www.managedITmag.co.uk 31 CLOUD IMSCAD Services has launched WaaS, a ‘Workstation as a Service’ solution, in partnership with Lenovo workstations and Equinix Data Centres, globally. The service comprises private cloud solutions and rentable workstations, on a per user, per month basis. Contracts run from one to 36 months. The service is up to 50% cheaper than high-end instances from the Public Cloud, and the workstations perform much faster for users. Users can get a 1:1 connection to a dedicated workstation, such as the Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Ultra, featuring a Gen 9 Intel CPU that runs at frequencies up to 6.0 GHz and a NVIDIA GPU with up to 24GB of VRAM. “For far too long, Public cloud pricing has been far too high for anyone wanting want to run graphical applications and desktops,” said IMSCAD Services CEO Adam Jull. “Our new service is backed by Lenovo hardware and the best remoting software.” IMSCAD’s WaaS offering was one of four solutions tested by engineering, architecture and planning company TKDA, Minnesota, USA, when looking to replace its current solution that it quickly adopted during Covid. “IMSCAD stood out far above all other solutions in our testing,” said Nicholas J. Steele, senior systems analyst, TKDA. “The performance of the Lenovo P3 Ultra we accessed was a surprise for all testers. None of us thought we would ever get remote performance that outperformed our local machines.” TKDA runs a variety of applications including AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp and point cloud software. IMSCAD is a global services provider specialising in remote working for compute-intensive applications. For more than a decade, the company has delivered graphical VDI environments to customers in architecture, engineering, construction and manufacturing. Today, IMSCAD partners with Lenovo to offer Workstation as a Service, deploying Lenovo ThinkStation systems in Equinix data centers worldwide. This approach combines the mobility of the cloud with the raw performance of dedicated workstations, ensuring customers can access powerful resources securely from anywhere in the world. For many organisations, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and public cloud solutions had long been the default choice for enabling remote collaboration. But as workloads grew more demanding, these environments often struggled to keep pace. Latency issues disrupted precision design tasks, CPU clock speeds in virtualised environments lagged well behind workstation standards, and expensive cloud data egress fees added ongoing cost pressure. In addition, many independent software vendors declined to certify their applications in VDI environments, leaving customers exposed. “Traditionally, public cloud and VDI solutions do not offer what customers need for heavy compute workloads. When you’re designing complex models, you simply can’t afford the lag, inconsistent performance or lack of certification,” said Jull. To solve these challenges, IMSCAD turned to the Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Ultra SFF, P7 and PX systems powered by Intel processors, hosted within Equinix’s global data centre network. Unlike virtualised environments, this solution removes unnecessary layers and provides direct access to CPU and GPU resources. That architecture eliminates up to 50 milliseconds of latency, allowing designers, engineers and content creators to manipulate large models smoothly – even across transatlantic connections. The results have been transformative. Civil engineering firms in Minnesota now run Autodesk Civil 3D with flawless performance, while construction companies in the Middle East manage hundreds of global Revit and AutoCAD users from a single London data centre. Customers consistently report smoother workflows, reduced IT management overhead, and lower long-term costs compared to cloudonly solutions. The Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Ultra SFF, powered by Intel processors, is the foundation of IMSCAD’s hosted solution – delivering workstationclass performance for CAD, BIM and PLM without the latency or cost of cloud. Its compact design fits up to seven systems in 5U of rack space, enabling secure, responsive access to global users through Equinix data centres. For heavier demands, the Lenovo ThinkStation PX adds server-class power with Intel Xeon processors, advanced cooling and multi-GPU support for HPC, rendering and AI. Together, these workstations give IMSCAD the flexibility to balance mobility, security and performance worldwide. “This solution gives you cloud convenience with the power of a workstation,” said James Clark, Workstation Technologist, Lenovo UK&I. “For industries that rely on precision and performance – like architecture, engineering, and media – it removes the compromises of VDI and public cloud.” Lenovo workstations and IMSCAD Services launch hosted workstation cloud solutions for any graphical application Cloud solutions for any graphical application
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