The Boldt Company is a 130-year old fourth-generation family and employee-owned company that provides professional construction services to customers in a variety of industrial, education, healthcare, commercial and energy markets nationwide. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Boldt has 14 offices throughout the United States.
“Being on top of technology is an important part of our industry,” says Lori Reeths, Boldt senior systems administrator. “For instance, augmented reality and the use of drones are going to transform how we work. As a family-oriented business, working remotely allows for greater flexibility and increased employee satisfaction, resulting in a better work/life balance. Staff get to spend more time doing the things they enjoy.”
Effective remote working is also business-critical. Boldt wants regional offices and field workers to have immediate access to accurate project data — be it 3-D modelling, procurement costs, or construction timelines. This empowers teams at a local level and creates a degree of centralized oversight.
“Many of our staff need to be mobile,” says Reeths. “We need that mobility experience to be enjoyable for users, but we also need it to be centrally-managed. We want to remove manual processes and simplify the maintenance of devices.”
By adopting a range of Citrix workspace and networking solutions, including Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Citrix ADC, and Citrix Endpoint Management, Boldt has brought consistency and security to its mobile workplace strategy.
Real-time access to the latest data
Today, Boldt is more connected, more consistent, and more dynamic. Regional offices and remote workers have access to project and corporate data in real time. The business is more productive, and project teams find it easier to collaborate.
“Staff have access to the data they need, be it from an iPad, phone or a laptop” says Reeths. “We’re faster in our bid responses and more certain in how we communicate with clients. Having access to the accurate data in real time is greatly appreciated by clients.”
Hardware costs savings and less time spent traveling
The Citrix solution enables the rollout of standardized devices capable of supporting a range of applications remotely. This solution includes NVIDIA graphics cards that can handle 3-D modeling files.
Standardizing our systems make it simpler to manage and cheaper to buy, explains Reeths. “Plus, from a security standpoint, we know the data is kept centrally and not stored on a physical device.”
Reeths estimates a 40 percent reduction in hardware costs and a 30 percent saving on travel time between offices. Centralized management and fewer manual processes means the IT team is more productive. There is more time to explore new technology and more budget to direct toward new projects.
More time to explore future technology
The effectiveness of the Citrix solution frees Boldt to explore its future IT roadmap. “I don’t have to worry about technology holding back the business,” says Boldt Estimator Ashlee Everson. “Innovation is important to us and our clients.”
For Boldt, which already uses Office 365 and SharePoint, and stores data with Azure, the future is likely to be hybrid. It’s looking to move the Citrix environment to the cloud and use IoT, augmented reality, and more-detailed modeling to accelerate the amount of data the business shares, stores, and explores.
“We want to get in a position where we can securely share documents with clients and partners. We see Citrix as central to the plans,” says Reeths.
