Speckle Cloud vs Self-Hosting

Let’s start a bit unusually with a question posted in Speckle’s community forum a few days ago:

This particular community member’s clients may very well be frustrated by the current landscape in AEC! Unless their client agrees to exchange data via hard drives sent in literal envelopes, they may be out of luck.

Today, most desktop tools that involve working with others, including document control, collaboration tools, file storage, email, and certainly any web tools, are engineered to use the cloud, a proxy for someone else’s computer.

In the case of Speckle, users have an element of control; however, should you wish to deploy your own Speckle server on your own network, you can leverage some of Speckle for your team, and it never leaves the office!

Speckle: Cloud Over Self-Hosting

Our commitment to open-source is at the core of everything we do, and Speckle Server is no exception.

We care deeply about our self-hosting community, making it as straightforward for individuals and small teams to deploy and manage their own Speckle servers. However, it's crucial to understand the difference between maintaining a hobbyist-scale setup and achieving enterprise-grade performance.

Another thing discouraging users from choosing Speckle Cloud is the misconception that local hosting is inherently more secure. In reality, ensuring the same security, compliance, and uptime that our cloud provides can be very challenging for self-hosters.

Speckle Cloud is available to all Specklers, and it delivers significant value over self-hosting by offloading the complexities of infrastructure management, providing high-performance hosting, and ensuring server maintenance and scaling. This allows your projects to run without downtime.

Speckle Cloud vs Vendor Clouds: The Strategic Alternative

Let’s be blunt: in a market where vendor-specific cloud solutions like Autodesk and Trimble Connect are entrenched, differentiation isn’t just important—it’s essential.

Speckle Cloud isn’t just another option; it’s the alternative. We offer flexibility, control, and transparency that these closed ecosystems can’t match.

Speckle Cloud’s open-source foundation empowers AEC professionals to take complete control of their data and workflows, whether you’re leveraging the Speckle Cloud or deploying your own servers.

With Speckle, your data is exactly that—your data, under your control.

Making Your Cloud Choice

Speckle Cloud is the optimal choice for organisations that require the reliability and security of an enterprise-grade solution without sacrificing the flexibility and openness that Speckle is known for.

Here’s what you’re gaining access to:

• Enterprise-Grade Uptime and Security: Speckle Cloud guarantees the performance and security required for enterprise-scale projects, including high availability and rapid scalability.
• Simplified Infrastructure Management: It removes the burden of server maintenance, allowing you to focus on your projects rather than managing complex infrastructure.
• Global Reach with Regional Data Sovereignty: Speckle Cloud not only ensures your data is secure and accessible but also provides exceptional flexibility in where your data is stored.
• Full Support: If you wish to become a Speckle Enterprise customer, you gain access to an array of services designed to meet the demands of professional operations. These include high-performance hosting, advanced user management, enhanced security features, and premium support to ensure your projects run smoothly without the burden of infrastructure management.

This leads us to one of Speckle Cloud’s standout features: Remarkable Regional Data Sovereignty.

Data Sovereignty: Speckle Cloud’s Regionality

Speckle Cloud supports regional data sovereignty, enabling you to streamline workflows and boost productivity while breaking free from software vendor monopolies.

It actually offers significantly higher data regionality availability than some leading AEC software providers. While the coverage will extend even further through 2024, Speckle has data centres across nine regions: the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, India, and Australia.

And some more great news for you is that because we are built to be provider-agnostic, if a regional cloud provider is even more specific and local, talk to us, and we can make this happen!

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Why does Regional Data Sovereignty Matter?

Data sovereignty refers to a government's authority to regulate data within national borders.

When a company gathers data in one country, such as Germany, but stores or processes it in another, like India, it must comply with the data regulations of both nations.

That’s why Speckle is dedicated to providing you with the maximum regionality possible so you don’t have to comply with more than a set of data regulations.

Security: Speckle’s 2024 Attestation

Security and compliance are also at the forefront of Speckle Cloud's operations, addressing the critical needs of the AEC industry.

We ensure your data remains secure and compliant with industry standards through enterprise-grade security features such as encryption, access controls, and regular security audits.

Speckle Cloud is on track to become ISO 27001 and SOC2 compliant, further solidifying its commitment to data protection.

Additionally, all projects are completely secured to only the accounts with permission to collaborate on or view them.

Conclusion

The conversation that began in our community forum continues! Join the discussion in the Speckle Community Forum and help us shape the future of AEC technology.

We look forward to seeing you at SpeckleCon ‘24, where you’ll see the future AEC needs and deserves.

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“What's SOC4? For keeping your feet warm, silly!”

Jonathon Broughton, Speckle’s Advocacy Lead and Part-time Compliance Comedian