Autodesk just announced changes to their licensing of software for the future. Autodesk is gradually transitioning new software purchases for their products to subscription options only. In the first phase of this transition, new seats of standalone desktop software products will generally be available only as a Desktop Subscription beginning February 1, 2016. Desktop Subscription products provide a simplified product management and deployment experience, and makes it easier to introduce new tools and technology into the workflow with lower upfront cost and the ability to pay as you go. Desktop Subscription is available on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis, and Autodesk also plans to introduce a new multi-year Desktop Subscription offering.Customers who have purchased a perpetual license prior to February 1, 2016, will be able to continue to use those licenses. Customers with Maintenance Subscription on those perpetual licenses will continue to receive corresponding benefits for as long as the subscription remains active.
Here is a list of products that will be affected by this change:
What is Desktop Subscription? Does Desktop Subscription use the cloud to store applications and data? Desktop Subscription gives access to Autodesk software—the same full version as with a perpetual license—but with a flexible, pay-as-you-go approach for a software budget that’s easier to manage. Desktop Subscription provides benefits such as Basic Support, access to the latest software and product enhancements, and in some cases, access to select cloud services. The desktop software application delivered through Desktop Subscription as well as associated user data continue to be stored on a local machine, and any usage of Autodesk cloud services is optional.
Does this mean customers will lose the ability to use existing software purchased under a perpetual license? No, if a customer already has a perpetual license or purchases a new perpetual license at any time before February 1, 2016, that license doesn't go away. They still retain the perpetual license to that software and can continue to use it in accordance with their perpetual license agreement. If the software product is covered by Maintenance Subscription, they will also continue to receive their Maintenance Subscription benefits.
Will perpetual licenses for Autodesk Design & Creation Suites still be available for purchase after February 1, 2016?
New perpetual licenses for Autodesk Design & Creation Suites and other suite offerings will continue to be offered beyond February 1, 2016. Any transition to a subscription-only based offering for Suites after that time will be communicated well in advance.
What happens to my perpetual licenses on Maintenance Subscription? The elimination of perpetual licenses on Feb 1, 2016 only applies to new purchases of perpetual licenses.
Customers with current Maintenance Subscription contracts after Feb 1, 2016, will continue to receive their Maintenance Subscription benefits.
What is Autodesk doing to make this an easy transition for you?Autodesk is doing several things to make the transition to Desktop Subscription as smooth as possible:
- Providing the time needed to assess options and make plans by providing a full year of advance notice of changes to come
- Allowing Maintenance Subscribers to continue to renew their Maintenance Subscriptions and receive/access the benefits of their Maintenance Subscription
- Making Autodesk Account the one place to manage all of your products, subscriptions and services
- Providing the ability to lock in your subscription rate by introducing the option of a multi-year Desktop Subscription offering
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