Current technology trends and how they will affect business: a hot topic throughout the AEC Systems convention in Orlando.

u Wireless looks like a trend that is here to stay. AEC field personnel find it particularly valuable – for timeliness and tracking of information as well as for alerts and notification. Price, durability, and functionality vary widely. When implementing, it’s also important to consider what may be coming over the horizon. Just as with computers, obsolescence can occur all too quickly.

u Intranets and web portals are becoming more than buzzwords. Both internal and external customers are increasingly expecting to find needed ‘smart’ information on-line and easily accessible.

u Project management and collaboration – ways to shorten the time to complete a project by exchanging reliable and up-to-date information in the shortest possible time frame among all members of the project team. The advice was to at least do some trial projects and become familiar with what is possible. In implementing, again consider how many features you really need.

u Security, both of information and in construction, has come increasingly to the forefront of importance.

u More firms are looking into integration of various software systems- including accounting, estimating, project management, contact systems, and even CAD. The idea is to enter data only once and have it available everywhere. Vendor consolidation is also affecting integration - some legacy software will finally become obsolete with upgrades coming to a halt and support being withdrawn. The advice here, as elsewhere, was to carefully choose a vendor with staying power when implementing new systems.

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