IT Support for Engineering and Architecture Firms
A slow model could be caused by the workstation, the project or the connection, so find the cause before replacing equipment. Exodesk provides engineering IT support for engineering, architecture and surveying practices across New Zealand.
Our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support the workstations, file access, networks and recovery arrangements behind design work, with responsibilities agreed alongside your CAD and BIM providers.
Supporting New Zealand businesses since 1989
What does engineering IT support cover?
Engineering IT support looks after the technology design work depends on: workstations, design-file storage and access, networks, account security, backup and project archives, with responsibilities recorded for each software provider.
Design applications have their own requirements, licensing and support terms. We record which systems Exodesk manages, who handles application installs, updates, add-ins and licence services in your practice, and where a product or model fault goes. One support contact can coordinate a fault that crosses those boundaries.
Exodesk has supported New Zealand businesses since 1989. Today, our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support businesses nationwide, with support hours and any site attendance agreed for each practice.
Support around the way design teams work
IT support for engineering firms starts with the machines, files and access people use on live projects.
Matched to the work
Computers specified and managed for the applications and tasks of each role, with updates planned around project deadlines.
Design-file access
Supported storage and access for active models, issued drawings and completed projects, with permissions and recovery planned together.
Backup and archives
Backups for recovery and archives for completed projects, with protection and retrieval checks agreed.
Engineering IT support sits within the base arrangement described on our managed IT services page. Office moves, storage migrations and archive projects are quoted separately.
Find what is slowing the model down
A model that opens slowly could be limited by the workstation, the model and its links, storage, the network or the access route. We investigate before recommending new hardware, and involve the application specialist where the issue lies in the model, add-ins or software.
Workstations are specified against the vendor requirements for the version you run and the projects you work on. Autodesk’s current Revit requirements, for example, set memory tiers of 16, 32 and 64 GB against single models of roughly 300 MB, 600 MB and 1 GB on disk, recommend 100 GB of free space for temporary files, and note that Revit uses multiple cores for many tasks. These are version-specific guides rather than performance guarantees.
Modelling, rendering and site visits can need different configurations, and a professional graphics card is not required for every CAD role. Changes are tested against the affected task, such as opening or synchronising a project, with a change window, checks and fallback agreed first.
Design-file access that fits the application
Engineering IT support arranges storage and access for different kinds of project information, rather than one store for every file.
- Active models. Local worksharing, the software vendor’s cloud collaboration and remote access each suit different situations, depending on versions, licences, collaborators and the project. We check the existing setup before recommending a move.
- Sync folders. A normal cloud sync folder is not a substitute for a supported worksharing setup. Autodesk notes that cloud-synced services do not give the experience of LAN file-based worksharing.
- File locking. Locking and version history depend on the application, the storage and the access route, so the arrangement is tested rather than assumed.
- Issued information. The issue process identifies the approved package, recipients and what was sent. Sharing logs and link expiry do not decide revision approval.
- Remote work. Remote access is an option to test against graphics, input response, licensing, availability and staff workflow, without exposing remote desktop directly to the internet.
Your designers keep responsibility for model content, revision approval and issued information. Storage, network and access changes link to our IT infrastructure work.
Support with clear supplier responsibilities
Revit, AutoCAD, Archicad and other design applications have their own vendors, resellers and support terms. The scope names who installs and updates them, manages add-ins and licence services, and resolves product or model faults.
Exodesk supports the agreed IT environment those applications depend on, without claiming vendor accreditation or support for every product function. Specialist application support, BIM coordination and design have named owners, and engineering IT support coordinates a fault that crosses between them.
Staff and collaborator access is set up and removed as people join, change projects or leave. Security covers the devices and accounts used for design work, alongside supported updates and agreed protection, checked in the systems the practice actually uses.
How support and project recovery are set up
Backups support recovery after loss or failure; archives retain completed projects for the period your practice agrees with its advisers. We scope protection, indexing and retrieval checks for both.
Review
Record users, locations, applications and versions, project storage, collaborators and the tasks that delay the team.
Agree the scope
Confirm supported systems, application responsibilities, support hours, escalation, recovery priorities and separately quoted work.
Set up recovery
Agree backup coverage, archive retention and legal holds, permissions, formats, linked models and application versions for retrieval.
Support and review
Handle requests within the agreed scope and check restores and archive retrieval, rather than assuming a stored file is readable.
For surveying and other large datasets, planning includes representative data, growth, transfer time, restore requirements and storage charges, and raw-data retention is agreed before anything is disposed of. A file being present in cloud storage does not establish backup coverage. Our backup as a service covers the recovery side, and the data retention policy guide covers the records schedule.
What affects the cost of engineering IT support?
Cost depends on users, workstations, locations, applications, storage volumes, access arrangements, recovery needs and support hours. Response and recovery terms are made clear in the proposal before you commit.
- Ongoing support. Users, devices, locations and support hours within the agreed scope.
- Projects. Storage migrations, archive work, office moves and workstation rollouts, quoted separately.
- Equipment and licences. Hardware, Microsoft 365, backup and application licences, shown separately from Exodesk’s work.
- Terms. Inclusions, exclusions, vendor charges, GST and the term, set out in the quote.
Site operations sit with our construction IT support and factory systems with manufacturing IT support. Measured waiting time helps estimate capacity, but it is not a guaranteed cash saving.
Engineering IT support questions
What does engineering IT support cover?
It covers the agreed technology behind design work, including workstations, networks, file access, account security, backup and project archives. Exodesk records the supported systems and works with the software providers of the practice. Product faults, model content and specialist workflows have named owners.
Do you support architecture and surveying practices?
Yes. The support is scoped around the applications, staff, project files and locations of the practice. Surveying datasets, architectural models and general administration can have different storage, device and access requirements, so the same setup is not assumed for every role.
Can you help specify CAD and BIM workstations?
Yes. We check the software and version, representative projects, linked models and the tasks each person performs. Vendor requirements guide the specification, and a model-size example or a minimum specification is not a guarantee of performance.
Can you fix slow-opening models?
We investigate the workstation, storage, network and access environment, then involve the application specialist where the issue concerns the model, add-ins or software itself. The cause is checked before a replacement or upgrade is proposed. Any improvement is tested against the task that was slow.
Do you support Revit, AutoCAD or Archicad?
We support the agreed IT environment those products depend on. The scope identifies who installs and updates applications, manages licence services and add-ins, and resolves product or model faults. Specialist application support and design work are not automatically included in managed IT.
Should project models be local or in the cloud?
The choice depends on the supported application workflow, version, collaborators, connectivity and licences. Vendor cloud collaboration differs from storing a central model in a normal sync folder. We check the intended workflow and responsibilities before moving active project data.
Can technical staff work remotely?
Suitable remote access or vendor-supported cloud collaboration can make that possible. The arrangement needs to fit the application, permissions, connection and graphics workload. Test the actual modelling and synchronisation tasks before relying on it for a deadline.
Is a project archive the same as a backup?
They serve different purposes. Backup supports recovery after loss or failure, while an archive retains project information for an agreed period. The practice and its advisers decide the applicable retention and legal hold requirements.
What affects the cost of engineering IT support?
Users, workstations, locations, applications, storage volumes, access arrangements, recovery needs and support hours affect cost. The proposal separates ongoing support from equipment, licences, migrations, archive projects and specialist vendor charges, with responsibilities and exclusions agreed before work starts.
Where does Exodesk provide engineering IT support?
Exodesk has supported New Zealand businesses since 1989, and our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support engineering, architecture and surveying practices nationwide. Remote support and on-site arrangements depend on the location and task, and the proposal confirms support hours, attendance and travel.
Talk to us about your practice’s IT
Tell us your locations, staff numbers, applications, how files are accessed and the task that is delaying the team, and we can discuss the scope and next steps. Please leave project models, client information and passwords out of your enquiry.
Discuss engineering IT support
Tell us your practice name, locations, staff numbers, main applications and the issue you want to discuss, and we will be in touch to arrange a time that suits.
Prefer to talk?
Christchurch
Level 1, 85 Riccarton Road
Christchurch 8011
03 343 3124
Dunedin
Level 3, Bartons Building
2 Stafford Street, Dunedin 9016
03 479 2941