Aconex LC and DMS connector

Our customer, Aconex Ltd., is the largest global provider of cloud-based collaboration and project management solutions for the construction industry. The Aconex platform has been used in over $1 trillion projects across 80,000 user organizations in more than 70 countries.

Aconex needed an offline version for its clients so that they could work without Internet access and synchronize the changes made offline with the cloud application. Apart from that, the customer experienced problems when trying to connect document management systems (DMSs) of different clients to its online platform to ensure a smooth exchange of documents.

The company turned to EffectiveSoft to develop an easy-to-install desktop copy of the Aconex online system and a connector facilitating synchronization of third-party DMSs with the Aconex system.

The Aconex online enterprise software system is intended for multiple organizations and distributed teams to securely manage project documentation, workflows, tender handling, and correspondence across a project via one central point of access. The system supports a number of datacenters for the specialists from different industries and locations. Complementing the work of the online system, the team at EffectiveSoft developed Aconex LC and the DMS Connector.

Aconex Local Copy (LC) is a simplified and stripped down desktop version which still has the same look and feel as the Aconex online system. It is used by people who work offline. The application is easy to install and allows searching for and downloading project-related documents and files attached to emails. Project stakeholders can work with locally stored copies of documents and mail attachments without logging into the online system. The synchronization of project documentation with the cloud central repository happens automatically (according to a predefined schedule) or can be done manually.

The DMS Connector is a web-based application linking the clients’ in-house DMSs with the Aconex online platform.

Having researched the most popular custom document management systems (Documentum, Oracle Primavera, and Microsoft SharePoint), the team at EffectiveSoft worked out a flexible scheme of transformation rules and developed the Connector from the ground up.

All users can search for project documentation they need and open the selected documents in their own third-party DMSs. The synchronization process and its status can be tracked online. The logs help in error tracking.