Architecture Firm Transforms CAD Collaboration with Secure Cloud

The Challenge

West Coast Design Partners operates with architects spread across Vancouver, Victoria, and satellite offices throughout British Columbia. Their award-winning work on commercial developments required collaboration on massive CAD and BIM files, often exceeding 500MB each.

The firm’s VPN-based file sharing system was creating constant friction. Architects would wait 20+ minutes for files to sync, only to discover version conflicts that required hours of manual reconciliation. Project deadlines were being missed, and the team was spending more time fighting their tools than designing buildings.

Our Approach

We redesigned their entire collaboration infrastructure:

• Cloud-Native CAD Storage - Migrated design files to enterprise cloud storage optimized for large file handling with intelligent caching at each office location
• Automatic Version Control - Implemented file versioning that tracks every change, eliminating version conflicts and enabling instant rollback when needed
• Secure Remote Access - Replaced VPN with zero-trust network access, giving architects secure file access from any location without the performance overhead
• Project-Based Permissions - Set up granular access controls so external contractors can collaborate on specific projects without accessing the entire file system

The Results

The transformation was immediate and dramatic. File sync times dropped from 20 minutes to under 2 minutes. More importantly, the team hasn’t experienced a single version conflict since migration.

Productivity metrics improved 35% on distributed projects, measured by design iteration cycles. The firm has since expanded their remote hiring, bringing on talented architects regardless of location, knowing their infrastructure can support true collaboration.

The cloud migration also improved their security posture. Client project files are now protected with enterprise-grade encryption, and detailed access logs provide accountability for sensitive IP.