CC3001

TECHNOLOGYfocus
increasingly interested in ensuring their
data is appropriately safeguarded
physically and legally in accordance
with their specific demands.
With regard to companies operating a
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy,
Steve said that the communication
between these devices and Aconex
servers is still encrypted to the same
degree. Owners of such devices are
still only able to see what they are
authorised to see on Aconex, and there
is a range of controls and measures in
place to provide confidence to
customers and users on project teams.
One of their design principles, he
said, is that every company on a
project gets its own area - a private
space in the multi-tenant cloud
architecture - equivalent to having their
own servers, where clients can be sure
they have their own information
protected from unauthorised access.
WHAT DATA IS PROTECTED?
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is
one of the main drivers in construction
today. The process is data driven with
the potential to include massive
amounts of detail in multidimensional
models. Infrastructure projects are also
jumping on the BIM bandwagon, where
many of the public projects are of
national importance.
Without being unduly alarmist, there is
a risk that people can acquire a
considerable amount of information as
to how a system works, the layout of a
building or a transport hub, and from
that, can deduce how to infiltrate such
areas with criminal or terrorist
intentions.
Because of this, asset owners and
their supply chains should be
conscious of the level of detail they
include in models themselves. Aconex
recommends that project teams be
selective about the information in their
models, ensuring that virtual assets are
less vulnerable to security breaches
and unauthorised data access.
The government is working closely
with industry to help provide advice
and guidance in this area. PAS1192-5
is a set of recommendations for
government and its suppliers which
provide protection for critical
information being shared within project
and asset supply chains.
THE INTERNET OF THINGS
Our discussion naturally moved on to
other areas where security risks are
paramount - such as the Internet of
Things (IoT), the all-embracing
scenario which connects people,
buildings and processes, covering
everything from smart cities right down
to personal effects.
Absolutely everything that
communicates with anything else - the
Fitbit on your wrist, your central heating
system or burglar alarm, the latest
cars, remote sensors on buildings -
has to have its own unique identifier,
which needs password protection. You
will have heard about cars being
hacked in the US, with remote
computers wresting control from the
driver. Would you have thought to
reconfigure the car's password after
you bought it, or would you rely on the
manufacturer's settings? Multiply that
scenario many times with the massive
increase in wireless connected
devices.
And IoT will appear in places you
least expect it to. Steve described a
particular French company, a glass
manufacturer, that rents glass as a
service, instead of selling it as a
product. Each window comes with a
digital chip in it that can communicate
with other panes, and which senses
and records ambient temperatures.
BUILDING A SECURE
ENVIRONMENT
So are we building a smart
environment, or a dumb one where
every additional connected device
becomes another weak link, and we
become subservient to those who can
exploit it? Steve expanded further on
the Aconex philosophy. "Aconex", he
said, "has the resources to look at the
wider picture - and that includes the
way cities are going to evolve to
accommodate things like autonomous
transport, higher density populations,
environmental issues and, of course,
increasingly vocal social groups and
their demands."
ACONEX
And what of Aconex, after welcoming
Conject under its brand? "When it
comes down to project control," Steve
said, "there are four areas that need to
be addressed - time, money, scope
and quality. That covers how much a
project is going to cost, how long it will
take to complete it, what is being built
and whether it will achieve its intent.
Project control is about how all of these
areas interact."
Aconex offers a full project controls
platform, supported by Conject's
domain expertise, effectively
integrating files and PAS1192-5
documents, communications,
workflows, costs and now time
(through integration to Primavera P6
and other planning applications), and
taking into account the effects of
change on these integrated resources.
A full project controls solution includes
budgeting and forecasting, progress
and performance measurement,
change and contract management,
programme management, and
payment applications.
All areas are covered by Aconex in a
single platform, selling to broad
communities. With the increasing
technical complexity of building and
infrastructure projects, Aconex now has
more involvement with information
technology managers within
companies that manage projects.
Smart building projects are
increasingly having to conform to, and
be certified against, security protocols.
That takes them beyond the technical
capabilities of traditional project
managers, and requires the input of IT
specialists.
Wise companies, not wishing to
attract the sort of headlines that could
hit their share values hard, will take
security issues on board, and in this
risky climate could even quote their
security credentials as a public
relations exercise.
www.aconex.com
22
January/February 2017