collect and categorize all your BIM files, no matter their location, into one streamlined solution. Firms can host files on a server and a third-party cloud service, making them both easily accessible to users in AVAIL.
Founded in 2016 as a solution for architecture and engineering firms to find the information they need faster, AVAIL creates software for the global architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. AVAIL’s content management system (CMS) platform and Revit application tools help designers and engineers take control of their intricate network of files in one visual, streamlined solution. Spun out of ArchVision, a provider of Rich Photorealistic Content (RPC), AVAIL’s customers include industry leaders like Gensler, Perkins&Will, IMEG, LEO A DALY, and Populous.