Transitioning to Named User Licenses in Autodesk Licensing
Autodesk announced that it would stop supplying network licencing and maintenance in May 2021. Because so many CAD managers are responsible for supporting Autodesk products, any significant change in the company's licencing regulations is massive news for our client's profession.
This blog seeks to shed some light on what's going on and make sense of the perplexing landscape that many CAD managers have found themselves in as they try to explain the situation to their management teams. Let's get started...
The Basics
Let's start with the announcement itself, which came in the form of a video released on February 24, 2020: Autodesk announced that the company "is moving completely to plans that are based on people, to provide you with an improved experience."
In plain English, this means that instead of using a network licence or a perpetual serial number, Autodesk is shifting to a named-user licencing structure. Each user must maintain an account (similar to how individual Autodesk subscriptions work presently). This change means that firms with perpetual licence maintenance plans will no longer be maintained as of the last renewal date, May 2021, and companies that use network licencing (FlexLM) will no longer be supported.
We've highlighted 5 measures to follow to ensure a smooth transition to the named user licencing model for your company:
1. Be familiar with the perpetual licence paradigm.
2. Think about the new licencing strategy.
3. Make a well-informed business choice.
4. Count accurately and regularly.
5. Take proactive steps to manage your estate.
Autodesk Product Collections
Autodesk has released Collections, which are pre-packaged applications for Architecture, Engineering & Construction, Product Design & Manufacturing, and Media & Entertainment.
Collection licences are more expensive than individual programme licences, but depending on your business needs, they may be worth it if you use many items. Regarding licencing, if customers aren't using several programmes, it could be a cost-cutting opportunity if they're under-utilised overall.
Making an Informed Business Decision
You essentially have three options when it comes to transferring your Autodesk licences:
Make the switch to a subscription model
Maintain your perpetual licences
Consider a blended approach.
Pros and Cons of Moving to an Autodesk Subscription-Based Licensing Model
Pros of the Autodesk subscription-based licensing model:
Simplified
Because the licence servers are housed in the cloud, there is no need to operate and maintain them locally.
It's easier to work from home.
The secondary admin can assign and revoke licences.
Secure
Users can update the software through their Autodesk account without waiting for it to be deployed by the admin, depending on your businesses policy.
From May 2021, Autodesk will provide no updates for perpetual licences. You may continue to use perpetual licences even if they are not under maintenance, but you may need to evaluate backward version capabilities depending on your business case.
Visibility
All support levels provide aggregate reporting of how many people are using each product, the version and overall frequency of use.
With Premium and Enterprise level support, you have access to more detailed reports, including which individuals use what and how often.
Detailed reporting, including exports available from Autodesk console.
Note: reporting is not available for all products, currently available for cloud products, cloud services, and some desktop products.
Availability
Any user with access to a licence can use it; there are no difficulties with people forgetting to log out and re-check the licence.
It's possible to work from home with it.
Cons of the Autodesk subscription-based licensing model
High cost
Subscription licences are costly, and the impact on the bottom line should be forecasted over a three- to ten-year period.
The frequency with which the users need to access the licence should be factored into the modelling. Even trade-in offers of one network licence for two named user licences may be more expensive than your current user-to-network-license ratio, especially for organisations that follow the sun model.
Access to old versions
While newer versions of Autodesk software are backwards compatible, access to older versions of the product is limited to a set number of years – usually three. As a result, if you trade in old versions of the programme that you need for testing, you will lose access to those versions of the software.
There are no other options for new licences; they must all be obtained through the subscription model. Unfortunately, you can't access licences once the subscription period has gone, so you're stuck with it.
Because you can't access licences once your membership expires, you're obligated to keep using them.
Autodesk Named User Licensing Trade-In Offers
Autodesk has offered Trade-In discounts to help consumers convert and encourage them to do so. This includes securing continued reductions through the year 2028. Renewals for multi-user subscriptions have been extended until August 7, 2022.
Autodesk Hybrid Licensing Model
You can opt for a hybrid approach, in which you preserve the perpetual licences you require and trade in what can be converted to a subscription model.
Autodesk intends to convert all perpetual licences to subscriptions; nevertheless, you still retain the ability to use your perpetual licences indefinitely, as long as you are aware of the risks.
Think about how your company's strategy will affect the shift.
Because there is no one-size-fits-all method, your business strategy is also critical in making this decision - see our previous blog on IT strategy here. Here are some things to consider:
Growth area or likely to decommission?
Need for continued access to previous versions?
Cost/benefits as mentioned above.
While it can be an expensive and lengthy process, it is always possible to consider alternative providers if the vendor does not align with your business strategy.
Count Periodically & Accurately
To construct an Effective License Position (ELP), it is critical to analyse entitlements and consumption. Redgate IT excels at counting, and counting correctly, to provide visibility into your estate and actionable insights to ensure compliance.
Manage Your Autodesk Estate Proactively
It's crucial to keep track of your technological environment and software footprint. Completing health checks of entitlements and usage is desirable and mandatory for Autodesk (and many other publishers).
Completing an Effective License Position (ELP) is the best place to start when managing your Autodesk estate proactively. However, conducting an ELP is not enough; the company must use the data to make intelligent business decisions. This entails a thorough understanding of the details and how the firm uses the programme.
To make this process easier, Redgate IT offers a Risk/Opportunity Assessment that is accompanied by an ELP that provides realistic and practical measures to optimise your environment. This could involve, among other things, cost savings from not renewing maintenance on unused licences, obtaining additional licences to cover consumption, discovering unauthorised software usage, and best practices for structuring licence agreements.