Challenges to BIM-Cloud Integration: Implication of Security Issues on Secure Collaboration

Abstract

Emerging information technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) offer the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry enormous potential to develop collaborative workflows. Cloud computing has similarly gained popularity in the IT service provision for efficient web based data exchange and storage with enormous potential benefits for BIM, resulting in recent calls for their integration. Security and privacy concerns, however, continue to impede wide spread adoption of both technologies. The implication of real and perceived threats on secure collaboration is analysed systematically, towards formulation of a research agenda. It is observed that, secure collaboration threats within the AEC need appropriate characterization in relation to four levels of protective solutions, namely: infrastructure and technical, information partitioning and protection, legal and contractual management and relationship management. This will aid appropriate selection or adoption of the best available cloud technology offerings towards appropriate fit of BIM-cloud integration. Research towards formulation of this agenda is proposed through a high level project-based security or risk assessment framework for BIM-cloud integration and adoption.