DirtMate Centimeter-level machine guidance and fleet telematics for earthmoving
AeroPoints High-accuracy ground points for faster, reliable surveys
Propeller CAD AI-powered earthworks design built directly on your real survey terrain
Drone & hardware integrations Connect Propeller with your existing tools seamlessly
Cloud-based data management is cheaper, easier to use, and better for collaboration than traditional desktop software, and here’s why construction firms now treat it as foundational.
Cloud-based technology has grown steadily in popularity over the last several years, and for good reason. With a cloud-based platform, users can store, process, visualize, and work with digital data, without the expense and burden of maintaining servers, databases, processing power, and more.
According to AGC’s 2021 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook Report, nearly 70% of contractors use cloud-based mobile software for daily reporting, a considerable jump from just a few years earlier. Managing digital data in the cloud isn’t just convenient. It’s secure, cost-effective, and better for collaboration.
A JLL report shows a major boost in digital collaboration post-COVID, thanks largely to cloud-based software. “The benefits are proven, which is why adoption of digital collaboration tools is high, and why the tools are now considered to be a foundational technology.”
So why has cloud-based technology for digital data management become “foundational” for construction firms, and is it right for yours?
Remember the days when you had to buy separate, expensive software licenses and install them on individual machines? If you needed to analyze survey data with CAD (computer-aided design) software, you needed the right personnel and equipment on site to do the job.
Cloud-based software changes all of that.
Because there’s nothing to download, the software can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, or even offline, depending on the software. Licenses are typically available at a fraction of the cost, and certain levels of access may even be free.
Using the cloud also removes the need for cost-prohibitive server and computer upgrades. With the added flexibility that cloud-based solutions offer, contractors can scale their data management needs alongside their business.
Cloud-based technology is highly mobile. Often there’s nothing to download to your machine or mobile device at all. Any team member with access can simply log in through a web browser.
Some traditional desktop software requires expensive licenses limited to a small number of machines. If those machines, or the people trained to use them, aren’t on site, neither is your ability to put your data to work.
Cloud-based construction software can be accessed anywhere, from any device, by any user with the right permission.
Propeller’s cloud-based earthworks solution is a good example. We built it to be easy to use and accessible to everyone on the team, regardless of technical aptitude, so everyone can make better-informed decisions, faster.
Whether you’re looking to lift operator efficiency without sacrificing accuracy or just stay on top of what’s happening on site, ease of use is key to granting widespread access that benefits the whole team, not just a select few.
Easier, more cost-effective access to a shared hub for digital data means every stakeholder on a project can view and collaborate on the same information. That removes the risk of misinformed decisions from siloed or inaccurate data, and it improves team alignment and communication overall.
The challenge with traditional desktop software is that often only one user can update the information at a time, which can lead to version control issues, particularly if that user accidentally saves an update locally to their machine. With cloud-based solutions like the Propeller Platform, everyone works from the same information in real time.
Propeller’s add-on module, Crew, also provides a mobile, cloud-based communication channel between the office and the field, and back again. Multiple team members in the office can access and update the same data at the same time, and field crews can see those updates and respond accordingly in real time, preventing costly rework.
With everyone’s eyes on the same data at the same time, disputes happen less often. And when they do come up, they’re easier to resolve thanks to easy-to-read evidence of every step.
The construction industry has made tremendous strides over the past several years, but digital is still a differentiator.
If contractors want to stay competitive in a modernizing industry, they’ll need to lean on technology. Cloud-based solutions like Propeller help attract and retain talent in a strained job market, lift efficiency, and improve collaboration, all while keeping projects profitable.
We’re happy to show you how Propeller can power your worksite, and boost productivity.
