I called numerous data centers throughout the U.S. and nobody could fulfill our requirements, or they wanted over $10,000 USD per month to do it. Chi Networks offers us high performance bandwidth routers and switches to support our unique CAD software requirements. Our business simply works better because of Chi Networks’ Ultimate Managed Services combined with their Data Armor® security, all offered at a highly competitive price point. It’s a combination unparelled in the industry.
1st Peak Manufacturing Solutions designs customized manufacturing parts for companies in data-sensitive industries spanning aerospace, marine, gas and oil, medical, automotive, energy and defense.
And it was eager to run SiemensNX CAD/CAM software in the cloud. But with its global 500 clients’ high-value proprietary designs and intellectual property at risk, 1st Peak had no room for security loopholes.
So finding a cloud provider who could fully support the firm’s critical security
needs and
also figure
out how to cost effectively run Siemens NX CAD/CAM applications in the Cloud became a challenge for the
company. Conversations with numerous cloud providers were going nowhere. Then 1st Peak struck pay dirt.
“Thanks to the cloud access made possible by Chi Networks” says 1st Peak CEO David Griffeth, “we can now
attract and work online with top design talent nationwide. Designers from all over can simply log into
the cloud and all their CAM/CAD tools will be right there at their disposal, fully operational. It’s
fantastic. Now it’s easy for us to cross pollinate ideas and equip our employees with the technology and
applications that make them 100% productive. What’s more, our people and our clients can now share their
work in real time. And guess what: Chi Networks is doing all this for us for $1,300 a month.”
Griffeth continues: “As it turns out, we are one of the only companies right now that is able to run Siemens NX in the cloud. In our business, the challenge to being bleeding edge is that there is limited technical support out there, and believe me, there’s no road map when you’re the first person to be there. Or there was no road map – until Chi Networks came along.”
It took interviews with twenty cloud providers for 1st Peak Manufacturing Solutions to find Chi Networks, a Chicago-headquartered managed cloud provider and security leader that operates from SSAE-16 Type II data centers in Chicago, India, Amsterdam and Dallas. Chi Networks was the first vendor to tell 1st Peak that it could get the job done and do it cost effectively.
Once on board, Chi Networks engineers worked with Siemens NX support staff for months to find cloud-based ways to design, move, rotate and manipulate complex 3D objects from multi-dimensional perspectives.
Chi Networks first developed an innovative path to run Siemens NX securely in the cloud using its proprietary Chi Networks Data Armor® Managed Security service. Then came the need for speed. To meet it, Chi Networks and 1st Peak teamed up to create the cloud-based infrastructure that now gives 1st Peak multiple competitive advantages.
With its CAM tools all running smoothly in the cloud,1st Peak is now able to work remotely with the most talented designers in its field, regardless of location. The resulting three-way, real-time collaboration among these talented designers, 1st Peak clients and 1st Peak staff has been transformative.
“Thanks to the cloud access made possible by Chi Networks, 1st Peak now pulls from the best talent nationwide. Designers simply log into our cloud system and all the tools they need are there at their disposal,” Griffeth says. “It’s made it easy for us to cross-pollinate ideas and to set up our employees with the technology and applications they need in order to be productive and to share our work easily with our clients in real time.”
CAD programs are some of the most difficult to support using cloud-based Desktop as a Service (DaaS) because of numerous software and graphics card requirements, server requirements and location and connectivity issues. Previously, the few cloud computing companies that were able to handle these difficulties did so at costs that were prohibitive for most CAD/CAM users. Chi Networks changed all that for 1st Peak.
Chi Networks has also met the demand for enabling the modern workforce to work from anywhere with its Ultimate Managed Services™. By providing 1st Peak with secure remote access, Chi Networks give the firm another level of data security and additional cost savings.
“We no longer have to ship laptops, or collect laptops when the contract ends,” Griffeth says, “and it’s much less expensive to maintain our infrastructure in the cloud. On a security note too there are quantifiable improvements. It’s difficult to lock down a laptop. Now all of the drawings and other intellectual property stay in the cloud, and there’s no way to pull that out.”
By centralizing apps, software and desktops in the data center and securely delivering them to users on demand anywhere, 1st Peak Manufacturing Solutions now leverages a form of design collaboration that is unique to their firm and critical to their success in a competitive marketplace.
“I called numerous data centers throughout the US and nobody could fulfill our requirements, or they wanted over $10,000 USD per month to do it. Chi Networks offers us high performance bandwidth routers and switches to support our unique CAD software requirements. Our business simply works better because of Chi Networks’ Ultimate Managed Services combined with their Data Armor® Managed Security, all offered at a highly competitive price point. It’s a combination unparalleled in the industry.”
1st Peak Manufacturing Solutions now offers its clients industry-leading CAD-CAM design services whose IT infrastructure was designed and managed by Chi Networks. This partnership offers unmatched IT security through Chi Networks’ proprietary Data Armor® Managed Security. Protection within the system prevents outside attacks and tampering from inside users. With the amount of data being stolen by client competitors, 1st Peak takes pride in ensuring that their customers’ valued information is secure in a system that meets today’s stringent standards.
Is it possible to advance the success of a company through outsourced DaaS? For 1st Peaks Manufacturing Solutions, the answer, a definite yes, had been critical to the company’s success.
“Making sure that a cloud service provider understands and cares about how your company actually does business and is a partner in making sure you are successful is what companies large and small alike really need, and we are delighted by how Chi Networks has risen to the challenges we were facing around security and speed.” says David Griffeth.
“At Chi Networks we pride ourselves on creating affordable customized solutions for Customers like 1st Peak Manufacturing Solutions. Our solutions keep data secure, and do so cost effectively. And they give our customers distinct competitive advantages that would not otherwise have been available to them,” adds Sanjiv Bawa, Chi Networks CEO & founder.
