OnScale Responds to COVID-19 With Rx for Engineering Productivity

OnScale, which delivers a cloud simulation platform, is providing free cloud core-hours to its customers to help mitigate productivity losses related to office shutdowns on the heels of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

OnScale supports private and public cloud simulation capabilities along with hybrid local (fixed license) instances. Because some customers have local licenses locked to desktop PCs or running on private clouds, they were no longer able to access their simulation capabilities as more and more offices are closing. “These engineers were told to work from home, but their computers and engineering simulation software were locked in empty offices,” says Ian Campbell, CEO of OnScale. “A few even created new Gmail accounts in order to create OnScale Cloud accounts.”

By providing the free hours, engineers working from home on compute-limited machines—for example, laptops with few cores—will still be able to access the OnScale simulation power needed to complete critical R&D projects. “Ultimately, this allows our customers to mitigate serious business impacts from productivity-loss related to the coronavirus, all while staying safe working from home,” Campbell says.

OnScale's charter isn't to solve the work-at-home simulation problem, but rather to harness the power of simulation supported by the power of the cloud. However, its cloud-native architecture makes it a natural to fit the gap. "The ability to keep simulating as long as an Internet connection is available is coming handy in situations where engineers must travel or are home-bound because of events like the current outbreak,” Campbell explains. “I think a lot more customers will be looking at how to effectively work remotely, and OnScale is a great way to keep engineers productive while they're working from home.”

For customers who opted for a fixed-license, the free cloud core-hours will allow them to keep simulating right away without the need to go through procurement and subscribe to OnScale's cloud engineering simulation option. To take advantage of the offer, existing OnScale local/private cloud customers should reach out to their account managers and request cloud core-hours for their teams. OnScale will be providing core-hours on a pro-rata basis based on the number of local licenses or private cloud deployment sizes.

This video provides an introduction to OnScale as part of the company’s Beginner Tutorial Series.