Why Cooperlink? Vision of the platform of tomorrow

The big challenge of engineering and construction companies

In your company, you increasingly face the multiplicity of cloud platforms that are imposed on you by your partners and customers (eg. Autodesk ACC, Bricsys, Aconex, …), in addition to the tools internal of your own organization (e.g.Sharepoint, File Server). This proliferation of tools confronts your company with real problems in terms of

• ‍Productivity: end users are using multiple tools with inconsistent data (eg. different drawing versions), the same data is re-encoded several times with approximate quality level, end users perform lots of manual operations, ...‍
• Responsibility: companies are lacking precise & centralized view on the actions taken or to betaken, staff turnover leads to loss of information, companies no longer have access to information in the event of a conflict (e.g. ten-year guarantee)‍
• Data security and integrity: the data is out of control of the company and not consistent, end users introduces up to 20% of errors, the information is not archived, the sovereignty is not guaranteed nor cyberprotection

Neither the cloud platforms available today on the market, nor email, allow these challenges to be properly met which encourages each partner in a complex project to impose their own tools. That is why Cooperlink has developed an innovative 5th generation platform [1], which respects the autonomy of companies and conforms to their individual policies in terms of security.

[1] First generation is paper, second is email and third is cloud platforms.

A new way of collaboration – Cooperlink Construction Hub

The concept of hub allows each company that wishes to have a separate copy of the data in a logically of physically separate database, and to integrate its own tools to record in real time the information communicated. Cooperlink creates a Common Data Network for the partners of the project.

On the one hand, Cooperlink is a COOPERation center between the different project stakeholders. It offers an intuitive web/desktop application that meets the needs of the industry with a set of customizable business features and plugins. It helps to simplify and automate the daily tasks of collaborators, document controlers, engineers, coordinators and project managers. 

On the other hand, Cooperlink’s middleware LINKs (connects) data sources of those who wishes it to ensure smooth access to information across the company's application landscape. Every company maintains full control over its data and is at the same time efficient and more productive. 

We take care of everyone

Cooperlink was born from the need to provide complex projects and end users who manages several projects at the same time with a new breath of collaboration by avoiding having to re-enter the same information in several tools, by allowing companies to have control over their own data and by facilitating the automation and supervision of work procedures (such as e.g. the monitoring of technicaldocuments or the creation of the as-built file). Through its motto "Build Better Together", Cooperlink highlights its initiative allowing project stakeholders to collaborate on their common projects without changing their habits, and freeing end users from the heterogeneity of the digital platforms they use.

Cooperlink advocates a 360° vision where each stakeholder, whether they have implemented the collaborative platform or it has been imposed on them, must be able to maintain full control of their data and productivity. Cooperlink provides that way effective benefits to all parties, not just the party implementing it. This promotes user adoption. Data is accessible, but protected. Procedures are transparent. Systems are interoperable. Everyone wins.

Cooperlink shares this vision with email protocol where companies are independent from each other. However Cooperlink significantly improvement the management of structured data. In some way, Cooperlink is Outlook 4th generation.

As an example, IT departments of every companies are assured of maximum security for your data, management teams are guaranteed that the data is archived sustainably, and site teams have powerful tools to efficiently manage their working procedures and reporting. Not only Cooperlink customers, but also their free guest partners benefit from major improvements in terms of productivity, traceability, compliance with deadlines and quality in their work procedures.

A structural improvement

Originally, companies equip themselves with digital solutions that are essential to their business. In particular, these are 

• Document management (DMS)
• Resource management (ERP)
• Production planning management (Planning) 
• Communication (generally Email) and collaboration. 

With paper being the first generation, email was developed to speed up communication and facilitate archiving from paper to digital.

A third generation emerged in the 2005s, using the correspondence codes but with structured data. This is the case, for example, of Aconex.

Collaborative platforms, 4th generation, appeared in the 2015s as a necessary evil for increasingly frequent collaboration and communication between companies. But unlike essential tools, collaborative platforms have not managed to establish themselves as a single source of information. The rise of the cloud has allowed the very rapid implementation of simple solutions, creating huge information silos over the years. Cloud platforms have introduced collaborative principles, to the detriment of proof, control on data and separation of duties.

Today, digital tools have become mature. The essential data sources are known. The challenges for tomorrow are:

• Archiving data in the long term
• Maintaining control over your own data
• Ensuring your independence from partners and preserving your interests
• Automating work procedures
• Linking data together to give them meaning and added value

Cooperlink has decided to tackle this very large-scale problem with a one-stop-shop, secure approach for inter-company communication : the Coopelink Construction Hub.

Cooperlink combines the advantages of a collaborative platform with the power of a messaging system (like email or also implemented as middleware [1]). This way, Cooperlink becomes a structuring element of the organization. It helps the various stakeholders to structure the information, and to ensure its sustainability. In addition, Cooperlink has managed to deploy a model where it favors open data, preventing any customer locking.

Thanks to its open data, open API and no-code architecture, Cooperlink brings companies and their tools together to automate their business processes and their information exchanges. Cooperlink notably facilitates the coordination of construction and engineering projects, the management of technical documents, the automation of as-built files and the management of emails thanks to collective intelligence. Cooperlink also offers an out-of-the-box solution for joint ventures.

Cooperlink enables:

• Both collaborative and correspondence-based (transmittals) ways of working
• Archiving and data control through the integration of essential tools as well as the choice of data architecture and infrastructures
• Separation of duties through data isolation for each organization
• Data linking for better automation and efficient data exploitation (i.e. giving meaning to information)

[1] Middleware is software that allows the linking of several computer applications and the automation of their data exchanges through no/low-codetype connectors. Middleware is typically used as a glue between disparat eapplications.

Data segreggation & cybersecurity

In addition to the data control aspect, increasingly frequent computer attacks force companies to protect themselves. Imagine for a moment that your document management system or your ERP is hacked using ransomware. Your production is at a standstill and all the company's knowledge is lost. 

Even if a tool such as Sharepoint allows data sharing, for obvious security reasons, but also for operational reasons, the company's essential tools are and must remain exclusively internal. It is not uncommon to see IT departments tangled up in complex spaghetti of access rights to protect data. But the worst part of all this is that no one knows and/or remembers the back doors that have remained open. 

To overcome these problems, there is only one solution. One tool for one single security function. This is called data segregation. Is your document management system such as Sharepoint used as centralized storage? Then organize Sharepoint security around exclusively internal access. In addition, Cooperlink supports communication and sharing of documents to the outside. It has its own access rights policies, organized by projects on top of Sharepoint. When the project is finished, access is released. 

Cooperlink acts as a proxy between the outside world and the inside world. It allows you to define a simple, easy to audit and secure data exchange policy. In addition, Cooperlink implements shadow storage which is an intermediate storage between the workspace and the connected tool. Thus, a partner does not have direct access to the company's internal tools. Fewer entry points means fewer risks and more security.

There are no small profits, nor small projects

Construction and engineering are industries that are slow and very conservative by nature. Professionals make life difficult for evolution and digitalization. This creates cognitive biases and serious limiting beliefs. One of the most frequently encountered limiting beliefs is that structuring, coordinating and centralizing data is only of interest for large projects. This is totally false! Even if it is true that in large projects the gain through volume is obvious, in small projects, employees are between the midfield and attack. As a result, they do not have time to take care in detail of monitoring all work procedures. In this sense, improving communication, coordination and centralization is equivalent to recruiting a virtual secretary. With structured and up-to-date information, project managers can make the right decisions, at the right time! And this is invaluable.

Conclusion

Cooperlink stands out in the market with a new, unique and strong vision, namely:

On the business level

• Integration with Multiple Platforms: Cooperlink aims to integrate with a wide range of platforms, particularly in the construction industry, to centralize project management and data. This integration includes platforms like SharePoint, Autodesk, and Outlook, among others 
• Data Control and Archiving: It emphasizes giving user control over their data, including the ability to archive data within their own tools, ensuring data remains accessible and secure, especially in disputes or collaborations with multiple partners. 
• Platform Adoption and Benefits: Cooperlink facilitates adoption of digital by major industry players due to its ability to solve inefficiencies and maintain openess in data management and tool integration.

• Security and Compliance: Cooperlink is designed with cybersecurity and data protection in mind, passing rigorous security tests to ensure user data is safe and compliant with regulations like GDPR or ISO27001

On the product level

• Simplification of Construction Processes: Cooperlink focuses on simplifying complex construction processes, enabling end users to easily create and manage construction documents and processes, such as the As-Built file, using data-driven methods. 
• Customizable and Automated Workflows: The platform offers customizable and automated workflows, allowing for large-scale and efficient document management, approval processes, and project tracking.
• Customization and Flexibility: Cooperlink offers high flexibility in terms of customization, such as the ability to define workflows, automate tasks, and integrate with various internal systems
• User Interface and Accessibility: Cooperlink offers a modern, web-based user-friendly interface that facilitates easy access to documents, tasks, and workflows, aiming to be a daily tool for project management alongside tools like Outlook
• User Support and Reactivity: Cooperlink commits to effective user support, highlighting the team's responsiveness and collaborative approach to module development and improvement

‍