Creative & technical
Data backup for engineering firms whose models outlast the project
Mindtime backs up the project servers, vault databases, workstations and Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace your engineers work in, and keeps immutable copies in its own data centres in the Netherlands and Germany. Every backup job is checked, and an air-gapped copy sits out of reach of your network.
In Dutch, German or English.
- NL · DEStored only in our own Tier III data centres in the Netherlands and Germany
- ImmutableObject Lock storage plus an air-gapped copy; every backup job is checked
- ISO 27001 · NEN 7510Audited security, with a data processing agreement in every contract
- NL · DE · ENSupport from people, no offshore call centres or chatbots
In short
Engineering firms need off-site backups that cannot be altered, because models and calculations are the evidence behind every design decision and questions can arrive years after a project closes. Mindtime keeps immutable copies of project servers, vault databases, workstations and cloud mail in its own Tier III data centres in the Netherlands and Germany, plus an air-gapped copy.
What's at stake
The data engineering firms can't afford to lose
CAD drawings and BIM models
Revit, Tekla or AutoCAD models hold months of design work and every revision issued to the contractor. Lose the current model, or the exact set you issued, and you are redrawing while arguing about what was agreed.
Calculations and design notes
Structural, installation and geotechnical calculations show why a design is safe. When a question comes up after delivery, you need the version you signed off, not a reconstruction from memory.
Vault and document control
A vault or PDM system links files to revisions, approvals and transmittals. If its database and file store are restored out of step, nobody can say with confidence which drawing is current.
Rules and obligations
What the rules ask of engineering firms
Summarised from the sources listed at the bottom of this page. This is general information, not legal advice.
DNR2025: claims lapse five years after the assignment
DNR2025, the standard terms for clients, architects and engineers published by BNA and NLingenieurs and launched on 15 December 2025, sets an expiry period of five years after an assignment ends. Keep project archives restorable for at least that long, and longer where your contract asks for it. [1]
Wkb: drawings and calculations in the consumer dossier
For building contracts concluded from 1 January 2024, the contractor must hand the client a dossier with drawings and calculations of the structure and installations as built (Article 7:757a Dutch Civil Code). Calculations you supplied to that contractor may be needed again to complete it. [3]
Defence projects: ABDO 2019
Companies that take on classified or critical assignments for the Dutch Ministry of Defence must meet the ABDO 2019 security requirements, and the MIVD's industrial security department supervises compliance. Agree with the client which project data may be backed up, and where, before it leaves your network. [4]
NIS2: your clients' sector, not yours
Engineering consultancy is not one of the sectors listed in the Cyberbeveiligingswet, the Dutch NIS2 law. Clients that are listed, such as energy, water and transport organisations, must secure their relationships with direct suppliers and arrange backup management and recovery plans, so expect backup questions in tenders. [5]
Unavailable personal data is a breach
Project files often name private clients and contain addresses and floor plans of their homes. The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens counts loss of availability, such as ransomware, as a data breach, which you must report within 72 hours of becoming aware of it. [7]
When it goes wrong
Encrypted vault on a drawing deadline
Illustrative example: a structural engineering firm finds its project share and vault server encrypted on the morning a drawing set is due at the contractor, and the local snapshots on the file server have been deleted too. Mindtime's copies are immutable and one is air-gapped, so the attacker could not change them. After the backups are scanned for malware, the vault database and its file store are restored together into an isolated environment, so revisions and files match again. The firm then tells the contractor what happened and agrees a new delivery date instead of guessing which drawings were current.
How Mindtime protects it
Backup for engineering firms, workload by workload
- Laptop and endpoint backupEngineers keep local copies of large models on their workstations and laptops, often for days before they are synced.
- VMware and Hyper-V backupProject, licence and vault servers often run as virtual machines on one host in the office.
- Database backupVault and PDM systems depend on a SQL Server database that must be restored together with its file store.
- NAS backupClosed projects and scanned archives often sit on a single Synology or QNAP NAS.
- Microsoft 365 backupTransmittals and client correspondence run through Outlook and SharePoint.
- Disaster RecoveryContractors keep building while your servers are down, so the office needs a way to keep working.
The software you use, and what we protect around it
| Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD | Models and drawings usually live on a file server, a NAS or in OneDrive and SharePoint. Mindtime backs up those locations; Autodesk's own cloud services fall under Autodesk's retention terms, so check them. |
|---|---|
| Tekla Structures (Trimble) | Structural models on workstations or a project server are covered by Mindtime's endpoint and server backup. |
| Autodesk Vault | Vault keeps its metadata in a Microsoft SQL Server database and the files in a separate file store. If Vault runs on your own server, Mindtime backs up that server and the SQL Server database, so both can be restored together. |
| BIMcollab | Cloud platform for BIM issue management. Check the supplier's export and retention terms; Mindtime protects the mail, project folders and laptops your team uses alongside it. |
| Microsoft 365 (Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint) | Transmittals, client correspondence and shared project folders. Mailboxes, OneDrive and SharePoint are backed up outside Microsoft, in Mindtime's Dutch and German data centres. |
Before you switch
What engineering firms ask us first
Our NAS takes snapshots every night. Isn't that enough?
Snapshots live on the same device, and ransomware that reaches the NAS can often delete them as well. Mindtime adds an immutable copy in its own data centres plus an air-gapped copy, following the 3-2-1-1-0 rule, and checks every backup job.
Our models are in the CAD vendor's cloud. Aren't they protected?
The vendor protects its platform, but your servers, workstations, mail and shared folders sit outside it. Read the vendor's export and retention terms, and let Mindtime protect everything around it in the Netherlands and Germany.
Some clients forbid project data leaving the EU. Does it?
No. Mindtime stores backups only in its own Tier III data centres in the Netherlands and Germany. Every contract includes a data processing agreement, and Mindtime is audited against ISO 27001 and NEN 7510.
FAQ
Questions about backup for engineering firms
How long should an engineering firm keep project backups?
At least as long as a client can still claim. Under DNR2025, claims lapse five years after an assignment ends, and some contracts set longer terms. The Belastingdienst also requires seven years for your basic financial records. Choose retention per project type, set it in your backup policy and write the choice down so it survives staff changes.
Does NIS2 apply to our engineering firm?
Usually not directly. The Cyberbeveiligingswet, in force since 15 August 2026, does not list engineering consultancy as a sector. Clients in energy, water or transport that are in scope must check the security of their direct suppliers, including backup and recovery. Mindtime's immutable backups and quarterly DR tests give you concrete answers for those questionnaires.
What if ransomware encrypts our project server?
You restore from copies the attacker could not reach. Mindtime keeps immutable backups with Object Lock plus an air-gapped copy, scans backups for malware before use and restores into an isolated environment. Mindtime monitors backups around the clock, so a failed or missing job is noticed before you need it.
Do we need disaster recovery as well as backup?
Backup brings data back; disaster recovery keeps the office running while your own hardware is out of action. Mindtime keeps standby infrastructure ready for your servers. The first test failover typically takes place within 10 days of starting, and DR is tested every quarter, so you know it works before a deadline depends on it.
Who can access our design data in Mindtime's data centres?
Only what your contract and data processing agreement allow. Admin actions require MFA, data is encrypted in transit with AES-256 and Mindtime is audited against ISO 27001 and NEN 7510. The data stays in Mindtime's own data centres in the Netherlands and Germany, not with a third-party cloud provider.
How do we get started?
Book a free 15-minute demo and bring a list of your servers, workstations and cloud services. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backup come with a 7-day free trial. Mindtime has been in business since 1998, and support comes from its own staff in Dutch, German or English, not an offshore call centre or a chatbot.
See it with your own data
Book a 15-minute demo
We show you a backup and a restore, and answer your questions in Dutch, German or English. No offshore call centres, no chatbots.