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The Cloud

adrian_vlzkzadrian_vlzkz Member Posts: 258 PRO
edited May 2015 in Data management
I just find amusing how most users that throw stones at Onshape and other Cloud "enabled" CAD applications because of Security, currently use DropBox, Hightail or something similar to share files.
Adrian V. | Onshape Ambassador
CAD Engineering Manager

Comments

  • pete_yodispete_yodis OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 666 ✭✭✭
    Or keep their money as 1's and 0's on bank servers.  I don't think anyone here will disagree too much.  I think a decent analogy from the past might be this:  I wonder about sawmills when electrification came to the masses.  Did some sawmills not choose to participate because electric power was seen as unreliable and less known?  Did sawmills that refuse to utilize the new technology have a chance at competing later?  I think a similar argument can be made about cloud based platforms.  The sheer economics, efficiency, and compute power available will dictate that these systems must be used if you want to be able to compete in regards to efficient design and manufacture, regardless of how you feel about it or worry about it.
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,470 PRO
    Yep, surely cad files are more secure on $49 network drive connected to that $19 wlan router with default settings. ;)

    The only concern I have today is that when electric / network is down (<1% of worktime) I'm used to do some backlog 3d modeling since it's pretty much the only thing what computer is capable of without network.  
    //rami
  • pete_yodispete_yodis OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 666 ✭✭✭
    @3dcad Do you have a smartphone that can tether a data connection?
  • adrian_vlzkzadrian_vlzkz Member Posts: 258 PRO
    I think this day in age, any Network connection is more reliable than an intense SolidWorks Session.
    Adrian V. | Onshape Ambassador
    CAD Engineering Manager
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,470 PRO
    @3dcad Do you have a smartphone that can tether a data connection?
    Yep, and also 3G backup directly in router together with fiber.. With some major storms (in Finnish scale) I have seen longer cuts but usually also electric is gone at that time.. Computers can easily run on batteries or aggregate and if I would connect that router into UPS it would probably run just fine.

    But I have actually liked those times without network when there is no interrupts (mostly emails todo or coming in). It's the best time to be creative.
    Maybe I need to prepare secured line just for Onshape.. B)
    //rami
  • adrian_vlzkzadrian_vlzkz Member Posts: 258 PRO
    @3dcad  The world is Changing: http://www.teslamotors.com/powerwall 

    Adrian V. | Onshape Ambassador
    CAD Engineering Manager
  • andrew_troupandrew_troup Member, Mentor Posts: 1,584 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I can see both sides of this argument. It seems to me that those who cast it as being only about technology and/or security are missing one key point: autonomy. Some people care more than others do about having some way of fumbling for the levers of their own destiny, and this is completely orthogonal to technology.

    Security is about denying access and execution to others, extending into the indefinite future, whereas autonomy is about protecting these for yourself, for the same duration.

    Personally, I don't just want to keep the bad guys from driving away in my car, I want to be sure I can rely on being able to do so whenever I need to, without seeking permission or acquiescence from anyone, for the lifetime of the car.

    and (on a segue into a issue which initially might seem unconnected, but which bears heavily on autonomy, and loops back in the direction of technology) I don't want my car deciding for me whether to privilege not running into the large box ahead, which from the way it bounced after leaving the trailer, my instincts tell me is probably empty .... over getting out of the path of the even larger (and not at all empty) train rapidly approaching, which there's a chance the car has not even noticed yet (perhaps because it's preoccupied with a critical update coinciding with a comms glitch).

    I think I already know several arguments which are likely to be used to dismiss this class of concern, but I'll wait and see if anyone makes them, rather than trying to preemptively address them. It's entirely possible nobody is interested, for one thing...
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,470 PRO
    edited May 2015
    I hope so, but this link was representing the time before change. It said 404 page not found  :/

    Edit: don't know why link didn't work. That tesla battery is something that I would like to have in office rather than the current 5 ups which only provide enough power for controlled shutting down. Thanks for the idea @adrian_velazquez ;

    I'm sure you guys noticed that I'm just joking for actually needing cad to work offline.. Only thing I would like to have offline is some sort of viewer for situations where you know you will be offline. For example some parts of Lappland in Finland, great place for holiday, no people, no 3g, no 4g, no fiber, no phonelines for adsl, mostly no signal at all (depend on isp).

    But also to be honest, if my production would depend on internet connection; I would prepare at least two different isp 3/4g connections for backing up the lan line. 
    I'm already thinking to have a big generator for those few hours per year when lightning or storm cuts the power. So I completely understand those whos income depends on design work to be worried about online cad. 

    To get back on topic, I don't know enough about security to say if Onshape is good enough or not. But I guess it has better protection than emails or any stuff on your own devices (which are connected to internet). And probably at least similar to dropbox, google drive, apple cloud and other common cloud services.

    On the other hand, how hard is it to physically come into your home/office and grab your computer with all the files inside.. I think a lot easier than to hack Onshape and get the files from there.
    //rami
  • lougallolougallo Member, Moderator, Onshape Employees, Developers Posts: 2,001
    edited May 2015
    Lou Gallo / PD/UX - Support - Community / Onshape, Inc.
  • brucebartlettbrucebartlett Member, OS Professional, Mentor, User Group Leader Posts: 2,137 PRO
    lougallo said:
    So now we just need an internet battery to keep Onshape running in the event of an internet outage. I can not remember the last time our power went out nor the last time I was without internet. Wait the last time without internet was over two years ago so not a major issue for me however we will I will need increased band width for my larger models. 
    Engineer ı Product Designer ı Onshape Consulting Partner
    Twitter: @onshapetricks  & @babart1977   
  • pete_yodispete_yodis OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 666 ✭✭✭
    Sorry, when the internet or power goes down - I'll be taking a much needed rest, and not thinking about CADDING. :D
  • brucebartlettbrucebartlett Member, OS Professional, Mentor, User Group Leader Posts: 2,137 PRO
    jon_30 said:
    There is no good reason that I've ever heard of the Onshape can't run on a private cloud. It solves the ITAR issue for many machining job shops.

    Jon Banquer
    CADCAM Technology Leaders group on LinkedIn
    Cost?
    Engineer ı Product Designer ı Onshape Consulting Partner
    Twitter: @onshapetricks  & @babart1977   
  • adrian_vlzkzadrian_vlzkz Member Posts: 258 PRO
    IMHO it would make more sense for Onshape to develop a platform for interfacing with external (non-cloud) systems, than developing a way for companies to host their own cloud. I think the second goes against the vision of what Onshape is all about, NO ADMIN/IT needed.
    Adrian V. | Onshape Ambassador
    CAD Engineering Manager
  • 3dcad3dcad Member, OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 2,470 PRO
    Onshape has listed 3dsystems as their tech partner. Few years ago 3ds bought Alibre which is very good cad for it's price tag, currently it's named Geomagic Design.
    Maybe they should use Geomagic as local Onshape and build translate to keep history tree between these two. I would rather see some 3rd party solution for non-cloud system than Ons people taking their time to handle both.
    //rami
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