Cloud-Powered CAD for Designers, Engineers & Architects
Run AutoCAD, Revit, SolidWorks, and other GPU-intensive applications in the cloud with enterprise-grade performance, security, and reliability. PTG delivers high-performance cloud desktops purpose-built for CAD professionals across Raleigh-Durham and the Triangle.
GPU-Accelerated • SLA-Backed Uptime • Secure by Design • 24/7 Support
Why Traditional CAD Workstations Hold You Back
Engineering and design firms invest heavily in workstation hardware that depreciates quickly, breaks at the worst time, and chains your team to a physical location.
Hardware Costs Are Spiraling
A professional-grade CAD workstation with a certified GPU, sufficient RAM, and fast storage can cost $5,000 to $15,000 per seat. Every three to five years, those machines need replacement as software requirements grow. For a firm with ten designers, that means $50,000 to $150,000 in capital expenditures each refresh cycle — not counting the productivity lost during procurement, setup, and migration. Cloud CAD eliminates this capital burden entirely, replacing it with a predictable monthly operating expense that scales with your team.
Remote Work Demands Flexibility
Architecture and engineering firms across the Research Triangle are increasingly supporting hybrid and remote work models, but CAD applications require computing power that laptops cannot deliver. Designers working from home on underpowered machines experience slow renders, viewport lag, and assembly crashes that destroy productivity. Cloud CAD desktops deliver workstation-class performance to any device with an internet connection — a laptop, tablet, or thin client — so your team can work from the office, home, or a client site with identical performance.
Data Security Risks
CAD files containing proprietary designs, engineering specifications, and client intellectual property stored on local workstations are vulnerable to theft, hardware failure, and ransomware. A single stolen laptop can expose years of design work. Cloud CAD environments centralize data in secured, encrypted datacenters with access controls, audit logging, and automated backups — ensuring your intellectual property remains protected regardless of what happens to individual devices.
Enterprise CAD Performance, Delivered from the Cloud
PTG's cloud CAD solutions provide GPU-accelerated virtual desktops configured specifically for design and engineering workflows.
GPU-Accelerated Desktops
Dedicated NVIDIA GPU resources allocated to each user ensure real-time rendering, smooth viewport navigation, and responsive model manipulation in AutoCAD, Revit, SolidWorks, CATIA, and other professional design tools. No shared resources means no performance variability.
Secure Data Centralization
All project files, design assets, and engineering data live in encrypted cloud storage with role-based access controls. Files never leave the datacenter — only screen pixels are transmitted to the user's device, eliminating the risk of data loss from stolen laptops or hardware failures.
Access from Any Device
Connect to your full CAD workstation from any device with a browser or thin client. Whether you're at the office, working from home in Cary, or visiting a job site in Durham, your design environment is always available with full performance.
Scalable Resources
Add users in hours, not weeks. When your firm wins a new project or brings on contractors, PTG spins up additional cloud CAD desktops immediately. When the project wraps, scale back down. Pay only for what you use.
Managed & Maintained
PTG handles all infrastructure management including OS updates, driver patches, GPU firmware, backup verification, and performance monitoring. Your designers focus on design — not IT troubleshooting.
Hybrid Cloud Options
Combine cloud CAD desktops with on-premises infrastructure for firms that need local rendering farms or maintain specific compliance requirements. PTG designs hybrid architectures that balance performance, cost, and regulatory obligations.
Cloud CAD for Every Design Discipline
Architecture & AEC Firms
Run Revit, ArchiCAD, and BIM applications with full GPU acceleration. Cloud CAD enables real-time collaboration on building information models, with centralized project data accessible to architects, structural engineers, and MEP teams simultaneously across offices in Raleigh, Durham, and beyond.
Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
SolidWorks, Inventor, and CATIA assemblies with thousands of components perform smoothly on dedicated GPU resources. Cloud delivery eliminates the hardware bottleneck that forces engineers to simplify models or wait for renders, accelerating design iteration cycles.
Civil Engineering & Surveying
AutoCAD Civil 3D, MicroStation, and GIS applications process large terrain datasets and infrastructure models without local hardware limitations. Cloud CAD provides the compute power to handle massive point cloud files and complex site models that choke traditional workstations.
Defense & Government Contractors
PTG's cloud CAD environments can be configured to meet NIST 800-171 and CMMC requirements for organizations handling Controlled Unclassified Information. Centralized data controls, access logging, and encryption ensure compliance while delivering the performance engineers need for defense projects in the Research Triangle Park area.
Cloud CAD Questions Answered
Will cloud CAD perform as well as my local workstation?
Yes. PTG provisions dedicated GPU resources, high-frequency CPUs, and fast NVMe storage for each cloud CAD desktop. Most users experience equal or better performance compared to local workstations, with the added benefits of anywhere access and centralized data management. Latency is typically imperceptible on modern internet connections throughout the Triangle area.
Which CAD applications are supported?
PTG's cloud CAD desktops support all major design and engineering applications including AutoCAD, Revit, SolidWorks, CATIA, Inventor, MicroStation, ArchiCAD, SketchUp Pro, Rhino, and Blender. If your application runs on Windows with GPU acceleration, it runs on our cloud CAD platform.
How is my design data protected?
Project files are stored in encrypted cloud storage with role-based access controls, audit logging, and automated backups. Data never resides on endpoint devices — only encrypted screen pixels are transmitted. PTG's infrastructure leverages SOC 2 certified platforms, and environments can be configured for HIPAA, CMMC, or other regulatory frameworks as needed.
What internet speed do I need?
A stable 10 Mbps download connection per user is sufficient for most CAD workflows. For rendering-intensive work with large model viewports, 25 Mbps or higher is recommended. PTG can also assist with internet connectivity solutions to ensure your Triangle-area office has the bandwidth needed for optimal cloud CAD performance.
How quickly can we get started?
PTG can provision cloud CAD desktops within days. We handle all configuration, application installation, GPU optimization, user migration, and training. Most firms are fully operational on cloud CAD within one to two weeks from initial engagement.
Why Choose Petronella Technology Group
Petronella Technology Group has been a trusted IT and cybersecurity partner for businesses across Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, and the Research Triangle since 2002. Led by CEO Craig Petronella, a Licensed Digital Forensic Examiner, CMMC Certified Registered Practitioner, and MIT-certified professional in cybersecurity, AI, blockchain, and compliance, PTG brings deep expertise to every engagement.
With BBB accreditation since 2003 and more than 2,500 businesses served, PTG has the experience and track record to deliver results. Craig Petronella is an Amazon number-one best-selling author of books including "How HIPAA Can Crush Your Medical Practice," "How Hackers Can Crush Your Law Firm," and "The Ultimate Guide To CMMC." He has been featured on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and WRAL, and serves as an expert witness for law firms in cybercrime and compliance cases.
PTG holds certifications including CCNA, MCNS, Microsoft Cloud Essentials, and specializes in CMMC 2.0, NIST 800-171/172/173, HIPAA, FTC Safeguards, SOC 2 Type II, PCI DSS, GDPR, CCPA, and ISO 27001 compliance. Our forensic specialties include endpoint and networking cybercrime investigation, data breach forensics, ransomware analysis, data exfiltration investigation, cryptocurrency and blockchain analysis, and SIM swap fraud investigation.
PTG Cloud Services and Strategy
Cloud computing has transformed how businesses operate, but migrating to the cloud without a clear strategy can lead to security gaps, unexpected costs, and operational disruptions. PTG takes a strategic approach to cloud services, starting with a thorough evaluation of your current environment, business requirements, compliance obligations, and growth plans. We help organizations determine which workloads are best suited for public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid architectures, ensuring that your cloud strategy aligns with both your technical needs and business objectives.
Our cloud migration services follow a proven methodology that minimizes risk and downtime during the transition. We begin with a detailed inventory and dependency mapping of your current systems, followed by a pilot migration of non-critical workloads to validate our approach. Production migrations are carefully scheduled and executed with rollback plans in place. Post-migration, we optimize your cloud environment for performance, security, and cost efficiency, ensuring that you realize the full benefits of cloud computing without wasting resources on oversized or underutilized cloud instances.
Security is paramount in any cloud deployment. PTG implements comprehensive cloud security controls including identity and access management with multi-factor authentication, data encryption at rest and in transit, network security groups and firewall rules, continuous monitoring and threat detection, and compliance controls mapped to your regulatory requirements. We also conduct regular cloud security assessments to identify misconfigurations and vulnerabilities that could expose your data, staying ahead of the evolving threat landscape that targets cloud environments.
Beyond migration and security, PTG provides ongoing cloud management and optimization services. Cloud environments require continuous attention to maintain security, optimize costs, and adapt to changing business needs. Our cloud management team monitors performance, manages updates and patches, optimizes resource allocation, and provides regular reporting on usage, costs, and security posture. We help organizations take advantage of new cloud capabilities as they become available, ensuring that your cloud investment continues to deliver maximum value as technology and your business evolve over time.
Our Approach to Cybersecurity
At Petronella Technology Group, cybersecurity is not just about installing antivirus software or setting up a firewall. We take a comprehensive, layered approach to security that addresses people, processes, and technology. Our methodology is built on industry-standard frameworks including NIST Cybersecurity Framework, CIS Controls, and MITRE ATT&CK, ensuring that your security program is aligned with the same standards used by Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. Every engagement begins with a thorough assessment of your current security posture, followed by a prioritized remediation roadmap that addresses your most critical risks first.
Our security operations team provides continuous monitoring through our Security Information and Event Management platform, which correlates events across your entire environment to detect threats in real time. When a potential threat is identified, our analysts investigate and respond immediately, often containing threats before they can cause damage. This proactive approach dramatically reduces the risk of successful cyberattacks and provides the rapid response capability that is essential in today's threat landscape.
We believe that employee awareness is one of the most important layers of defense. Human error remains the leading cause of data breaches, and no amount of technology can fully compensate for untrained employees. PTG provides comprehensive security awareness training programs that educate your team about phishing, social engineering, password security, data handling, and incident reporting. Our training programs include simulated phishing campaigns that test employee readiness and identify areas where additional education is needed, helping organizations build a strong security culture from the ground up.
Beyond prevention, PTG prepares organizations for the reality that breaches can occur despite the best defenses. Our incident response planning services help businesses develop, document, and test response procedures so that when an incident does occur, your team knows exactly what to do. From tabletop exercises to full incident simulations, we ensure that your organization is prepared to respond quickly and effectively, minimizing damage, preserving evidence, and meeting all regulatory notification requirements within required timeframes.
Additional Questions and Answers
What are the benefits of moving to the cloud for small businesses?
How does PTG ensure cloud security for business data?
What cloud platforms does PTG support?
How long does a typical cloud migration take?
What happens to our data if we need to switch cloud providers?
Ready to Get Started?
Contact Petronella Technology Group today for a free consultation. Serving Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and the Research Triangle since 2002.
919-348-4912 Schedule a Free Consultation5540 Centerview Dr., Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27606