Peggy’s Tech Blog:
The Future of Infrastructure Is Open
Here’s something three decades in construction have taught me: there will always be multiple vendors. And there’s never going to be one single vendor that does everything a project team needs. So, that makes the real question more interesting: how do you work with all the data across multiple platforms in a meaningful way? That is the question of this decade.
As infrastructure becomes increasingly digital, the ability to move information across systems—and preserve its meaning along the way could become just as important as the tools used to create it.
Recently, I had a conversation with Greg Demchak, vice president of emerging technologies at Bentley Systems, about why an open approach to infrastructure engineering matters, especially today. One point he made has stayed with me: infrastructure isn’t temporary. Think about that for a moment. Whatever form it takes, an infrastructure project is an asset built to endure often longer than you, me, or the people who designed it.
Infrastructure assets are built to last for decades — but the technology used to design, operate, and maintain them evolves at a much faster pace. So how do we ensure that critical engineering data remains accessible, interoperable, and protected over the entire lifecycle of an asset?
In this episode of The Peggy Smedley Show, host Peggy Smedley sits down with Greg Demchak, Vice President of Emerging Technologies at Bentley Systems, to explore why an open approach to infrastructure engineering is essential. They dive into:
• What "open" really means in an infrastructure software context — and how it differs from "interoperable"
• How open standards, open source technology, and APIs reduce vendor lock-in and protect customer data control
• The problem of data loss when moving between file formats — and how open schemas like Bentley's iModel preserve digital lineage
• Why openness is critical to secure, governed AI in infrastructure
• How Bentley Systems is putting these principles into practice
Whether you're an engineer, a technology leader, or simply interested in the future of infrastructure, this conversation sheds light on why openness matters now more than ever.
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Looking to sponsor an upcoming segment of The Peggy Smedley Show? Check out the exciting topics planned for the coming months and send your ideas to [email protected].
October: How to Secure Your Data
November: Construction Connectivity Trends to Watch