Autodesk has changed their licensing module from buy at a high price and then keep the license forever (Perpetual), to buy at a much-reduced price and then the license will expire after a certain amount of time (Desktop Subscription). They have introduced this option so that you can be more flexible with your licensing of Autodesk software. If you only need it for 6 months then buy a 6-month license and not have software sitting on the shelf as with the previous (Perpetual) licensing model. IT expires and you are not able to use it.
You might be wondering what this means if you purchased your licenses under the old system and are still paying maintenance. Nothing. You still keep on paying your maintenance fee but you will not get the benefits of subscription. What are those benefits?
- You get access to Autodesk’s latest updates which are continually ongoing, cloud services for desktop products and all of this for free!!
- Access to the latest Industry collections – Product, Build and Media and Entertainment.
- New and improved support – Everyone gets advanced support which allows you to also schedule a call with Autodesk technical support specialist.
- Simplified administration – You can now also quickly and easily assign usage to users to the different software packages. So if SA user leaves you can un-assign the license and assign it to the new user that is joining the company.
What is Autodesk allowing users to do who would like to move over to subscription and reap the benefits of the new licensing system?
Autodesk are currently running a promotion called the Maintenance to Switch (M2S) campaign. With this promotion, Autodesk recognises the investment you have made with your software and are allowing you to switch to a subscription plan( with all the benefits) for the same price as you would pay if you stayed on your maintenance plan. Why change then? Over the next 3 years, Autodesk is upping the price for maintenance renewals by first 5 % for the first year 10 % for the second year and 20 % for the third year. If you switch to subscription then the Dollar Price will be locked in for the next 3 years. This does not take into account Rate of Exchange.
