The Problem with Overseas CAD Work.
Author: Somerset Bassett
Increasingly, one of the problems with globalization is that vital intellectual property information is traveling over great distances with minimal oversight. And many companies do not feel obligated or inclined to share where your data is being sent or stored.
Whether you are receiving technical support, making online purchases, or collaborating with oversees partners your information is at risk. Intellectual property laws have not yet come to grips with our “flat world”, and economic inequality provides a great incentive for people paid much less than their western counterparts to share data to improve their circumstance.
Some of these breaches in security are very well publicized such as last year when customers from Home Depot found their credit information had been stolen and was being sold online for $1 each. And we all know that no matter how rich your previously unknown great uncle was, it is unwise to send your bank information to his estate in Nigeria! But we are more vulnerable than we know.
In 2003, a developer for an Indian programming firm was caught trying to sell the source code of CAD software maker, SolidWorks, which his company had a contract with. The cost for the intended sale was negligible; however, in a country where the average worker makes $450 USD, the sum surely seemed life changing. Intellectual property, if stolen, is a genie that can’t be put back in the bottle and there are no enforced laws to protect American companies’ intellectual property.
At Scansite 3D, we understand the risks and have taken strong measures to ensure that all data produced is secure and 100% of our 3D scanning, 3D metrology, reverse engineering, inspection and CAD work is done entirely in the United States by certified, competent and vetted engineers.
At Scansite we pride ourselves…..