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IT Consulting Firm Supporting Architecture and Engineering
Company Situation
The company operates as an IT consulting and managed service provider that supports a diverse range of industries, with a current primary focus on architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC). Their company base includes firms that require collaborative workflows for complex design projects involving multiple stakeholders. The company’s end users predominantly utilize Windows PCs for their work, with teams ranging in size but typically smaller in storage requirements compared to media companies.
Existing Workflow
The company was exploring a streaming-based file sharing and collaboration platform that allows remote teams to access and work on large design files as if they were stored locally. Their key use case involves supporting applications like Revit, a design tool for architecture that requires file access to appear as local storage for multi-user collaboration on centralized models. The company had been evaluating LucidLink, a well-known platform in this space, which facilitates cloud-mounted drives and permission-based access controls.
Issues with the Existing Workflow
While the company found LucidLink’s technology effective for their needs, they encountered significant challenges with the vendor’s sales and support experience. The purchasing process was marked by poor communication, lack of timely pricing information, and an opaque partner program approval process. These operational difficulties caused delays and frustration, prompting the company to seek alternative solutions that offer comparable technology but with a more customer-friendly approach and clearer product positioning.
How Shade Would Change Their Workflow
Shade offers a cloud-based storage platform that mimics a local or network drive on users’ computers, compatible with Windows environments. It supports mounting virtual drives with granular permission structures, enabling AEC teams to collaborate on large files and projects seamlessly. Shade’s platform includes file streaming for remote editing and access, review and approval features with time-coded feedback and annotation capabilities, and AI-driven metadata search for simplified file retrieval. By integrating Shade, the company can streamline access to large project files like Revit models without compromising on security or usability, all while benefiting from a more responsive and transparent customer engagement process.
Benefits
- Seamless cloud drive mounting that behaves like local storage, fully compatible with Windows PCs
- Granular permission controls to restrict access on a per-user or per-project basis
- Integrated review and approval workflows with annotation tools
- AI-powered metadata search for faster file discovery
- Improved customer experience with clearer communication and faster onboarding
- Flexibility to support multiple industries beyond media, including AEC
- Reduced friction in purchasing and implementation compared to competitors
Technologies Used
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