The challenge: outdated systems hindering growth
Eagle Environmental Construction and Development, a 50-employee architecture and development firm, was struggling with IT infrastructure limitations that threatened its competitive edge.
Managing large design files, engineering documents and construction schedules on aging on-premises servers created significant bottlenecks. Remote collaboration between field engineers, architects and project managers was inconsistent and unreliable. Unreliable backups meant recoveries often took hours — a real risk to deadlines on multi-million-dollar projects.
- Unreliable file recovery: failures caused hours-long recovery times and project delays.
- Poor remote collaboration: field teams struggled to access and share large design files.
- Aging infrastructure costs: outdated servers and licenses were increasingly expensive.
- Security vulnerabilities: legacy systems lacked modern security controls for client data and proprietary designs.
Our approach
Construction and development firms need both the accessibility of the cloud and the performance of local systems for large CAD and BIM files. We designed a hybrid cloud strategy around Eagle’s workflow, with an implementation plan that minimized disruption to active projects while delivering immediate improvements.
What we delivered
1. Google Workspace migration
Email and collaboration moved to Google Workspace for secure, reliable access from offices, job sites and remote locations.
2. Synology NAS deployment
High-performance onsite storage acts as a local cache for CAD and BIM files — fast local access with global synchronization.
3. Snapshot replication
Automated backup and recovery lets the team restore critical files and systems in minutes rather than hours.
4. Identity and access security
Single sign-on and mandatory multi-factor authentication protect client data and proprietary construction documents.
5. Training and adoption
Hands-on training ensured smooth adoption of the new collaboration tools, version control and cloud project management.
Results
Project managers immediately saw better coordination between job sites and headquarters, enabling faster design reviews and client deliverables. System failures stopped being a source of stress — teams could collaborate on large projects knowing their data was protected and accessible.
Most importantly, leadership gained confidence that the firm could scale and pursue larger projects without being constrained by outdated IT.
- Scalability: new staff and larger projects without major hardware investments.
- Competitive advantage: reliable collaboration supports bids on larger, more complex work.
- Future-ready: a foundation for IoT sensors and AI-powered project management.
- Risk mitigation: robust backup and recovery protect against data loss and outages.