New offerings and a new company enter the engineering cloud fray.
This February saw a lot of interesting news out of the cloud industry that could be of use to the engineering community. The problem is, for various reasons, many engineers may have missed these announcements. So, here is a summary of what you need to know.

1. Dassault Systèmes to Offer SOLIDWORKS on the Cloud for Free
Perhaps the biggest Cloud news engineers need to pay attention to came from Gian Paolo Bassi, Executive VP of 3DEXPERIENCE Works at Dassault Systèmes. The announcement came during 3XEXPERIENCE World in Nashville, TN, so it may have been lost to the sea of information coming from the event.
“We are ready now to future-proof your companies,” Bassi said during the opening minutes of the event. “So given that … I’d like to make a very important announcement. We feel that everyone … should be taking advantage of all that 3DEXPEREINCE Works has to offer. Now, listen to this, starting from July 2023, we will be including cloud services with every seat of SOLIDWORKS. So, you are free to take advantage of state-of-the-art security, collaboration, data management and mobility in the Cloud.”
For those not in the know, Dassault Systèmes uses the 3DEXPERIENCE platform as a hub for all its technology from product design, simulation, team collaboration and more. So, not only will this dip every SOLIDWORKS user’s toe into the platform, but it also comes with a fancy perk. Now anyone with a SOLIDWORKS license can share CAD designs for review and markup with anyone, regardless of whether they themselves have a license or installation of the software.
Putting on the prediction hat for a second, it’s interesting that Bassi has used the words “future-proof your companies” while making this announcement. Could this mean that one day, perhaps soon, SOLIDWORKS will become fully integrated into the 3DEXPEREINCE platform for all users? This could be a big win for the company and many users—assuming all costs, access points (online and offline) and functionality remain constant for those not interested in the extra bells and whistles.
2. Ansys Makes Simulations More Available on Microsoft Azure
In early February, engineering simulation software giant Ansys produced a press release explaining the extension of its collaboration with Microsoft. The aim of this extension is to expand the availability of simulations solutions on Azure.
However, the buried lead is that a new offering called Ansys Access will be available on the Azure Marketplace. It will be an alternative to current managed cloud offerings such as Ansys Cloud Direct. The major difference is that customers will be able to use their existing Ansys applications and purchase them directly from Microsoft. This way, organizations can utilize the simulation cloud offering that best suits their needs.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the announcement is that Ansys is working to include Microsoft 365 capabilities into its engineering tools to help organizations collaborate. But as this seems like a forward-thinking comment, Ansys Access is still the biggest nugget of information here.
“Our continued collaboration connects the cloud computing capabilities of Microsoft Azure with Ansys’ advanced simulation solutions to better enable virtual design and innovation worldwide,” said Kurt Niebuhr, Principal PDM Manager at Microsoft.
3. GE Digital Reports its Cloud MES Tool Reduces Cost of Ownership by Up to 30 Percent
Around the same time that Ansys announced its news, GE Digital made the claim, in a press release, that its cloud-based manufacturing execution systems (MES) software can reduce total cost of ownership by up to 30 percent. The idea is that when compared to on-premise implementations, the cloud offering will reduce costs due to lower capital expenditures, operating expenses, maintenance and improved security.
The Proficy Smart Factory cloud MES tool helps companies improve real-time operations and system robustness while offering a no-code user experience. And since the tool is on the cloud, organizations no longer need to support the software. But they will still be able to expand its use and security at scale.
“With MES as a Service, manufacturers can achieve a fast-track to modern manufacturing operations and frontline guidance, enabling connected workers across the enterprise,” said Richard Kenedi, General Manager of GE Digital’s Manufacturing and Digital Plant business. “We’ve combined our long-term MES knowledge and analyst-recognized technology with the latest in cloud innovation. By reducing the costs and human power needed to deploy and maintain an MES, any manufacturer can implement an adaptable production system and gain the real-time operations optimization to support digital transformation, continuous improvement and lean initiatives.”
4. Air Force Acquisition Expert and Former Google CEO Aim to Change Digital Engineering
On February 13th, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and former Air Force Assistant Secretary and McKinsey & Co. advisor Will Roper announced that their digital engineering company, Istari, has emerged from stealth mode. It may have been easy to miss the news on this fledgling company, but don’t underestimate it. Istari has already raised $13 million in seed investment and gained nine government and commercial contracts.
The aim of the company is to bring more internet-like capabilities to engineering models and simulations. Schmidt said in a press release, “This unlocks the possibility of software-like agility for future physical systems. It’s very exciting!”
Though the release doesn’t mentioning the Cloud outright, the announcement made it clear—to anyone reading between the lines—that such technology would be a necessary component of Istari’s technology.
“At Istari, we’re enabling all technology to be created—and continually perfected—digitally. Software ate the world, and now hardware can too via the magic of collaborative models,” said Roper. “We can design things, test things—in general, learn things—faster, cheaper and greener than the physical universe allows.”
The release also makes mention of the boom of collaboration tools in the engineering industry (like the aforementioned 3DEXPEREINCE, among others) and the concept of a digital thread. But it notes that these tools have their challenges—as witnessed by Roper while creating the Air Force’s digital threads. The hope is that Istari can simplify these implementations.
5. Atos’ New 5G Security Tool
Engineering companies looking to deploy a private 5G network will be interested in the news about Atos’ 5Guard. This new security offering from the digital transformation company is designed to reduce the security risk of radio access networks (RAN), multiple access edge computing, 5G core networks and multicloud platforms. 5Guard does this by helping organizations:
- Define a 5G security strategy based on standards, regulations and the given infrastructure.
- Secure 5G data and networks using proprietary technology such as the encryption solutions Trustway and managed detection and response (MDR) tools.
- Secure 5G operations and multicloud systems.
The tool also offers access to partner solutions like the one from Fortinet, a high-performance security company. “We are delighted to collaborate with Atos in delivering their ‘5Guard’ 5G security offering,” said John Maddison, EVP of Products and CMO at Fortinet. “Fortinet solutions provide cybersecurity capabilities for private and public 5G networks and services and enable greater trust and compliance. By interfacing with Atos’ managed security services, we provide a comprehensive solution that protects 5G networks, 5G-enabled industrial environments and 5G services, for the benefit of the ecosystem.”
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