The Data Silos are Back

Ten years ago in AEC technology, we were talking about trying to find ways to get data out of ‘silos’ – that is, storage and dissemination systems that didn’t integrate with each other. Files and data were strewn about in different formats and couldn’t be easily told to play nice.

Over a very short period of time, many firms tackled of the issues with silos – some even claim to have solved it. An ever increasing portfolio of data and systems interact with each-other quite well. That was before cloud-based-everything was the new normal.

As we migrate an increasing amount of data into the cloud into disparate systems in the name of cost, convenience and effectiveness – we’re creating new silos in these clouds that don’t know about each other. We’re back to having to keep tabs on where we put everything for projects rather than looking through a single folder structure on a file server and being able to ‘discover everything’.

Maybe that’s an okay problem to have. After all, AE firms are paid based on what they deliver – not what they can archive.

It does – however – call into question: What is the role now of Archiving and the Project Record?

Some food for thought.


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