Sep 16 2013

BIM talks announced for Be2Awards, as votes roll in

Be2Awards 2013It’s just under a week until London Social Media Week, which includes the third running of the Be2Awards presentations, which are being held at London’s Building Centre on the afternoon of Wednesday 25 September, along with the 2013 Be2Talks.

As with the two previous years, the winners are decided by online voting, and across most of the 11 categories I have begun to see Tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn updates, blog posts, emails and other messages created by some of the contenders to get their supporters to vote for them. The candidates in the best AEC collaboration category, for example, are: 4Projects, Asite, Conject (all three featured last year too – with Conject, formerly BIW, twice a victor), plus Unit4 Business Collaborator, and a slightly left-field nomination for GooglePlus.

2013 Be2Talks feature BIM

As we count down to the day, speakers for the TEDx-style talks that intersperse the Be2Awards presentations are being announced, and two of the first three are intending to talk about building information modelling (BIM) as part of their presentations:

  • David Burden of Birmingham-based Daden Ltd is a long-time friend of Be2camp movement, and previous events have featured his presentations about the Library of Birmingham project where Daden showcased the use of Second Life and related virtual world technologies to help users visualise the building (see March 2011 post: Virtual worlds and the built environment). This time, he will be relating this to BIM, arguing about the need for a more social model.
  • Andy Hudson-Smith, from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at London’s Bartlett school of architecture, makes a welcome return to the Be2Awards (in 2011, he championed Tales of Things, which won a Be2Award for Best ‘Internet of Things’ application). This time he returns as a Be2Talks speaker and will be talking about Smart Cities, BIM, GIS and, of course, the ‘Internet of Things’. (see January 2009 post about Geographic information in a web-based world)

At least one further speaker will be talking about BIM at the event – and the #UKBIMcrew Twitter community is also up for an award or two – so if you are interested in BIM, social media, or just the general role of technology in the built environment, this could be a great event to attend (and a bargain at just £15 per seat!).

[Disclosure: I am a co-organiser of the the Be2Awards and Be2Talks event, and co-founder of the Be2camp community.]

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/09/bim-talks-announced-for-be2awards-as-votes-roll-in/

Sep 09 2013

Accede asks: What do snaggers want?

AccedeMobile defects management has been covered in this blog more than a few times, and the latest product to grab my attention in this sector is Accede.

The product, which combines mobile devices with a  Software-as-a-Service back end, was originally developed by Brian McKillop at Brisbane, Australia-based WicketWorks Pty Ltd and started out as Visual Fox Pro software tools before being re-engineered to provide quality management tools for mobile devices (currently the Apple iPad and Windows Tablet PC devices). The product is now being launched in the UK and Brian’s fellow Australian and now London-based colleague Brett Winstone is heading up the initial marketing effort, trying to build awareness of the brand and get some pilot projects under way.

While Brett is a chartered accountant by background, he has extensive experience of Australia’s mining, natural resources and construction markets, and he has identified that around 6% of project management time is typically devoted to quality assurance work. He argues that mobile defects reporting tools have the potential to halve that figure, partly due to increased productivity – “with Accede, a quality manager can report 400 defects in a day” – and partly due to improved visibility and sharing of defects information via the service’s cloud-based reporting platform.

Brett is aware of other defects management and related tools already available in the UK – I wrote in March 2013 about SmartBuilder1 and GoReport, for example (see also: SnagR, post; Snag List, post; iSnag, post), and have discussed the defects capabilities of SaaS collaboration products such as Aconex, Asite and Conject (among others). Brett believes Accede offers a competitive alternative; he says:

“Not all projects run full-blown collaboration systems covering all the supply chain members, and for many involved just in quality control these would be time-consuming to learn and use. Other products also rely on placing pins on plans, while we use a simple hierarchical description of a building and use photos to help users identify where defects have been found. The system therefore requires less information before it can be deployed, and is more user-friendly – we can configure a system and get users trained in a day.”

Of course, such claims need to be tested. And Accede has been looking for UK partners willing to test the product on a free pilot project ‘proof of concept’ basis and share their feedback via a case study. Brett is also promoting a three-minute questionnaire asking “What do snaggers want?” which he hopes will add to the business’s understanding of the UK market and its quality control processes (click here to complete the survey – as an incentive, an iPad Mini is on offer to one lucky person who does so).

[Disclosure: I have provided paid consultancy services to Accede.]

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/09/accede-asks-what-do-snaggers-want/

Sep 06 2013

Conject to unveil its BIM plans (privately)

Conject is holding an invitation-only ‘Conject BIM Development Alliance’ briefing in London on 19 September.

An interesting blog post popped up on the blog of Anglo-German SaaS construction collaboration vendor Conject earlier this week concerning the Conject BIM Development Alliance. Conject’s head of product development Stephen Beaven talks about a forthcoming meeting where the company will be sharing its BIM thinking in “an exclusive briefing of key customers, including owner-operators, contractors, service providers and other supply chain members,” in London on 19 September.

Analysis

Conject-Ecobuild-BIMI listened to Conject’s UK MD Steve Cooper when he talked about the group’s approach to BIM at Ecobuild in March 2013 (post), but what he described then was very much a ‘helicopter view’ of BIM in relation to the group’s core project control strengths, and, despite talk of forthcoming Spring 2013 announcements, there has been little further elaboration to date. Meanwhile, rival UK-based collaboration vendors such as 4Projects and Asite have been more vocal about their BIM capabilities, and this has made Conject’s silence all the more deafening.

I won’t be attending the invitation-only briefing. I understand it will be strictly limited to existing Conject customers and members of those customers’ supply chains, with information dissemination limited by non-disclosure agreements. Admittedly, I would like to see some public detail of Conject’s BIM plans, but they are, of course, right to share these first with important partners and to get their feedback before perhaps developing them further and then – I hope – going public with their product road-map.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/09/conject-to-unveil-its-bim-plans-privately/

Sep 04 2013

An Incite update

One-time SaaS collaboration innovator Incite lingers on in the Australian market while former executives are celebrating a new start-up success.

Long-standing readers of Extranet Evolution may recall my posts about the Australian business Incite, a Leighton Holdings subsidiary which in 2009 developed some potentially ground-breaking SaaS collaboration technologies to support construction projects. I got a preview of these Keystone tools in November 2010, but three months later the company’s senior management team  – including all the key executives behind the platform innovations – were shown the door in what I called Incite’s St Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Subsequently, Leighton Holdings threatened me with legal action, the Keystone brand disappeared in a website reshuffle, and customers reportedly became uneasy about the future of the Incite platform. At that time (July 2012), I expressed sadness that Leighton stopped investing in Incite, suggesting that, marketed well, the Keystone innovations developed by Michael Baker and his team could have become a lucrative spin-off for the parent company.

packetloopHowever, Michael and colleague Scott Crane went away and formed another start-up, this time focused on security analytics – a company called Packetloop. This week it has been reported (eg: in Security Week) that Packetloop had been acquired by Arbor Networks, a leader in security management applications. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, it seems like Michael and his team were good at developing profitable enterprise software after all.

Meanwhile, the once-truncated Incite website has been expanded again, still under the Nexus Point Solutions name, and the Keystone product brand has reappeared. Sustained investment in Incite could have made it a major player in recent years, but the Australian SaaS collaboration market has become increasingly competitive. 4Projects now has a strong local representative and is winning major projects; ProjectCentre now has a strong German parent; QA Software’s Teambinder is also picking up major clients; Aconex retains a strong position in its native market; and Conject and McLaren also have representatives on the ground. Perhaps these rivals have capitalised upon Incite’s apparent implosion?

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/09/an-incite-update/

Aug 31 2013

Corecon encourages educational use of SaaS collaboration

Corecon logoCalifornia, US-based SaaS construction collaboration vendor Corecon Technologies is offering free licenses of its Corecon V7 estimating and construction project management software to colleges and universities teaching construction management or related subjects. Students will thereby gain experience of using SaaS technology before entering the workforce. The news release quotes Corecon President Norman J. Wendl:

“Students need to differentiate themselves from other job candidates when applying for their first professional position in construction, and experience using forward-looking technology like Corecon V7 gives them the competitive advantage they need to win over perspective employer. Construction firms, especially in the small business market, do not have time to research the latest technology on the market or to train new employees in their use. These firms want to hire college graduates who already have technological experience and can instantly put their skills in practice at their company.”

Such initiatives have become commonplace over the past decade or so, taking advantage of the ease of deployment  of software-as-a-service applications. For example, in the USA, Corecon competitor EADOC Software started a similar education partner programme last year. And I recall BIW Technologies [my former employer, now Conject] allowed free use of its SaaS platform by students at Newcastle University, and continued the practice at several other UK universities (eg: Reading, Loughborough, Nottingham Trent).

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/08/corecon-encourages-educational-use-of-saas-collaboration/

Aug 30 2013

iSite slipping?

Looking back, I could also reproduce last year’s post (just change the dates and the detailed figures)….

iSiteThe Styles & Wood UK-based IT subsidiary, iSite, which “provides clients with technology based property information solutions that store, manage and communicate critical data relating to their property portfolio and associated property activities,” has seen revenues drop in the first six months of 2013, compared to the same period in 2012.

An interim report from the parent group again talks about challenging marketing conditions. iSite generated revenues of £0.632m, and a profit of £41k in the six months to 30 June, compared to £0.738m and £65k a flat year earlier – the squeeze on margins appears to be continuing (“Margins were lower than prior year as we invested in new products and services”). In previous years, the business has enjoyed a better second half-year, so the picture may yet improve.

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/08/isite-slipping/

Aug 28 2013

COMIT to look at information mobility

For the past two years, one of my November event highlights has been the annual conference of COMIT (Construction Opportunities for Mobile IT). Building information modelling (BIM) and mobile IT remain themes for 2013’s edition, to be held at London’s Institute of Physics on 7 November 2013. However, under the heading “Information Mobility“, the range of topics has been expanded and the draft programme currently includes sessions on supply chain logistics, cloud computing, innovation and a spot of future-gazing.

Missing from the event, at the moment though (at least from an Extranet Evolution perspective), is anything relating to construction collaboration technology vendors and their embrace of mobile, which has been growing of late (see yesterday’s post, for example, and another recent one about Kykloud), and which may have more currency than mobile BIM.

I’m not sure if the event will persist with the #MobiBIM hashtag, or if a new hashtag will be created, but perhaps this will become clearer as the agenda is fleshed out. Update [29 August 2013] – looks like the hashtag may be #infomobility.

(Disclosure: Again, I will be there as COMIT’s social media partner, live-blogging and tweeting from the event -and, once more, if you go, tell COMIT I sent you!)

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/08/comit-looks-at-information-mobility/

Aug 27 2013

think project! releases mobile app

The latest SaaS collaboration vendor to release a mobile app is Munich, Germany-based think project! When I visited the company last year, its developers were talking about mobile tools, and these are now available for both Apple iOS and Android smartphone and tablet operating systems.

thinkproject-CaptureThe company announced the release of Mobile Capture in its July e-newsletter and it appears to be geared towards site-based inspection and data gathering processes, including the addition of photographs to the core think project! platform. Like UK-based 4Projects, who released its iOS app 4Mobile to the market at almost the same time (with an Android app imminent – post), think project! has opted for an app-based system so that users can use it offline, ie, when they are without web connectivity.

Should an internet connection become unavailable during an inspection, the app enables temporary storage of photos taken, written notes and voice recordings – saving them until internet access is restored. Pressing a ‘synchronise’ button uploads collected data to think project!.

Head of product management at think project! Jochen Maurer says:

“One of the app’s advantages clearly lies in the time it saves. It also improves the quality of documentation, as data is captured immediately on site in a structured manner – avoiding errors arising from delayed sorting and allocation. However, its principal benefit is that mobile capture can be integrated into existing project processes. This means it becomes part of the workflow, which can now [be] extended to the construction site and enable documentation to be initiated there as well.”

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/08/think-project-releases-mobile-app/

Aug 23 2013

Which AEC collaboration platform will win the 2013 Be2Award?

The 2013 Be2Awards are coming soon. Nominations for categories, including best AEC collaboration application, close on 6 September

be2awards2013-200pxIt’s that time of year again. In August last year, I wrote about the second running of the Be2awards: the world’s first awards for social media in the built environment (which I organise). The third Be2Awards are being held as part of the 2013 London Social Media Week, where this year’s theme is Open & Connected – reflecting on the global impact of social media and its role as a catalyst in driving cultural, political, economic and social change.

Nominations for the 2013 BeAwards are now being collated via an open blog platform, and with more than two weeks to go to deadline day (midnight BST, Friday 6 September), we’ve already had over 50 nominations and supporting comments.

Nick Sansome with Be2Award winner trophy

As in previous years, the categories include one for best AEC collaboration application. In 2011, this was won by BIW Technologies (which polled just over half of the online vote); last year, it was won by by the same company, now known as Conject (when competition was a little stiffer, including some BIM products, and it earned 39% of the votes). Maybe Conject will be looking to make it a hat-trick? Or will one of its rivals make a stronger case to its online audience?

Other award categories include:

  • The Be2 media award
  • Best AEC community, network or application
  • Best AEC marketing campaign
  • Best AEC PR campaign
  • Best AEC social media blog
  • Best AEC use of Twitter
  • Best charity / third sector use of social media
  • Best education and learning project
  • Best ‘internet of things’ application
  • Best location-based AEC application
  • Best mobile AEC application – an area where collaboration vendors are increasingly active, of course
  • Best sustainability blog
  • Best use of photo or video-sharing
  • Best use of Web 2.0 for construction products or materials
  • Best virtual or hybrid event – won in 2012 by collaboration vendor Asite, for this BIM webinars
  • Built environment blogger of the year

Once nominations close, shortlists will be compiled and online voting will then take place, before the awards are announced at a Be2camp ‘unawards’ event in London on Wednesday 25 September. We remain at the Be2camp ‘spiritual home’, the Building Centre (we held our first ‘unconference’ event there in October 2008), and the awards event will include Be2Talks, a learning event featuring some thought-provoking industry speakers on the interfaces between construction and technology, social media and business.

Again, throughout the planning and implementation process, we have been keen to show the power of social media in spreading word of the Be2Awards. There is, of course, a Be2Awards blog (with RSS feed), and you can follow @Be2Awards on Twitter (hashtags: #smwbe2 or #be2awards). If you are interested in helping, please let me know. For example, you can help by tweeting or blogging about the awards, by sponsoring an award, or by nominating someone for an award (yourself, your company, a client, a blogger, a Twitter feed you enjoy, an application that you can’t do without, etc). Of course, awards are great for marketing and public relations, and there are also two categories for PR and marketing professionals. If you work in these fields, this is your chance to be highlighted for your successful use of social media as part of an AEC industry campaign.

(This is an edited version of a blog post first published on my pwcom.co.uk blog.)

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/08/which-aec-collaboration-platform-will-win-the-2013-be2award/

Aug 22 2013

Kykloud gains ISO 27001 certification

UK based Kykloud is the first cloud-based building surveying and asset management software vendor to gain ISO 27001:2005 certification.

kykloud-logo-whiteNorth-east England based Kykloud has announced that it is the first cloud-based building surveying and asset management software vendor to gain  ISO 27001:2005 certification. This is the internationally recognised standard for information security governance, and provides some independent reassurance of the security surrounding Kykloud’s customers’ data – now protecting information relating to over 30 million square metres of built assets.

Kykloud launched its first iPad-based asset data capture services in early 2012 (post), later adding surveying capilities and earlier this year becoming the first app vendor to offer RICS-approved mobile survey templates (April 2013).

Nick Graham, CTO at Kykloud, was formerly at SaaS construction collaboration specialist 4Projects (which achieved certification in November 2011), and so knows how important it is to reach recognised international standards of security:

“Being the first cloud based mobile building surveying software vendor to achieve this certification reinforces our commitment to data security and sets us apart from others in the market. Security is one of the biggest concerns for our customer base; whilst we knew our systems and procedures were watertight, opening ourselves up to independent audit and penetration testing will be instrumental in the ongoing growth of our business.

“Kykloud sells into many different types of organisation from SME to global enterprises and for our larger customers, government agencies and financial institutions, particularly in Europe and Australasia, ISO 27001 certification is expected. Kykloud is now extremely well positioned to grow further in this area.”

From the earliest days of Software-as-a-Service delivery in the UK (back when it was more often known as application service provision, ASP), SaaS vendors have sought to reassure their customers about their information management regimes. During my days at BIW (now part of Conject), achieving ISO27001 (or, before that, BS7799) certification in the early 2000s was a major landmark, and it remains important today (Aconex, for example, announced ISO27001 accreditation for its Australian operations in December 2011; post).

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/08/kykloud-gains-iso-27001-certification/

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