Autodesk switches to Rental model: doesn't ditch conventional licenses

Autodesk for Rent

Autodesk switches to Rental model - but doesn't ditch conventional licenses

The move to software rental is gathering pace as, today, Autodesk announces that customers will be able to pay-as-they-go for all the company's products, including Maya.

Users can choose rental plans that renew quarterly, monthly or yearly. For absolute flexibility, plans can be started and stopped so that a product that requires specific software can be covered. If subscriptions stop for a period, they can be resumed without penalty.

Probably a good thing

We see this type of on-demand availability as being a good thing, and the way that Autodesk has approached this means that, in our view, the customer can only gain, because the original, traditional, licenses are still available.

And even if they weren't, we can still see the sense in subscription models, which are more closely aligned to modern software usage and distribution methods.  Small facilities will be especially pleased to see the new licensing model as it is able to ebb and flow with new projects, and will allow them to avoid the sometimes crippling initial cost of equipping themselves with essential software packages.

See Autodesk's announcement in full after the break

Autodesk Delivers More Flexible, Pay as You Go Access to Design, Engineering and Entertainment Creation Tools
Customers Now Can Choose Monthly, Quarterly, Annual Plans

SAN FRANCISCO, Under embargo until 2pm GMT, September 9, 2013 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) customers will now be able to pay as they go for all of the company’s latest Design and Creation Suites, Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and the new Autodesk Maya LT.

For the first time, customers can purchase access to a range of Autodesk desktop software on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis, in addition to traditional licenses, broadly expanding choices in how to access and pay for Autodesk software. It’s never been more cost effective for designers, engineers and visual effects artists to get started with Autodesk software with virtually no up-front capital costs, and to quickly ramp up projects using industry-leading Autodesk software.

Customers who choose to purchase monthly, quarterly or annual rental plans will receive similar benefits to Autodesk Subscription customers including staying current with the latest product updates, access to select Autodesk 360 cloud services and basic support.

“Our customers wanted more choices and flexibility in how they access our portfolio of design, engineering and entertainment creation tools. We expect rental plans to be attractive across all the industries we serve, especially for freelancers, startups or businesses that are project-based in nature,” said Andrew Anagnost, senior vice president of Industry Strategy and Marketing at Autodesk. “This model allows customers to compete with the highest quality, industry leading software, while using only what they need when they need it.”

Evolving Customer Choices in the Subscription Economy

People are increasingly seeking out experiences with less financial or time investment, and consuming products and services through renting, sharing and purchasing subscriptions. Lisa Gansky, author of The Mesh: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing wrote, “We’re in a moment in which access to goods, services, and talent is going to triumph over the ownership of them.”

“It's no secret; it has been a challenging time to be in the visual effects business,” said CEO and executive producer Will Cohen from UK-based VFX start-up Milk. “Everyone needs to rethink the business model, and Autodesk launching rental plans will really help change the industry. Having scalability -- the flexibility to easily ramp up or back depending on the project -- means we can better compete in the modern visual effects industry.”

Availability

The option to purchase a monthly, quarterly or annual rental plan will be available starting September 16, 2013. New rental plans apply to products including Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite, Autodesk AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite, Autodesk AutoCAD Revit LT Suite, Autodesk Building Design Suite, Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite, Autodesk Factory Design Suite, Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite, Autodesk Plant Design Suite, Autodesk Product Design Suite, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max, and Autodesk Maya LT. Availability varies by country. For more information, visit http://www.autodesk.com/pay-as-you-go.

About Autodesk

Autodesk helps people imagine, design and create a better world. Everyone—from design professionals, engineers and architects to digital artists, students and hobbyists—uses Autodesk software to unlock their creativity and solve important challenges. For more information visit autodesk.com or follow @autodesk.

Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, 3ds Max, AutoCAD, Inventor, Maya and Revit are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

© 2013 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.