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CDM Smith Enhances Global Engineering Services with BlueAlly and Equinix

CDM Smith, a global leader in engineering and construction, faced the challenge of integrating next-generation technologies like IoT, AI, and mixed reality into its operations. To better serve its clients, many of whom are located in remote areas or work on critical infrastructure, CDM Smith needed to re-architect its network to support secure and efficient data processing at the edge. By partnering with BlueAlly and Equinix, CDM Smith successfully deployed a global edge compute, network, and hybrid multicloud architecture that transformed their service delivery.

Engineering Drawings

CDM Smith

CDM Smith is a global engineering and construction firm specializing in water, environment, energy, transportation, and facilities projects, delivering integrated solutions through consulting, design, and construction services.

Engineers

CDM Smith

CDM Smith is a global engineering and construction firm specializing in water, environment, energy, transportation, and facilities projects, delivering integrated solutions through consulting, design, and construction services.

The Challenge

The growing demand for real-time data analytics and dynamic interactions in CDM Smith’s projects required a robust infrastructure capable of handling large datasets and complex simulations. Traditional methods were becoming inadequate, leading to inefficiencies in delivering engineering services. The firm needed a solution that could securely and swiftly process data from remote locations, ensuring timely and effective project execution.

The Solution

CDM Smith collaborated with BlueAlly and Equinix to implement a globally distributed SD-WAN and interconnection hub architecture. This infrastructure leveraged Cisco Viptela SD-WAN routers and Equinix’s International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data centers, enabling CDM Smith to interconnect its 118 global offices securely. The architecture extended CDM Smith’s network and multicloud capabilities to the edge, providing direct access to cloud services like AWS and Microsoft Azure through Equinix Fabric™.

This setup allowed CDM Smith to achieve a 250% increase in bandwidth per user and a 38% reduction in latency, significantly enhancing the performance of their engineering design and development applications.

The results

The partnership led to remarkable improvements in CDM Smith’s operational efficiency:

Fast

20x Faster Modeling

Optioneering and construction simulation modeling processes accelerated by 20 times.

Bandwidth

250% More Bandwidth

Employees gained 250% more bandwidth, improving data handling and application performance.

Latency

38% Lower Latency

Cloud access latency was reduced by 38%, speeding up real-time data processing.

Performance

7x Performance Improvement in Europe

European operations saw a 7x increase in bandwidth performance.

These enhancements have empowered CDM Smith to innovate continuously, delivering more value to clients through advanced technologies such as AI, drones, and mixed reality. The CIO of CDM Smith, David Neitz, acknowledged the pivotal role of BlueAlly and Equinix in elevating their network capabilities, enabling the firm to integrate disruptive technologies and achieve its strategic goals.

Conclusion

Through its strategic partnership with BlueAlly and Equinix, CDM Smith has fortified its position as a leader in engineering innovation, capable of tackling the most complex environmental and infrastructure challenges across the globe. The deployment of an advanced edge architecture has not only enhanced service delivery but also ensured that CDM Smith remains at the forefront of technological integration in the engineering and construction industry.