What's the Best Way for Engineering Firms to Back Up Large CAD/BIM Files?

Posted by alexaur On August 31, 2026

The best way to back up large CAD and BIM files is with an automated, offsite backup solution designed specifically to handle large file sizes and frequent revisions - not manual copying, and not relying on your cloud storage platform alone. Most cloud platforms only guarantee file recovery for 30 to 60 days after deletion, which isn't a real backup strategy for project files you may need to reference years later. Here's how engineering firms should approach backing up CAD and BIM data properly.

Why Standard Backup Approaches Fall Short

CAD and BIM files present unique backup challenges compared to typical office documents:

File sizes are large, often multiple gigabytes for complex models, which can slow down or overwhelm generic backup tools
Files change frequently, with multiple revisions per day on active projects
Version history matters - firms often need to recover not just the latest version, but a specific prior revision

A backup solution designed for large, frequently changing files needs to account for all three.

Don't Rely on Cloud Storage Alone

As covered in a related post, most cloud storage platforms operate under a shared responsibility model - the platform protects its infrastructure, but you're responsible for backing up your own data. Most platforms also cap file recovery at a 30-to-60-day window after deletion. For project files that might need to be referenced or restored well beyond that window, cloud storage alone isn't sufficient protection.

What a Proper CAD/BIM Backup Solution Should Include:

Automated, Scheduled Backups: Backups should run automatically on a regular schedule, not depend on someone remembering to do it manually, especially given how frequently active project files change.
Offsite or Isolated Storage: Backup copies should be stored somewhere separate from your primary server or cloud storage, so a local disaster (think hurricane season in Houston), ransomware attack, or platform-level issue doesn't take out both the original and the backup at once.
Version History Retention: Because CAD and BIM projects go through many revisions, your backup solution should retain multiple versions, not just overwrite the previous backup each time, so you can recover a specific point in a project's history if needed.
Regular Restore Testing: A backup is only as good as your ability to actually restore from it. Periodic test restores confirm the system works before you're relying on it during an actual emergency.

A Real-World Example

A 10-person engineering firm kept all of their project files in a cloud platform but had no separate backup solution in place. Their former IT provider had never mentioned this, and like many firms, they assumed the cloud platform itself was providing that protection. Alexaur implemented a dedicated backup solution specifically to protect their project files giving them real peace of mind that critical firm files won't be lost, regardless of what happens on the cloud platform's side.