ACC - Intellectual property control, External Project Visibility and Data Security

[seadie75E5D]

We’ve identified several challenges when working in external Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) portals where our team members are added as collaborators or share data via Bridge. These situations often result in reduced visibility and control over company data, permissions, and intellectual property.

When a Revit model is published, regardless of whether certain elements such as legends, views, or schedules are excluded any user with download rights to the folder containing that published version can still download the source file, which includes all excluded information.

In external portals, where administrative control lies with another organization, this creates significant risk. To maintain control, we would need to negotiate that all versions of our Revot models remain “view only” for any non-EDGE participants. However, this approach is both impractical and unenforceable in real-world collaboration scenarios.

Additionally, it appears that within these external environments, folders may exist that contain our models but to which we have no visibility or permission control. Without a mechanism for the originating account to maintain oversight. ACC’s use as a Common Data Environment (CDE) is undermined by the lack of intellectual property protection.

Below are a few ideas and suggestions that could significantly improve administrative control and data security in these cases.

Admin Visibility into External Projects

When a user from our organization is added to an external ACC project, account administrators currently have no visibility of these connections.

Suggestion: Allow originating account admins to automatically view or report on all external projects their users are participating in. This would support oversight, compliance, and lifecycle management of shared data.

Control Over Data Created on External Portals

When our staff create workshare Revit models on an external portal, that data effectively becomes controlled by the host project’s admins.

Suggestion: Introduce an option for the originating account to retain “ownership” or administrative oversight over any data created by its users, regardless of the hosting account.

Administrative Permissions over Bridged Data

When Revit models are shared through Bridge, the original creator loses admin rights over their data once it enters the external environment.

Suggestion: Allow the originating account to retain administrative permissions over bridged data by default without requiring admin rights within the recipient’s portal.

Restricting Download of Source Files

Currently, users with download permissions on a published model can also download the source Revit file, even if only specific views were published.

Suggestion:

Disable “Download Source File” by default for anyone outside the originating company unless explicitly permitted.
Ensure that any published model available for download only contains the content intentionally published, not the entire model or embedded IP.

Data Lifecycle and Archiving

Once a project is complete or access is removed, there’s limited ability to recover or archive the data that was hosted externally.

Suggestion: Introduce tools or automated workflows that allow the originating account to archive, back up, or retrieve its content at project closeout for projects hosted outside the organization’s own portal.

Regards,
Steven Eadie
BIM Manager | Edge Consulting Engineers

[calexander_PCO]

In general, I believe a lot of this is in the right direction. One of the biggest challenges we've faced listed above is the ability to share a "cleaned-up" model. Really, I want eTransmit integrated into ACC sharing somehow.

The "data exchanges" don't work as I want them to, I thought they'd be the saving grace, but haven't appreciated them - especially with many consultants still not utilizing ACC.

I do have to say that there is reasonable argument to what I've heard as response before: "it's no different than you sending them an FTP or a thumb drive (or floppy disk 😉 ) with the model on it." Which I understand in concepts; however, it COULD be different and that is where we need to push into - the granular data and other improvements foretold I still have hope for in this regard, but the world is moving faster and expectations are greater than these tools being available.

[kevincobabe]

I would suggest having your corporate attorney create a digital transformation document to protect you. There's not much you can do with IP protection regardless of what Autodesk's adds to the software. If someone wants what you made bad enough they'll take it. It's why I make any form of content I make a pain to strip my company out of it. All of my highly detailed valves or mechanical equipment has a company logo in it that is very hard to see. All of my civil 3d content has a company background for the image of the part.

As for the design, best you can do is strip it down as far as you can or only export CAD for others to use. Neither is ideal, but asking for protection from Autodesk in a collaborative environment likely will not occur.

Even in federal work there is not much that can be done security wise. They already require you to not work on area network machines and transmit through their portal only, which is highly encrypted.

[seadie75E5D]

@kevincobabe 

Thanks, Kevin I completely agree.

Unfortunately, I don’t have high expectations that Autodesk will make any changes to the system. I’ve already been through discussions with their support team, and after confirming that my observations were correct and that they didn’t have a solution, they directed me here. So I thought I’d put it out there to see if it might gain some traction.

As you suggested, I think the best path forward is to ensure our contracts protect any embedded IP and to develop internal workflows that minimise exposure as much as possible within the constraints of the software.