Last week, Autodesk shook things up by announcing that it is moving toward a subscription-only business model and will no longer sell perpetual software licenses for standalone desktop software products. While the policy shift has been rumored for awhile, it’s now official, and companies that are not already on and Autodesk subscription plan or cloud service will need to evaluate how they want to manage their software moving forward. And, of course, it goes without saying that CAD managers must be involved in planning for this new software landscape.

It’s important to note that this change will affect only those customers who already own perpetual licenses of standalone desktop software; it does not affect customers using Autodesk product suites or those already on a desktop subscription plan or using cloud services. For details about the announcement, see “Autodesk Announces Subscription-Only Access for Standalone Desktop Software” on the Cadalyst web site and two online FAQs from Autodesk, Perpetual Licensing Changes and Autodesk Standalone Perpetual License Discontinuation Public FAQ (PDF).

More and more software developers are moving away from perpetual license sales and toward subscription, or rental, as their only means of distributing their wares. So examining the trend is worthwhile, no matter which brands of software you use. In this edition of the CAD Manager’s Newsletter, we will examine some cost and licensing scenarios that you may have to consider as you plan for next year and beyond. Here goes.

SOURCE: cadalyst.com