When one thinks of the construction sector, the first thing that comes to mind is physical work. That may include individuals wearing hard hats and laying bricks, mechanical diggers, dumper trucks and cranes, but beyond all that lies a range of other functions that require considerable logistical and technological support.
The sheer array of functions involved in the process of construction requiring IT is huge, but many involved in the various parts of the sector will appreciate it fully.
IT For Design
Some of it starts at the very outset, with architects using computer programmes and software to help produce drawings and designs. Since the advent of drone technology, this has also played a role in producing data, which programmes can analyse and the cloud can help store, enabling important information to be transmitted from offices to the site.
Other forms of software can produce 3D images or even computer-generated ‘fly-through’ simulations to show prospective customers or the general public what the finished article will look like.
IT For Precision
Some very specialised elements of construction can benefit from software use as well, such as tunnelling.
Back in the early days of tunnels, these were blasted by dynamite through rock or, in urban settings, were often very shallow, sub-surface tunnels created through the cut-and-cover method.
That is how the London Underground started, before the shield boring machines enabled the familiar ‘tube’ shaped deep tunnels from which the system takes its nickname to be dug.
However, as Tube tunnels proliferated and were joined by road tunnels, underground cable passages, sewers and even subterranean mainline rail routes (most recently the Elizabeth line), the area underground became increasingly crowded.
This is where engineering software can be used to help align tunnels, assess geological conditions and ensure they don’t impact existing infrastructure, whether it is other tunnels or the piles of building foundations above. In some cases, the precision needs to be extremely accurate, with tunnels ending up separated by just a few inches of wall.
However, IT support for the construction sector doesn’t just focus on design or areas of precision engineering. Indeed, many of the functions we offer can deal with some very basic things.
Cloud Hosting Benefits
For instance, our cloud hosting services can enable you to keep all kinds of information, not just very technical, with the advantage of enabling people based in different locations to access the information they need.
In other cases, it can be about simply providing the IT support your back office needs, when appliances go wrong or new equipment is needed.
Site Security
There are also areas of security that IT can help you with, both physical and in the cyber realm.
Our CCTV cameras are one obvious example of this. Site security is vital for all kinds of reasons, partly because there are always thieves about that would love to help themselves to resources such as valuable metals and equipment, making sites an attractive place to break into.
In addition, there are cases of antisocial behaviour and trespass, which can range from children seeking an adventure through to hardcore protestors breaking into a site as a protest or in a deliberate attempt at sabotage and blockading to prevent construction taking place. This was a frequent feature of protests against the construction of HS2.
Once on-site, such individuals can be hard to remove, with protestors at one site on the HS2 route staying in tunnels for 47 days.
The benefit of CCTV is that it can immediately alert security to the presence of trespassers, which may enable them to be apprehended and removed from the site before they can dig or barricade themselves into their chosen location. It can also act as a deterrent and help to identify thieves who steal items and materials from sites.
Cyber Security
Cybersecurity might seem less of an obvious issue, but it is one of the most important areas of IT support for any firm in any sector. As long as a firm has sensitive information, bank details for the staff on its payroll and other personal details, there will be information that you don’t want exposed.
Cyber attacks can come from many angles. Simple kinds include phishing attacks, which involve emails that solicit information, often through impersonation.
In other cases, ransomware can be included in an email, encouraging the recipient to download it. The virus will then block access to important data, and a ransom will be demanded to release it.
Apart from this, there may be straightforward attacks by hackers to steal information or maliciously inflict a denial-of-service attack.
Construction companies are as vulnerable to this as anyone, so this, just like site security, adds to the large number of ways in which great IT support can help your firm to keep things running smoothly.