Secure Management of Technical Data Flows: Protecting Your 3D Models

"Paris, February 2025. Thomas, R&D director, stares at his screen in horror. The prototype his team has been working on for three years has just appeared at a competitor's trade show in Asia. The leak? A simple email containing the complete CAD model, intercepted during an exchange with a subcontractor. Estimated cost: €4 million and 18 months of lost progress."

This story is unfortunately commonplace. Every year, hundreds of industrial companies see their intellectual property compromised by unsecured CAD exchanges. A recent study revealed that 68% of engineers transmit strategic technical data via email or FTP daily—the digital equivalent of sending your patents by mail without an envelope.

In a world where a single 3D file can represent millions in R&D, can you really afford this vulnerability?

Table of contents

• Challenges of CAD data exchange in industrial environments
• Requirements for a modern CAD exchange solution
• DEXcenter: integrated solution for secure CAD exchanges
• Typical use cases
• Measurable benefits for the enterprise

Challenges of CAD data exchange in industrial environments

The modern industrial ecosystem relies on a constant flow of technical data exchanges, particularly CAD models. These exchanges no longer remain within company boundaries but extend to suppliers, subcontractors, customers, and partners, forming a complex digital value chain. Every day, hundreds or even thousands of files are transferred between stakeholders in an industrial project.

Complexity of technical data exchanges

The complexity of CAD exchanges revolves around several critical dimensions that, without an adapted solution, can quickly transform a technological advantage into an operational handicap:

• The diversity of CAD systems used (CATIA, ProENGINEER, SolidWorks, NX) generating format incompatibilities
• The considerable volume of data exchanged daily, reaching several gigabytes for complex models
• The frequency of design iterations requiring regular synchronization between partners
• Quality requirements for models that must maintain their integrity during conversions

These factors combine to create an environment where technical teams spend up to 30% of their time managing exchange issues rather than value-added activities. Deadlines are extended, error risks multiplied, and operational costs inflated by these inefficiencies.

Intellectual property risks

Beyond operational challenges, CAD data exchange exposes companies to major strategic risks regarding their intellectual property:

These risks are not theoretical: according to a recent study, 37% of manufacturing companies have already experienced incidents related to technical data leakage, with an average cost of 1.7 million euros per incident. Protecting these digital assets is therefore not simply a matter of IT security, but a strategic issue that affects the very sustainability of competitive advantage.

Requirements for a modern CAD exchange solution

Faced with these complex challenges, traditional exchange methods quickly show their limitations. Companies at the forefront of technical innovation now recognize that a modern CAD data exchange solution must satisfy four fundamental pillars to be truly effective.

Security and confidentiality

The protection of sensitive technical data requires a multi-layered security approach that ensures integrity and confidentiality at every stage of the exchange process:

• End-to-end encryption of data in transit (SSL/DES) to prevent interception
• Robust user authentication, compatible with enterprise standards (LDAP, SSO)
• Granular access control allowing precise definition of who can view and manipulate which data
• Isolation of external partners to prevent cross-visibility between competing suppliers
• Intellectual property notification mechanisms integrated into transmitted data

This security dimension must nevertheless integrate harmoniously into the existing IT architecture, respecting firewall constraints and security policies already in place.

Automation and operational efficiency

The effectiveness of a modern solution relies on its ability to automate repetitive processes that consume valuable time from technical teams. This automation must cover the entire exchange cycle:

• Automatic conversion between native and neutral CAD formats
• Configurable workflows adapted to each company's business specificities
• Batch processing to manage large volumes without manual intervention
• Conditional logic allowing decision-making processes based on intermediate results
• Automatic notification of stakeholders at key moments in the process

This automation represents a major optimization lever, allowing up to 80% reduction in labor costs associated with data conversions and exchanges.

Interoperability and quality

The value of an exchange solution lies in its ability to ensure seamless interoperability between heterogeneous systems, while maintaining optimal quality:

This qualitative dimension is essential to avoid multiple iterations and costly errors in later phases of the product development cycle.

Traceability and compliance

In an increasingly demanding regulatory environment, the ability to precisely document each exchange becomes an absolute imperative:

• Comprehensive logging of user actions (who sent what, when and to whom)
• Complete audit trail for all conversions and transformations applied
• History of access to sensitive data to meet compliance requirements
• Configurable reports for internal and external audit needs
• Compatibility with sector regulations such as ITAR for defense industries

This traceability constitutes not only a regulatory compliance tool but also a governance lever enabling continuous optimization of exchange processes by identifying bottlenecks and improvement opportunities.

DEXcenter: integrated solution for secure CAD exchanges

Facing the multidimensional requirements of modern CAD exchanges, DEXcenter stands out as a robust and proven solution that addresses all the challenges previously identified. Developed by ITI TranscenData, this enterprise platform offers an integrated approach combining security, automation, quality, and traceability.

Architecture and main features

DEXcenter is based on a modular architecture designed to integrate harmoniously into the existing technical ecosystem, while offering maximum deployment flexibility:

• Intuitive web interface accessible from a standard browser, simplifying adoption by all users
• Scalable JEE architecture, compatible with Oracle or MySQL databases
• Flexible deployment in centralized or distributed configuration according to needs
• Compatibility with enterprise firewalls and secure infrastructures
• Load balancing to optimize performance during intensive processing

This modern architecture effectively serves environments with several hundred users, as evidenced by successful deployment at Samsung Electronics with more than 500 active users across 7 business units.

Security capabilities

Intellectual property protection is one of the major strengths of DEXcenter, which integrates advanced security mechanisms at every level:

This multi-level approach ensures that sensitive technical data remains protected throughout its lifecycle, from creation to receipt by the authorized recipient.

Automation of exchange processes

The automation engine of DEXcenter constitutes its functional core, transforming complex manual processes into automated and reliable workflows:

• Native support for major CAD systems (CATIA V4/V5, ProENGINEER, SolidWorks, NX, I-DEAS)
• Conversion to and from standard neutral formats (STEP, IGES, Parasolid, JT, ACIS)
• Configurable workflows with conditional logic based on intermediate results
• Integration of specialized solutions such as Proficiency (conversion with history), CADIQ (quality validation) and CADfix (repair)
• Parallelized processing allowing optimization of server resource usage

This intelligent automation not only drastically reduces processing times but also improves conversion quality by systematically applying established best practices.

Advanced user management

The collaborative dimension of DEXcenter relies on fine-grained user management, adapted to the needs of complex industrial ecosystems:

• Clear separation between internal and external users
• Definition of granular access rights by user, group or role
• Complete isolation between competing suppliers
• Interface adapted to the user's level of expertise (simplified or advanced mode)
• Multilingual support facilitating international adoption

This approach allows easy integration of all stakeholders in the exchange process, from expert CAD engineers to buyers or quality managers with occasional needs for technical data access.

Integration into the enterprise ecosystem

The value of DEXcenter is multiplied by its ability to integrate seamlessly into the existing application environment:

• Native integration with leading PLM systems such as Windchill or TeamCenter
• Open APIs allowing development of custom interfaces
• Compatibility with enterprise portals and intranets
• Advanced customization of the user interface to align with enterprise standards
• Extension capability to integrate company-specific processes

This integration flexibility is particularly appreciated by large organizations with complex IT environments, as evidenced by the case of SAFRAN which integrated DEXcenter into its ecosystem to automate the synchronization of its digital mock-up (DMU).

Typical use cases

Experience accumulated from multiple industrial clients has identified four major usage scenarios where DEXcenter delivers exceptional value by combining efficient CAD exchanges and intellectual property protection.

Secure CAD collaboration

In a collaborative design context involving OEMs and suppliers, securing exchanges becomes a critical success factor:

• Bidirectional exchange of CAD models between client and subcontractors
• Protection of sensitive data through encryption and access control
• Complete traceability of exchanges for total visibility
• Automation of conversions according to each partner's preferences
• Management of iterations and synchronization of modifications

This scenario is particularly relevant for aerospace, automotive, and defense industries where collaboration with an extended ecosystem of partners is essential, while maintaining strict control over intellectual property.

CAD migration

During CAD system migration projects, automation and quality become major challenges:

This scenario significantly reduces the time and costs of migration projects, while ensuring optimal quality of converted models - a critical issue when this data will be used for manufacturing or analysis.

Technical Data Package distribution

Secure distribution of complete technical packages (TDP) to industrial partners constitutes a particularly strategic use case:

• Automated assembly of package components (3D models, 2D drawings, specifications)
• Conversion to formats specified by each recipient
• Integration of intellectual property notices and usage limitations
• Encryption and secure transmission compliant with regulations (ITAR, EAR)
• Tracking of receipts and download verification

This ability to distribute complete sets of technical documentation in a controlled manner is particularly valued in defense and industrial equipment sectors, where regulatory compliance combines with intellectual property protection challenges.

Long-term archiving

The long-term preservation of CAD data represents a major challenge for industries whose products have extended lifecycles:

• Conversion to standardized neutral formats (STEP, JT) for vendor independence
• Controlled simplification of models to reduce storage size
• Rigorous validation of data integrity before archiving
• Comprehensive documentation of technical context (software versions, conversion parameters)
• Complete traceability of the conversion chain for future needs

This structured approach to technical archiving addresses regulatory requirements while ensuring the possibility of using this data in the future, even after several decades - a crucial issue for sectors such as aerospace, energy, or defense.

Measurable benefits for the enterprise

Implementing a solution like DEXcenter generates tangible and quantifiable benefits that directly impact the operational and strategic performance of the company. Experience from existing deployments identifies four main categories of gains.

Reduction of operational costs

Automation of exchange and conversion processes generates substantial savings across several expense categories:

• Reduction of more than 80% in labor costs associated with manual conversions
• 65% decrease in engineering time devoted to exchange issues
• Optimization of expensive CAD license usage
• 40% reduction in errors and rework related to conversion problems
• Elimination of hidden costs related to waiting times and manual processes

These savings quickly translate into measurable return on investment, typically observed between 6 and 12 months depending on organization size and exchange volume processed.

Improved data security

The security dimension brings strategic value whose impact, although less directly quantifiable, is no less significant:

This securitization represents insurance against risks whose potential cost can amount to several million euros in case of a major intellectual property leak incident.

Performance gains

Accelerating exchange processes generates direct benefits on deadlines and quality:

• Reduction of up to 90% in technical data exchange times
• 74% decrease in cycle time for validation and conversion processes
• Measurable improvement in the quality of exchanged models
• Elimination of bottlenecks in the collaborative design chain
• Standardization of processes ensuring consistent and predictable results

These performance improvements translate concretely into reduced time-to-market and increased ability to respond quickly to evolving customer requirements or market opportunities.

Compliance and governance

The traceability dimension significantly contributes to process maturity and regulatory compliance:

• Comprehensive documentation of all technical exchanges for audit needs
• Demonstration of due diligence in sensitive data protection
• Facilitated compliance with contractual requirements of customers and partners
• Support for quality and security certifications (ISO 27001, EN 9100, etc.)
• Continuous process improvement through available metrics and analyses

This dimension helps strengthen the company's position as a reliable and compliant partner, a significant competitive advantage in highly regulated sectors such as aerospace, defense, or automotive.

The experience of SAFRAN perfectly illustrates these benefits, with daily synchronization of several dozen DMU files, fully automated and secured via DEXcenter. This implementation has allowed not only acceleration of exchange cycles but also integration of systematic quality controls, ensuring data integrity throughout the process.