Use Case: Transforming Engineering Excellence with Nebula Cloud
Digital Transformation
Enterprise SaaS
Centre of Excellence
Nebula Cloud
About the Customer
A leading Japanese engineering
and consulting firm with offices in Japan, India, and the APAC regions, this
company excels in various sectors including infrastructure, energy, water
resources, and environmental management. They specialize in innovative and
sustainable solutions across transportation and urban development, renewable
energy projects, power transmission, irrigation systems, water supply and
sanitation, sustainability consulting, and disaster management.
Problem Statement
The customer sought a
cost-efficient and effective engineering and design center of excellence for
CAD, CAM, BIM, and 3D rendering of engineering projects. They also needed to
optimize software licensing costs across their design and development centers in
India and the APAC regions. Currently, they use multiple software products like
AutoCAD 2023, Revit, Stadd Pro, Bentley Stadd Pro, Bentley WaterGEMS, Bentley
SewerGEMS, and PTV Vissim professional software from major providers like
Bentley, Autodesk, Trimble, and Dassault Systems.
Solution
With 100 design engineers working
from two offices in India (Delhi and Mumbai), the customer opted for Nebula
Cloud's Civil and Structural Engineering Workbench under the BYOL (Bring Your
Own License) model. This solution enabled their teams to collaboratively work
on design and engineering projects while reducing costs by over 40%.
Nebula Cloud proposed its
ready-to-use Civil and Structural Engineering Workbench, preconfigured with
Windows 10 Pro, AutoCAD 2023, Revit, Stadd Pro, Bentley Stadd Pro, Bentley
WaterGEMS, Bentley SewerGEMS, and PTV Vissim professional software under the BYOL
model. The workbench offered the flexibility of CPU and GPU configurations on a
pay-as-you-go (PAYG) hourly basis.
How It Works
Scenario 1: Shift-Based Usage
Design engineers often work in
shifts, in different time zones, and sometimes on different projects, meaning
they do not require active software licenses 24/7. Typically, each engineer
uses the software for 10-20 hours per week depending on the nature of the
project. Using Nebula Cloud Workbench, a design engineer in Delhi can create a
cloud workstation, activate the preconfigured software using existing licenses
under BYOL, complete their tasks, and then deactivate and terminate the virtual
machine. The same license can be used by a different team member in Mumbai or
other locations without needing access to a physical workstation. This
efficient use of resources significantly reduces software licensing costs.
Scenario 2: Collaborative
Projects
For collaborative projects
spanning different locations, such as Delhi, Mumbai, or other APAC regions, the
workbench can be reused. Once a design engineer in Delhi completes their work
and the workbench is in a stopped state, a design engineer in Mumbai can then
use the same cloud workstation and software license. This flexibility allows
multiple engineers to work on the same projects across different locations,
ensuring seamless collaboration and optimal resource utilization.
Scenario 3: Flexible Scaling for
Project Peaks
Problem:
Engineering projects often experience peaks and troughs in workload. During
peak times, the need for additional workstations and software licenses
increases, leading to higher costs.
Solution: Nebula
Cloud’s flexible scaling allows the customer to quickly provision additional
cloud workstations as needed during peak project periods. These workstations
are equipped with necessary CAD, CAM, BIM, and 3D rendering software. By using
BYOL, the customer can scale up resources from the pool of software licenses
from other locations during high demand and scale down when the workload
decreases, ensuring cost efficiency.
Outcome: This
approach enables the customer to handle project peaks without the need for
permanent investments in additional hardware and licenses, resulting in
significant cost savings and operational flexibility.
Scenario 4: Disaster Recovery and
Business Continuity
Problem: Natural
disasters or technical failures can disrupt the operations of physical
workstations, leading to project delays and financial losses.
Solution: Nebula
Cloud offers a robust disaster recovery solution. By maintaining cloud-based
backups of critical project data and virtual workstations, the customer can
quickly recover and resume operations from any location with internet access.
This ensures business continuity and minimizes downtime during unforeseen
events.
Outcome: The
customer benefits from enhanced resilience against disruptions, ensuring that
projects stay on track and financial impacts are minimized.
Scenario 5: Training and
Onboarding of New Engineers
Problem:
Onboarding new engineers and providing them with the necessary tools and
training can be time-consuming and costly, especially when high-end
workstations and multiple software licenses are required.
Solution: Nebula
Cloud provides virtual training environments that new engineers can access from
any location. These environments come preconfigured with the necessary software
and datasets for training purposes. This setup allows new hires to start
working immediately without waiting for physical workstations or additional
licenses.
Outcome: The
customer experiences faster onboarding times and reduced costs associated with
training new engineers, leading to increased productivity and efficiency.
Scenario 6: Remote Work and
Global Collaboration
Problem:
Engineering firms with offices across different regions face challenges in
ensuring consistent access to high-performance workstations and software for
remote and globally distributed teams.
Solution: Nebula
Cloud enables remote work and global collaboration by providing secure,
high-performance cloud workstations accessible from anywhere. Engineers in
Japan, India, and other APAC regions can collaborate on the same projects in
real-time using the same cloud resources and software licenses.
Outcome: This
solution supports seamless collaboration across global teams, enhances
productivity, and reduces the need for physical office infrastructure,
resulting in substantial cost savings.
Scenario 7: Optimizing Resource
Allocation and Usage
Problem:
Inefficient resource allocation can lead to underutilized workstations and
software licenses, increasing operational costs.
Solution: Nebula
Cloud’s analytics and monitoring tools provide insights into resource usage,
helping the customer to optimize the allocation of virtual workstations and
software licenses. By analyzing usage patterns, the customer can ensure that
resources are allocated based on actual needs and avoid unnecessary
expenditures.
Outcome: The
customer achieves better resource utilization, leading to cost savings and
improved operational efficiency.
Key Features of Nebula Cloud
Workbench for CAD, CAM, BIM, GIS and PLM
• Real-time Collaboration: Work
simultaneously with team members, provide feedback, and make changes in
real-time, regardless of location.
• High-Performance Computing: Leverage
the power of cloud-based computing resources to accelerate simulations,
analyses, and rendering tasks.
• Secure Data Storage: Protect
your valuable design data with robust security measures, including encryption,
access controls, and regular backups.
• Scalability and Flexibility: Scale
resources up or down based on project requirements and seamlessly integrate
with various design software and file formats.
• Advanced Visualization: Generate
photorealistic renderings and conduct virtual prototyping to visualize and
validate designs before physical production.
• Cost-Effective Solution: Pay only
for the resources you use, eliminating the need for extensive infrastructure
investments and expensive software licenses.
Summary of Benefits
• Cost Savings: Over 40%
reduction in costs through optimized resource utilization and PAYG pricing.
• Flexibility: Scalable
solutions to handle project peaks and accommodate remote work.
• Business Continuity: Robust
disaster recovery and quick recovery from disruptions.
• Efficient Onboarding: Faster
onboarding and training of new engineers.
• Global Collaboration: Enhanced
collaboration across global offices.
• Resource Optimization: Better
allocation and usage of resources.
Learn More
Discover how Nebula Cloud can
bring value and savings to your engineering and design projects. Sign up for a
free trial at https://nebulacloud.ai
or write to support@nebulacloud.in for a demo.