The Drones Are Coming

What once felt like science fiction is now part of everyday business. From aerial surveys to automated inspections, drones are rapidly transforming how companies, especially in construction, collect and use data.

These high-flying tools bring huge productivity gains, but they also create a new challenge: massive amounts of data that must be processed, analyzed, and stored securely.

Drones and Data: A Perfect Match

In the construction industry, drones are being used to survey sites, monitor progress, and capture detailed imaging both above and below ground. The result? Gigabytes, sometimes terabytes, of visual data per project.

It’s not realistic to expect your in-office servers or limited cloud storage to handle that kind of load. Drone data requires scalable, reliable storage that supports long-term access and integration with your other tools.

So, if you’re already sending drones into the clouds, why not store your data there too?

Cloud-based platforms like DroneDeploy and Procore make managing drone data easier. But to get the full benefit, they need to integrate with your broader BIM, GIS, CAD, and administrative systems, bringing everything together in one unified environment.

Enter AI: Your Data-Driven Ally

Artificial Intelligence isn’t on the horizon, it’s already here, and it’s working for you.

AI and machine learning tools are revolutionizing how companies approach:

  • MEP design and planning
  • Risk mitigation
  • Compaction systems
  • Construction safety
  • Building management
  • Productivity analytics

These tools are already being adopted across the UK and Canada to enhance safety and efficiency.

But here’s the catch: AI needs data, lots of it. Machine learning systems require massive data sets to analyze patterns, make predictions, and improve over time. That means you need a cloud provider capable of handling high-volume data storage, reliable backups, and seamless integration with AI applications.

Building Your IT Foundation

With so many technologies in play, from VDC and BIM to emerging AI tools, it’s the perfect time for contractors and technology providers to partner strategically.

When choosing an IT provider, look for one that can:

  • Handle large-scale data collection and storage from on-site resources
  • Support real-time data updates and monitoring
  • Manage network performance proactively as new tools come online
  • Keep your main office systems running efficiently alongside your field tech
  • Protect and securely share data across teams
  • Provide comprehensive IT management, including endpoint and mobile device management, network monitoring, and large file sharing
  • Support visual data analytics, dashboards, 3D renderings, and media workflows

In short, your IT partner should be as forward-thinking as your construction technology.

The Bottom Line

Drones, AI, and other new technologies are reshaping the future of construction, but their success depends on having the right infrastructure in place.

To stay ahead of the technology curve, build a proactive IT strategy that can scale with your data, integrate your tools, and keep your business running smoothly as the industry evolves.

Because when the drones are coming, and they are, your IT systems should already be ready to fly.