IT Requirements for Architecture and Engineering Firms

Architecture and engineering firms need IT that can handle massive files, power-hungry workstations, and project collaboration across multiple offices and sites. Generic small business IT support won't cut it — if your IT provider doesn't understand BIM, CAD, or why a 2GB Revit file can't live on OneDrive, they're the wrong provider.

The IT requirements for design and engineering practices are fundamentally different from a typical office. You're working with files that are hundreds of megabytes to several gigabytes, on workstations that cost thousands, with software licences that need careful management. Here's what you actually need.

What Architecture and Engineering Firms Need

1. Large File Management

CAD and BIM files are enormous. A typical Revit model for a medium-sized project can easily reach 500MB to 2GB. Standard cloud sync tools like OneDrive and Dropbox struggle with files this size — sync conflicts, version issues, and slow uploads make them unreliable for production work. You need a file management strategy built for large files: either a properly configured file server with fast network access, or a cloud solution specifically designed for AEC workflows.

2. High-Spec Workstation Management

Your team runs resource-intensive applications — Revit, AutoCAD, Rhino, Grasshopper, Adobe Creative Suite, rendering engines. These need workstations with dedicated GPUs, substantial RAM, and fast storage. Those workstations need to be managed, updated, and monitored without disrupting someone's 4-hour render. Your IT provider needs to understand that pushing a Windows update during a rendering job is not acceptable.

3. Project Collaboration

Architecture projects involve multiple team members, external consultants, structural engineers, and clients — all needing access to project files at different levels. You need a collaboration setup that handles version control, access permissions, and external sharing without creating security holes. Microsoft 365 with SharePoint can work for documentation, but the actual design files usually need something more robust.

4. Backup for Irreplaceable Work

Losing a project file that took weeks to develop is catastrophic. Your backup strategy needs to account for the size and frequency of your files. Standard daily backup might not be enough if your team is producing gigabytes of new work every day. Versioned backup with point-in-time recovery means you can roll back to any version, not just yesterday's.

5. Remote and Site Access

Architects and engineers don't sit at the same desk every day. They visit sites, work from home, attend client meetings. They need secure access to project files and applications from anywhere, without the performance dropping to unusable levels. VPN access to a file server is one option, but remote desktop solutions or cloud-hosted workstations may be better depending on your setup.

6. Software Licence Management

Autodesk, Adobe, and other AEC software suites have complex licensing. Named user licences, concurrent licences, subscription models — they all need tracking. Over-licensing wastes money. Under-licensing means someone can't work. Your IT provider should be managing this actively.

What Most Firms Get Wrong

The most common mistake is using consumer-grade cloud storage for production CAD/BIM files. OneDrive and Google Drive are fine for documents, but they weren't designed for files that change constantly, weigh gigabytes, and need to be opened by multiple people. Sync conflicts on a Revit central model can corrupt weeks of work.

We support architecture and engineering firms across London with IT built for how you actually work. Proper file management, workstation support, and backup that can handle project-scale data.

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