Related Links: The Security of Modern Password Expirationby Yinqian Zhang, UNC/Chapel Hil Case Study: Facilities Management as Engineering Deliverable (subscription required) Those calls to change your password every month, or to add extra characters, really don't work. don’t work. And no matter what you do, your systems are less secure than you and your system administrator think they are. Little wonder that Sony, the Pentagon... and you... are easy targets. If you're using Web-collaboration CAD or BIM tools, you may want to re-think your password policies.I’ll explain why, and what you can do to come close to maximum password security,

In a difficult economy where new design projects are still hard to land, many firms are adding in as many services as possible to the list of client deliverables. The idea is to charge a higher fee while offering more than your competition's pricepoint.How to make that happen? Designing entirely on a computer screen certainly helps;  changes, whether from the construction site or due to changing client needs, flow through the project naturally to the as-builts. In the months ahead, I’ll be talking about some of the ways that’s done during construction, with the latest portable equipment.But in this case,

In the last (and first) issue of ENR’s FutureTech newsletter (which went out June 14), I discussed key pricing and compatibility issues to consider when buying new design software. But there are other issues to consider, which can include the usability of your drawings. Related Links: Before You Upgrade CAD: Questions to Ask (Pt. 1 of 2)  A key test is a simple one: print out a detailed set of drawings for a job, in different sizes, on paper and in PDF or other format you might use for portable tablets and laptops. Is everything there? In the second half

Thinking about finally adding computer-aided design software to your workflow? Maybe you want to expand your existing CAD investment into facilities management, or what we now call BIM (Building Information Management) software. In this two-part article, I'll explain some important questions you need to ask yourself and your CAD vendor or vendors before you buy.Start by remembering that the design process is a thinking process. If your software gets in the way of your thinking, it may not be right for you.That said, a CAD or facilities management package is nothing more than a database program with a very fancy