By Charles Swihart, CEO of Preactive IT Solutions
The engineering industry is a cornerstone of innovation, driving everything from towering skyscrapers to intricate infrastructure projects. Yet, behind the blueprints and hard hats lies a complex web of technology that keeps these operations humming.
As the founder of Preactive IT Solutions, a Managed Services Provider (MSP) with offices in Houston and Austin, Texas, I’ve spent years working alongside engineering and construction firms to understand their unique technical support challenges. Our mission at Preactive IT is simple but bold: to empower these industries with IT solutions that don’t just react to problems but proactively prevent them.
Today, I want to dive into the top technical support hurdles engineering firms face—implementation, security, and platform maintenance across a diverse workforce—and how we’re addressing them head-on.
The Implementation Conundrum: Bridging Vision and Reality
Engineering firms live and breathe precision. Whether it’s designing a bridge or managing a construction site, every detail matters. Yet, when it comes to implementing IT systems, that same precision often collides with complexity.
Software like AutoCAD and Bentley Systems or project management tools such as Procore demand robust infrastructure—servers, networks, and workstations that can handle massive datasets and real-time collaboration. Add in the need to integrate these platforms with existing systems, and you’ve got a recipe for frustration.
We’ve seen firms struggle with implementation timelines that stretch months longer than planned, draining budgets and delaying projects. The challenge intensifies with a workforce split between in-office designers, field engineers, and remote collaborators. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t cut it.
That’s why we take a tailored, proactive stance. Before a single server is powered on, we map out the firm’s workflows, hardware needs, and software dependencies. For example, our team in Houston recently helped a civil engineering firm deploy a cloud-based design platform. By pre-staging the system in our lab, we cut their rollout time from three months to three weeks.
We don’t just install technology—we engineer it to fit the way you work.
Security: Safeguarding Innovation in a High-Stakes World
Engineering firms aren’t just building structures—they’re building intellectual property. Blueprints, proprietary designs, and client data are goldmines for cybercriminals. A single breach can cost millions in lost contracts, legal fees, and reputational damage.
Yet, the industry’s technical support often lags in security sophistication. Legacy systems, unpatched software, and inconsistent access controls create vulnerabilities that hackers exploit with alarming ease.
The diversity of the engineering workforce compounds this risk. In-office staff might access files via secure VPNs, while field workers log in from ruggedized tablets on spotty cellular networks. Remote employees might use personal devices with questionable security hygiene. Each touchpoint is a potential weak link.
At Preactive IT, we’ve made it our mission to lock down vulnerabilities without stifling productivity. Our approach starts with a zero-trust framework—nobody gets access until their identity and device are verified.
For an Austin-based structural engineering firm, we rolled out multi-factor authentication (MFA) across their hybrid workforce, slashing unauthorized access attempts by 90% in the first quarter. We also deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to catch threats in real time, whether they hit a desktop in the office or a laptop at a job site.
Security isn’t an add-on—it’s the foundation of every solution we build.
Maintaining Platforms: Keeping a Diverse Workforce Connected
The engineering industry doesn’t operate in a vacuum. A single project might involve dozens of stakeholders—designers in the office, surveyors in the field, and project managers at home. Each group relies on platforms like Microsoft 365, Bluebeam, or custom ERP systems to stay in sync.
However, maintaining those platforms across a varied workforce is a Herculean task. Downtime, software glitches, and compatibility issues can grind progress to a halt, costing firms thousands in lost productivity.
Traditional IT support reacts to problems after they arise—think endless helpdesk tickets and finger-pointing. That’s not good enough for engineering, where deadlines are non-negotiable.
At Preactive IT, we flip the script with proactive maintenance. Our team monitors systems 24/7, using predictive analytics to spot trouble before it strikes. For example, we recently noticed latency spikes in a client’s cloud-hosted CAD environment. Instead of waiting for complaints, we traced it to an overloaded server, scaled up resources overnight, and kept the team on track for a critical deadline.
But maintenance isn’t just about uptime—it’s about adaptability. Field workers need lightweight, mobile-friendly tools that don’t choke on weak connections. Remote staff need seamless access to the same data as in-office peers.
We’ve tackled this by leveraging hybrid cloud architectures that balance performance and accessibility. For a Houston engineering firm, we migrated their on-prem file servers to a hybrid setup, giving field crews instant access to updated plans via secure mobile apps while keeping sensitive data encrypted and centralized. The result? A 30% boost in cross-team efficiency with zero compromise on reliability.
The Preactive Difference: Expertise Meets Empathy
What sets Preactive IT apart isn’t just our technical chops—it’s our obsession with understanding the engineering industry.
I founded this company because I saw too many MSPs treating IT like a generic service, oblivious to the real-world pressures of design reviews, site inspections, and client deliverables. Our teams in Houston and Austin don’t just manage servers; they speak the language of engineering and construction.
We know that a dropped connection during a deadline crunch isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a threat to your reputation.
That expertise shapes how we address the big three challenges: implementation, security, and maintenance. We don’t throw cookie-cutter solutions at you and call it a day. Instead, we dig into your workflows, anticipate your pain points, and deliver systems that work as hard as you do.
For a mid-sized construction engineering firm, we overhauled their entire IT stack—streamlining implementation with pre-configured hardware, locking down security with role-based access controls, and maintaining it with automated patch management. They went from dreading IT headaches to treating IT as a competitive edge.
Let’s Talk About Your Cybersecurity Strategy
📞 Call us today: (832) 944-6250
Your customers trust you. Let’s make sure your cybersecurity strategy keeps it that way.
Charles Swihart
CEO, Preactive IT Solutions
Charles Swihart has been at the forefront of the
Managed IT Services industry since founding
Preactive IT Solutions in 2003.
