Engineering Inc. - September/October 2019 - 35

COURTESY OF VOLKERT, INC.

to our clients through our work with
sensor technology in our intelligent
infrastructure systems group."
Specifically, Pennoni recently
implemented roadway scanning technology that uses machine learning to
identify defects in the street surface.
This technology allows Pennoni to create a prioritization-based maintenance
and replacement system.
Other initiatives include the use of
virtual reality to help clients see their
projects in context; indoor and outdoor
3D laser scanning to accurately collect
site information and create 3D models;
and a variety of hosted and on-premises
asset management platforms that lets
clients see building-based assets and
their performance over time.
"The implementation of these innovative solutions has added extreme value
for our clients," says Weidner. "One
municipal client has experienced up
to a 30 percent cost savings through
the implementation of our proprietary
OPTICS energy procurement platform."
For some firms, the cloud offers new capabilities and conveniences not possible or not as feasible with on-premises systems.
Volkert recently conducted a firm-wide conversion to Microsoft Office 365, which gives its entire workforce a host of communication and collaboration tools.
"We are evaluating what integrated programs we should
implement firm-wide," says Jerry Stump, president and CEO of
Volkert.
To increase employee productivity, the firm has also implemented a new cloud-based intranet.
"A cloud-based intranet has made a number of business processes much easier to perform. This replaces our old intranet,
which was designed for desktop users and provided not much
more than storage of reference documents," says Stump.
"Because it is cloud-based, employees in the field can access the
same information using their mobile app. It is too early in the
adoption process for us to measure cost savings on these initiatives. But anecdotal feedback indicates that we have made a
number of business processes much easier to perform."
MOVING TO 5G

A big trend that will make many IT innovations possible in the
coming years is the shift to 5G. The faster successor to 4G, communications carriers are set to launch 5G networks for mobile
devices in 2019.
Eventually, 5G will be implemented in machines, cars, IoT
devices, drones and infrastructure equipment. The move to 5G
will allow machines to make long-distance data calls to other
mechanical and electrical devices at speeds faster than current
internet connections.
"The capabilities of 5G will make it possible to more fully

"A cloud-based
intranet has made a
number of business
processes much easier
to perform."
JERRY STUMP
PRESIDENT AND CEO
VOLKERT

support IoT," says Stanger. "We are also seeing how IoT has
increased the use of IPv6 [internet protocol version 6]."
This is possible because IPv6 provides more addresses. But
more important, according to Stanger, it processes IoT traffic
more efficiently.
"Instead of asking the routers to process all of that traffic, the
IoT and mobile devices will do more of that under IPv6," says
Stanger. "This will enable more devices but with less congestion
at the routers."
The new 5G generation of wireless data services is expected
to have 10 times less data latency, 50 times more speed in transfer and 1,000 times more capacity than 4G/LTE, according to
Bennett.
"When you combine the last two capabilities, a 50 times
speed increase and 1,000 times capacity, all the IoT uses-for
example, smart cities and connected vehicles, smart agriculture
and homes, live feeds from drones, connected health, smart
media or industrial tools and applications-will be redefined for
the better," he says.

How UEM Helps Firms Mitigate Risk

T policies oftentimes
cannot keep pace with
the rapidly increasing
number of devices in use
within engineering firms.
Employees in the field might
leverage a variety of devices,
regardless of the policies in
place, increasing the risk of
exposure for corporate data
and infrastructure.
One potential solution to
the problem is unified endpoint management (UEM),
which can help enterprises
secure and control the entire
IT environment and all of
its endpoints. That includes
smartphones, tablets, laptops

and desktops, as well as
apps, content and data.
UEM is software that provides a single management
interface for mobile, PC and
other devices.
"UEM can help resolve
traffic management and
security issues," says James
Stanger, chief technology
evangelist at CompTIA. "This
is because endpoints are
where the action is when it
comes to hacks today. That
is where the attackers are
concentrating. So it is natural
to devise a centralized monitoring solution that focuses
on them."

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019

ENGINEERING INC.

Engineering Inc. - September/October 2019

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