André Guldi

10 tips for choosing the right Cloud PLM provider

How to make a future-oriented decision

Flexibility and agility are crucial for companies in today’s dynamic business world. This also applies to Product Lifecycle Management. Accelerated product development and a shorter time-to-market are essential to remain competitive. While a traditional on-premises PLM solution was the only option in the past, digitalization brought about an alternative – Cloud PLM. Today, PLM system providers offer agile and rapidly deployable cloud solutions for managing the entire lifecycle of your products.

There are numerous companies in the market offering various functionalities and packages. But how do you find the provider that perfectly meets your specific requirements?

This blog post provides you with 10 essential tips to consider when choosing a Cloud PLM provider.

1 Understanding your requirements:

As a first step in your search for the right cloud PLM provider, define your specific requirements and goals. What do you expect from a Cloud PLM solution? Which functions and features are important for your company? Make sure your requirements cover both short-term and long-term needs. Answer the following questions:

What type of products do you develop or manufacture?
What processes need to be managed?
What integrations with other systems are necessary?
What is your budget?
How many employees will be using the cloud PLM system?

Comparing your requirements list with the offered software packages will help you narrow down the selection of providers.

2 Functionality:

Carefully examine the offered functionalities and compare them to your requirements. Can you expand the range of functions if needed? This helps prevent high time and cost expenditures often associated with changing providers.

3 Integration and interfaces:

Check whether the Cloud PLM software is compatible with the software tools and applications your company uses, such as MCAD, ECAD, ERP, MES, and CRM. Integrating data into the Cloud PLM system helps you avoid data silos and consolidate all relevant information in one software – the Single Source of Truth – to enable cross-departmental access. Dr. Patrick Müller explains how to break down data silos in this interview.

4 Scalability:

Ensure that the provider’s software is scalable and can keep up with your company’s growth. It should also be possible to add or remove users without causing interruptions or incurring costs for a system change.

5 Security and data protection:

The security of your company and product data is of utmost importance. Evaluate the provider’s security measures to ensure that your data is protected from unauthorized access. It is also important to check compliance with regulatory guidelines and certifications. For more information on data security in Cloud PLM systems, we recommend this blog post.

6 Performance and service quality:

Ensure that the performance quality and availability of the software are contractually guaranteed with a Service Level Agreement (SLA). In the SLA, the provider and customer define aspects including how the provider handles outages and ensures data recovery.

7 Costs and licensing:

Many providers offer different packages of their Cloud PLM software with varying functionalities. Review the pricing structure of the provider and compare it to your budget. Also take into account the ongoing licensing costs.

8 Customization options:

Complex processes require customized solutions. Check whether the provider allows for customizations beyond the standard PLM functions. DevOps services enable you to continuously develop and optimize your business processes even after migration and implementation.

9 References and trial versions:

Take a look at the provider’s website to see if reputable reference customers are using the software. Experiences from other customers can provide valuable insights. You can also take advantage of free trial versions to test the software in your company.

10 User-friendliness and support:

An intuitive user interface should be an important factor in your decision. The user-friendliness of the software is crucial for the acceptance among your employees and eventually their productivity. Ensure that a personal contact is available to you for any questions or issues.

Conclusion

Choosing a Cloud PLM software provider requires thorough research. Consider your specific requirements and take sufficient time to compare different providers. By taking these 10 tips into account, you will find the vendor that best suits your needs and helps you optimize your product development processes.

CIM Database Cloud provides you with all state-of-the-art PLM functionalities, adapts to your requirements, and seamlessly integrates into your existing systems.

Data security in Cloud PLM systems

How Cloud PLM systems ensure data security on the highest level

As technology advances at a rapid pace, product life cycles become shorter, and the amount of digital information grows exponentially, companies face the challenge of managing their product life cycle data in a more effective manner. Consequently, more and more companies are turning to Cloud PLM systems that enable them to access data from anywhere and at any time. While the benefits of a cloud solution outweigh the drawbacks, there are still concerns. Specifically, about whether the data in the cloud is secure. In this article, we delve into the advantages of cloud-based PLM systems and demonstrate that solutions adhering to current security standards and requirements offer the highest level of data security and can be significantly more reliable than locally operated systems.

Security benefits of Cloud PLM compared to locally installed PLM systems

In a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, cloud service providers are responsible for maintaining security features in the application and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data. They also ensure compliance with current cybersecurity standards, regularly update the software to address new security risks and vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor the system for potential threats. When it comes to security, most companies do not have sufficient resources to make investments in hardware, infrastructure, and personnel comparable to the major cloud providers.

Thanks to economies of scale, cloud administrator teams operate more efficiently and with greater specialization compared to administrators of an on-premises installation. As a result, routine tasks such as updates and maintenance are reduced for internal IT teams, allowing them to focus more on their day-to-day operations, such as user satisfaction, implementing new IT features, and company-specific IT security matters.

Security measures of Cloud PLM providers

To ensure that data is fully protected, cloud applications should adhere to current best practices and comply with all relevant regulations regarding cybersecurity in the cloud. Five measures have become widely established in this regard:

1. High-security data centers and encryption

Cloud PLM providers rely on highly secure data centers equipped with state-of-the-art security technology. These data centers provide physical protection, access control, and active monitoring around the clock. Additionally, all data stored in the cloud is protected by cutting-edge encryption technologies. In the highly unlikely event of a security incident, the data remains unreadable to unauthorized parties.

2. Access control and permissions

Cloud PLM systems offer precise control over who can access the data. Assigning individual permissions at the user level ensures that only authorized users have access to specific data and functions. Administrators have the option to define user roles themselves and assign individual permissions. This ensures that employees can only access information relevant to their work.

3. Regular security updates and maintenance

Cloud providers perform regular security updates and maintenance to promptly address potential vulnerabilities and keep the systems up to date. This ensures that Cloud PLM systems are constantly protected against current threats.

4. Redundancy and disaster recovery

Another crucial aspect of data security in the cloud is redundancy and disaster recovery. Cloud providers store their data in distributed data centers at multiple locations and conduct systematic and professional backups. This provides protection against data loss due to hardware failures or in the event of a disaster.

5. Compliance and certifications

To meet the highest security standards and ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data, cloud providers should adhere to compliance guidelines and certifications. One notable standard in this field is ISO 27001. It provides a framework for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving security management systems, procedures, and policies. Depending on the region and industry, other certifications may also be relevant.

Humans – a factor of (in)security

Once a company has chosen a suitable cloud-based PLM system and selected a cloud service provider that adheres to all best practices for data security in Cloud applications, the first major step towards data security is taken. However, to ensure maximum security, another important element is needed: the training of the company’s employees.

The security of data in PLM systems largely depends on the conduct and expertise of the employees. Therefore, it is crucial that they undergo regular IT security training. These trainings should teach employees how to recognize phishing attacks, suspicious emails, malware, and questionable links in order to prevent unauthorized access. Employees must also be sensitized to report suspicious incidents to protect themselves and their colleagues.

Cloud PLM systems with document management and an integrated communication tool significantly reduce the risk of encountering insecure emails or links, as communication takes place in a protected environment. Encouraging users to utilize such features directly contributes to enhanced security.

Furthermore, it is of great importance that employees are trained on how to securely handle confidential data and strictly adhere to the company’s privacy policies in order to prevent data breaches.

Conclusion

Cloud-based PLM systems offer you the highest level of data security through the use of encryption, access control, regular updates, redundant data storage, and the compliance standards of cloud service providers. Still, the security of your PLM system data also depends on the behavior of your employees to a large extent. Regular IT security training is essential to ensure that users are aware of current threats.

Take advantage of the many benefits of cloud-based PLM software now: With CIM Database Cloud, you get a secure solution to protect your sensitive product development data.

Accelerating product development with cloud DevOps

Leveraging the synergies of DevOps and cloud services for efficient product development

Accelerating product development all the way to market maturity is crucial for companies. Customers expect continuous innovation, while technological advancements quickly become outdated and product life cycles are getting shorter.

Cloud DevOps (Development and Operations) helps companies significantly reduce development times through automated processes, preconfigured tools, and agile collaboration.

André Guldi, Product Manager Cloud at CONTACT Software, explains how you can leverage the synergies of DevOps and cloud services for increased efficiency in product development.

1. Mr. Guldi, what are DevOps?

AG: In the allocation of work in software development, there has traditionally been an emphasis on departments. Developers wrote the code, which the quality management would then test. Afterward, IT was responsible for integrating the libraries into the production software.

DevOps breaks down the traditional separation between development and system design (Dev) and operation (Ops). Instead of three large teams, each responsible for their own tasks, this approach aims to bring experts from different areas together in small DevOps teams. This allows developers to gain a better understanding of the infrastructure, as well as the user-friendliness and testability of their code. At the same time, IT operations experts gain deep insights into development and testing processes.

DevOps integrates development and operations in agile teams. It provides an automated and standardized process that is qualified and documented, enabling faster software development and implementation.

2. What are the specific benefits of DevOps?

AG: The close collaboration between development and operations in agile DevOps teams offers the following advantages:

Faster implementation: Thanks to seamless collaboration between teams in an agile development environment with efficient automation tools, applications can be deployed faster, and updates rolled out continuously.
Risk mitigation: Through continuous integration and ongoing testing, errors and security risks are detected and fixed before they affect the production environment. In addition, applications can be automatically restored after a crisis event.
Cost reduction: Automating development, testing, and deployment processes reduces manual efforts for recurring tasks. This saves time, resources, and money.
Quality improvements: The close collaboration in agile DevOps teams improves coordination and ensures a deeper understanding of the requirements. Additionally, continuous integration and automated testing guarantee high software quality that meets user expectations.

3. How are DevOps and cloud services connected?

AG: DevOps and cloud technologies are symbiotic. The cloud enables us to automate, standardize, and replicate entire infrastructures. In combination, this extends the DevOps approach from development practices and testing applications to the agile deployment of infrastructures. Integrating the mentioned DevOps advantages into a flexible and scalable cloud environment that allows for resources to be adjusted according to demand provides a tremendous boost in software development. This way, cloud services and infrastructures can be deployed, configured, and – if necessary – shut down in a very short time.

4. What DevOps services does CONTACT provide to users of CIM Database Cloud?

AG: CIM Database Cloud offers customers the ability to configure and manage applications according to their preferences. For this purpose, CONTACT provides various preconfigured tools on the cloud platform, such as Git, Automation Pipelines, Docker Images, and many others. With these tools, customers can implement proven DevOps processes. For example, they can upload their customizations to a central Git server, validate changes in test environments, and then deploy them to the production environment.

Predefined Continuous Integration (CI) / Continuous Deployment (CD) pipelines help automate the process. Additionally, specific dashboards are available to monitor the various steps and results of these processes.

Conclusion

CIM Database Cloud integrates the DevOps process and systematizes development and operational processes. Automated testing, preconfigured tools, and improved collaboration accelerate development cycles, identify errors early in the process, and allow rapid adjustments. Companies benefit from more efficient processes, faster iterations, and can better respond to their customers’ needs.

Whether you already use a customized PLM system or are looking to implement a new one, our integrated DevOps service enables a wide range of customizations, testing, and deployments – seamlessly and directly in the cloud.