More recently, Autodesk launched its PLM 360 platform, which was built from the ground up to be a cloud-based architecture, and others like Aras PLM and Arena Solutions have been offering cloud-based PLM services for some time.
Arena Solutions, a provider of cloud-based bill of materials (BOM) and change management software, just launched a pair of cloud-based tools to help manufacturers capture and share product data as they move from prototype to production. Arena PartsList is a lightweight BOM management app, while Arena PDXViewer is a build package viewer. Used together, Arena officials say engineers can import designs from ECAD, automatically completing documentation and sharing completed BOMs or PDX build packages with partners.
All of this activity seems to signal manufacturers' willingness to consider cloud-based PLM offerings. Industry watchers are also bullish on the emerging PLM paradigm. As part of his 2012 predictions around cloud computing, Forrester Research Principal Analyst Holger Kisker said PLM, business intelligence, and supply chain management software will fuel the next wave of SaaS cloud adoption, in an overall market he expects will mature to hit around $60 billion in revenue this year.
What's your take on cloud-based PLM? Are vendors' bets that engineering organizations are ready to take the plunge on the mark or widely off base? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
Beth, as you might have figured out, I am skeptical of the long term cloud computing situation. Cloud is just the same as timesharing of the past. That is gone because it is cheaper to get your own computers. Cloud works in some situations where workload is variable and for startups. On the other hand, most cloud spend is for private clouds. This is really just server consolodation and virtualization, which has been going on for some time. In addition, if you add up the long term costs of being on the public cloud, private or on-site resources are cheaper in 1 to 3 years.
In the case of PLM, there is often a heavy graphics requirement as well. What makes me think there is something that can be done in this area is watching my son play a fancy video game on his PC. The game is "played" on a number of servers. He has a PC he built with a powerful graphics card. So, even though this game is "in the cloud" (whcih really means on the network), there was lots of processing going on at the local PC level. I expect this will be similar to cloud computing for engineering products.
My feeling is similar to yours, naperlou, that most engineering organizations aren't yet ready to adopt a cloud approach for a variety of reasons. That said, IT organizations are flocking to the cloud paradigm--both public clouds and private clouds and likely over time, a hybrid cloud where there is a mix of the two.
There is still a lot of work to be done to move the cloud beyond mere virtualization, but there are benefits to be had. I think even if companies aren't ready, it's important that the design tool vendors have a forward-thinking strategy to get there and continue work to evolve their platforms so that they can take advantage of the new capabilities when and where it makes sense.
Beth, are they seeing that the first uptake of this concept is among larger companies? If a larger company can afford its own private cloud, it would seem as if one of the big barriers to adoption (entrusting it to a cloud outside its own walls) would be automatically taken care of.
Hi! Thanks for including Arena in your article. As someone who works for a cloud PLM provider, I have to say I respectfully disagree with naperlou's skepticism about cloud's long term viability.
For some time, manufacturers and engineers were slow to adopt cloud solutions, but we have definitely seen increased adoption rates in the last few years, as manufacturers begin to see the benefits of centralized data management. I expect that with the arrival of Autodesk to the cloud PLM scene, this trend will continue.
The way we see it, cloud is not a flash-in-the-pan - - it's a response to the demands of modern product development. To be useful, product data must be seamlessly transferable across business lines to both suppliers and customers—especially in high tech organizations which often outsource. Companies need to collaborate on changes and send manufacturing data to several contract manufacturers (CMs) in high velocity, which makes cloud-based applications ideal for data transference. This trend is not going away, and cloud solutions will only become more useful in the future. Especially when cloud providers begin to sync up and offer really interesting functionality to customers (for example, we recently partnered with Octopart to offer real-time supplier availability, cost, compliance info for BOMs. That sort of collaboration is not possible w/on-premise solutions.)
Thanks for wading in Arenasolutions, and I do agree with you that the cloud is not a passing fad.
@Chuck: I don't have any intel on rates of adoption. My guess is it's pretty nil at this point. I think what we're seeing is more education of the benefits of the cloud and architecture changes at the vendor level for their PLM (and some CAD, but really PLM and collaboration tools along with simulation) so they are prepared when the shift to this more modern compute architecture dominates.
Beth,
I smell the presence of Homeland Security. I think it is of fundamental importance that no matter how secure the cloud may become, organizations can be infiltrated and espionage is a political business and technology nightmare. I worked in a building which contained one of the USA's eleven Internet traffic hubs and HS had a listening room upstairs. Take that to one more permutation and there are no such things as secure designs that are stored in the cloud. Considering PLM, I would think that putting all of this information would be akin to undressing in front of a TSA official instead of submitting to a body scan.
Maybe the Manager of Geeks looked at the whiteboard after a cryptic technical presentation by Geeks and identified the object that they kept pointing to as a cloud - so that must have been what they were talking about. Actually, Geeks have been using clouds in telecommunications and network diagrams for several years.
Laura Sapiens' Ego! Smartmouse offers users a unique interactive experience by providing 2D and 3D connectivity, hardware identity authentication, data storage, and more.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
12 
