Running Revit in the Cloud: What If the Internet Goes Down?

In a recent poll, we asked over 500 Revit users about whether they’d consider using Revit in the cloud. A massive 33% said they would be definitely interested, while 36% were cloud curious, but would need to know more. 

However, just under a quarter said they preferred local workstations for running Revit. There were a few different reasons (including concerns about security and performance), but one major concern stood out: "What if the internet goes down?"

One person pointed out: “[By relying on the cloud] you are now at the hands of your service provider… If the internet goes down, your business loses 1, 2 or even 3 days of productivity”. 

It’s a fair point. After all, no internet means no access to cloud-based tools. 

Another respondent shared their experience when Storm Eowyn—the most severe storm to hit Northern England, Scotland, and Ireland on record—knocked out their internet in January 2025. Another pointed out the cost of downtime: "We’ve hosted models in the cloud since 2017, and while we’ve only had three outages, when 12 technicians sit idle for eight hours, the cost is significant."

At least with local workstations, you can still work without internet access. One respondent summed it up:"If your internet connection fails, at least you can work locally." 

That being said, local setups also have their own risks: hardware failures, corrupted files, and difficulties with remote collaboration.

So, let's break this down logically. The internet rarely goes down completely, barring extreme cases such as natural disasters. But rather than debating whether an internet outage will happen, the real question is: What are the possible points of failure when using Revit in the cloud, and what can you do to mitigate them?

Potential Internet Access Breakpoints and How to Address Them

1 - Your primary router goes down

Every cloud-based setup depends on a stable network connection. Your router is the first critical link in the chain, acting as the bridge between your local devices and the internet. If this connection fails, you lose access—not just to Revit in the cloud but to everything online.

A wired connection to your router is generally more stable than Wi-Fi and less prone to interference. If possible, prioritize an Ethernet cable over a wireless connection to ensure a more reliable link to your network.

If your internet does go down, having a backup connection is essential. You can mitigate the risk by using a mobile hotspot or a secondary ISP connection. Many companies install a failover router that automatically switches to a cellular or secondary broadband connection in case of an outage.

And in a worst-case scenario, when neither your primary nor backup internet works, you still have the option of relocating to your home office, where an alternative connection might be available. If that’s not an option, a nearby Wi-Fi hotspot, such as a café or coworking space, can be a last resort. Thanks to end-to-end encryption, working in the cloud remains secure even when connecting through public networks, ensuring uninterrupted access to your Revit models.

2. Weak or Slow Internet Connection

A weak or slow internet connection can severely impact performance when working with Revit in the cloud. However, it is essential to distinguish between two different problems: low bandwidth and high latency.

Weak connection (low bandwidth): 

Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted per second. If your bandwidth is too low, you won’t experience delays in loading Revit models, as these are processed on the cloud machine itself. However, display quality will degrade, leading to pixelation, blurry visuals, or lower frame rates, making navigation and modeling more difficult. As a rule of thumb, you should allocate at least 10 Mbit/s per user to ensure a smooth experience. 

The primary cause of low bandwidth is network congestion—you may be sharing your connection with multiple users or other bandwidth-intensive applications such as video streaming or large file transfers.

Slow connection (high latency): 

Latency refers to the delay between sending a request and receiving a response. Ideally, latency should be below 50 ms for a responsive experience. High latency can result in noticeable input lag, where actions such as moving or rotating the model take longer to register, making real-time work feel sluggish. 

Unlike bandwidth, latency is typically more difficult to resolve because it is influenced by distance to the cloud server (if your cloud workstation is physically far away from you) and network routing inefficiencies (too many intermediary hops between your computer and the cloud service).

Mitigation Strategies

If bandwidth issues are temporary, immediate adjustments in the streamer settings (see: “performance” article) can help. Lowering the resolution or adjusting the frame rate from 60 frames per second or reducing the resolution of your display can significantly improve responsiveness and maintain usability. Most remote desktop streaming solutions have built-in diagnostics that allow users to monitor bandwidth and latency in real-time to identify performance bottlenecks.

For persistent bandwidth limitations, companies can take several steps:

• Upgrade the office internet plan to a higher-bandwidth package, ensuring adequate capacity for all users.
• Optimize network traffic by limiting non-essential high-bandwidth applications during work hours.
• Implement Quality of Service (QoS) settings on the router to prioritize Revit-related traffic over other applications.
• Consider a dedicated network for cloud workstations, reducing congestion from other office activities.

For persistent latency issues, solutions are more challenging:

• Use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi to reduce interference and packet loss.
• Adjust streamer settings to prioritize performance over display quality.
• Deploy edge computing solutions, such as selecting a cloud provider with data centers closer to your region.
• Ensure end-user devices meet performance requirements, as underpowered local hardware can sometimes exacerbate latency problems.

Built-in network monitoring tools in streaming applications can help track connection quality and pinpoint whether the issue is bandwidth, latency, or another factor. Regularly checking these metrics can help you identify trends and take proactive measures before performance issues become disruptive.

3. Cloud Service Provider Downtime

Modern Desktop as a Service (DaaS) providers host their solutions on hyperscalers—massive cloud computing platforms like Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud. One of the key benefits of this approach is that these providers have global data centers, ensuring low-latency connections for users worldwide. Additionally, hyperscalers have invested heavily in redundancy and reliability, making major outages extremely rare.

However, it's important to verify where your DaaS provider is hosting their services. While hyperscalers provide industry-leading infrastructure, they do not offer direct SLAs (service level agreements) to customers, meaning DaaS providers cannot guarantee an SLA either. That said, hyperscaler uptime records are publicly available and can be reviewed. Here, for example, are Microsoft Azure’s uptime records:

• Azure Status
• Azure Historical Performance

Before assuming cloud downtime is a major risk, ask yourself: How does this uptime compare with your local workstation? Cloud infrastructure tends to be significantly more resilient than on-premise setups, where individual hardware failures, software crashes, and maintenance downtime are far more frequent. And, despite the possible risks of downtime, other academic research finds the firms that use the cloud tend to have higher productivity levels. 

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4. Virtual machine fails to start

Sometimes, virtual machines will fail to start. In general, this is due to underlying hardware failures or software inconsistencies. In some cases, an entire cluster in a data center may experience underlying hardware failures. While rare, issues can arise approximately once every 1,000 starts. 

However, this does not mean users are left unable to work. Well-designed cloud environments include failover mechanisms. If a virtual machine (VM) fails to start, it can be automatically redeployed on a different cluster within the same data center. In simple terms, the system moves the workload to a different set of servers that remain operational.

For users, the only impact is a slight delay—typically under five minutes—before they can resume their work. This proactive failover system ensures that minor infrastructure failures do not turn into significant disruptions.

5. Authentication Issues (e.g., Can't Log In)

Of all the issues users may face with Revit in the cloud, authentication problems are among the most common (along with weak or slow connections). Below are the most frequent authentication issues we've encountered:

User-Side Authentication Issues:

• Forgotten Credentials – The user has forgotten their username or password.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Not Available – The user has lost access to their MFA device (phone reset, lost device, or app uninstalled).
• Blocked or Suspended Account – Too many incorrect login attempts may trigger an account lock.
• Cached Credentials Causing Issues – The system is trying to authenticate with outdated credentials stored in the browser or remote desktop client.
• Local Network Restrictions – The user is on a restricted network (e.g., a corporate VPN or guest Wi-Fi) that blocks authentication services.
• Browser or Security Software Conflicts – Browser extensions, ad blockers, or security software may interfere with the authentication process.

Cloud Provider-Side Authentication Issues:

• Provisioning Service is Down – If the provisioning service (which starts and stops virtual machines) is unavailable, users are unable to initiate their session.
• Access Provider’s Service Outage – The system that verifies login requests (e.g., an identity provider like Azure Active Directory or a third-party IAM service) is experiencing downtime.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Provider Issues – If MFA services (e.g., Microsoft Authenticator, Duo, or Okta) are facing downtime, users may be unable to complete authentication.
• Session Timeout or Token Expiry – The authentication token issued by the cloud service may have expired unexpectedly due to a bug or policy enforcement.
• Unexpected Configuration Changes – If security policies were updated (e.g., stricter password requirements, MFA enforcement changes, or IP whitelisting updates), users might be unable to log in until their settings are updated.

Mitigation Strategies for Authentication Issues

There are three key ways to address authentication problems:

1. Self-service options – Users or a company's admin can resolve most common issues, such as password resets, through automated recovery tools.
2. Monitoring systems – You can check the status pages (e.g.,of an access provider such as Splashtop Status). Desktop-as-a-Service providers have internal alerting systems that help detect widespread issues and squash them as they arise
3. Support escalation – DaaS providers work with key users within organizations and provide documentation, chatbots and most importantly real human support to solve the more convoluted issues (e.g. to pinpoint and resolve an issue caused by an update in the customer’s firewall that suddenly blocks the service of the access provider). 

Keeping Your Revit Cloud Access Secure and Reliable

Ultimately, maintaining uninterrupted access to your cloud-based Revit environment comes down to a mix of user-controlled factors (such as local network setup and authentication credentials) and Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) provider responsibilities (such as infrastructure uptime and support quality).

To ensure you’re making the right choice and protecting your workflow, here are three additional best practices you should follow:

1. Talk to Other Customers – Before committing to a DaaS provider, ask current users how happy they are with the service. Real-world experiences will tell you more than marketing promises.
2. Check the Exit Policy – Find out how easy it is to get your data out of the cloud if you decide to switch providers. A transparent, hassle-free exit policy is a good indicator of a provider that values long-term customer satisfaction.
3. Avoid Lock-in Contracts – The best DaaS providers allow flexibility. If you can easily switch providers without being locked into long-term contracts, your provider will always stay sharp and motivated to deliver the best service possible.

By keeping these factors in mind, you can confidently move your Revit workflows to the cloud—without worrying about losing access when you need it most.

As mentioned above, internet access isn’t the only concern that Revit users have about the cloud. Read our guides on security and performance for Revit in the cloud, and learn more about how you can manage these issues.

Read the next article on Revit cloud performance
Read the next article on Revit cloud security

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