A few months ago, my neighborhood went through a quiet transformation. What started as routine utility work quickly became something bigger: new gas lines, smart meters, and sensors that can spot leaks before they become disasters while reducing energy consumption and emissions for greater sustainability.
At first, it just looked like the usual roadwork that pops up every few years. But as I watched crews replace decades-old infrastructure with sensor-driven technology, one thing became clear: every pipe, meter, and connection was now generating a constant stream of data-driven insights. And all of that data had to be captured, shared, and acted on in real time to improve public safety, city services, and overall quality of life.
What I saw happening on my street was just a small example of what’s happening on a larger scale across hundreds of urban areas. Local and state governments now rely on smart grids, gas line monitors, traffic sensors, and structural health devices to act as the eyes and ears of their cities. These systems generate a nonstop flow of information that must be shared quickly across agencies, contractors, and operators to keep urban developments reliable and safe. But the value of that data depends entirely on how quickly and efficiently it moves—a leak detected minutes too late can flood a street, traffic congestion left unmanaged can paralyze public transportation, and waste management inefficiencies can disrupt city planning.. Real-time synchronization ensures these insights don’t sit idle—they reach the right people at the right moment to drive action.
Smart Cities Depend on Fast, Efficient, and Secure Data Movement
Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms are no longer just pouring concrete and laying pipes. They’re designing the digital transformation frameworks of tomorrow’s infrastructure:
- Bridges embedded with structural health sensors.
- Smart buildings optimize energy use with real-time telemetry.
- Water plants monitor flow and quality minute by minute.
Data fuels these projects, requiring seamless collaboration among architects, engineers, contractors, and city operators. From Autodesk and other CAD software and BIM models to Internet of Things (IoT) telemetry, teams spread across regions need instant access to the latest information. But there’s a catch: moving that data quickly, efficiently, and securely is one of the industry’s biggest challenges.
The Bottleneck of Traditional Cloud Models
Most infrastructure projects today still rely on centralized, cloud-first data pipelines. The problem is that those models were never designed for the scale and velocity of smart city initiatives, IoT devices, and data-driven ecosystems, which constantly send large amounts of data over limited bandwidth and capacity-constrained networks.
Cloud bottlenecks add:
- Latency risks: A delay in synchronization could mean missing a leak alert or overlooking a structural anomaly.
- Bandwidth overload: Streaming raw telemetry from thousands of sensors clogs networks and skyrockets costs.
- Energy drain: Battery-powered devices waste precious resources sending every packet to the cloud.
- Fragmentation: AEC projects run on mixed systems and protocols that don’t always play nicely together.
For smart cities, where safety and uptime are non-negotiable, this approach doesn’t cut it and further elevates the need for more resilient data synchronization solutions.
“When a change is made to one of our 3D design plans, it’s critical that everyone working on the project immediately sees the change and works from the most current version of the file. With Resilio Active Everywhere, our engineers always have the most recent designs, wherever they happen to be located. Our design models are used by engineering to calculate and control if the building stays up or down. If someone makes a decision based on inaccurate information, it could be catastrophic—impacting all of our projects.”
Emanuele Guidolin, Maffeis Engineering IT Manager
Why Edge-First Synchronization Is the Future
Research and real-world deployments point to the same solution, which is needed everywhere: data intelligence, automation, and synchronization moved closer to the edge.
Instead of sending everything to the cloud, edge nodes and devices should:
- Pre-process and aggregate data locally.
- Share critical insights peer-to-peer for instant decisions.
- Send only the essentials upstream, reducing traffic by up to 80%.
This distributed model isn’t just more efficient—it’s more resilient. It supports climate change mitigation strategies by lowering energy consumption, helps public transportation run smoothly with traffic management systems, and empowers local governments to deliver better city services. Data flows where it’s needed, when it’s needed, without waiting on a central chokepoint.
Edge AI is also transforming this space, powering modern workflows, smarter operations, and predictive maintenance in real time. From traffic management and smart grids to connected devices and public safety, AI at the edge enables cities to act instantly, even in high-friction environments. To explore this further, check out our blog: AI at the Edge: Powering Modern Workflows with Resilio Active Everywhere
Enter Resilio: Designed for Distributed Sync
This is where Resilio shines. Purpose-built for large, distributed datasets, Resilio Active Everywhere flips the script on traditional sync with a peer-to-peer, agent-based architecture supporting urban planning and digital transformation efforts.
With Resilio, AEC firms and utility operators can:
- Sync in real time, peer-to-peer—bypassing cloud bottlenecks.
- Optimize bandwidth with intelligent distribution, even in low-connectivity environments.
- Scale without limits, managing millions of endpoints without crushing central servers.
- Stay reliable offline, syncing locally even when cloud connections drop.
- Bridge systems seamlessly, enabling interoperability across CAD, GIS, IoT, and more.
This isn’t theory; it’s proven in environments where resilience, scale, sustainability, and speed aren’t optional.
“With Resilio, we can keep our edge synchronized with our core on-premises data center and two cloud locations. Resilio keeps all data updated and replicated. We found no other way to implement an active-active 3-node VDI host cluster across sites.”
Project Engineer (a major North American Engineering & Construction Firm)
From Street Upgrades to Citywide Transformation
Back on my street, the utility upgrades weren’t just about pipes and meters; they were about data. Data that keeps homes powered with gas and electricity ensures reliability and helps entire systems run more efficiently.
Now imagine scaling that same problem across a city, a region, or a national infrastructure project. The challenge and opportunity would be massive, impacting everything from air quality to waste management, from traffic congestion to energy efficiency.
That’s where Resilio makes the difference.
By enabling edge-first, peer-to-peer synchronization, Resilio gives AEC firms, contractors, and utilities the backbone they need to build the smart, connected infrastructure of the future; reliable, scalable, and real-time.
Because in the cities of tomorrow, it’s not just about building stronger foundations—it’s about building smarter connections.
“Resilio allows for the seamless upload and download of files across a variety of devices and platforms. It stood out as a solution for our unique needs in the construction industry and quickly offered confidence in our ability to capture and document job sites effectively and reliably. The support and development teams at Resilio have been exceptional, ranking among the best I’ve encountered in addressing issues tailored to our unique use cases and industry.”
Ryan Haas, Director of IT at West Valley Construction
Interested in seeing how Resilio can power your infrastructure project? Schedule a time to chat with our experts.
