The ways we design and build the world are changing rapidly, which is also changing the tools we use and the ways companies and individuals buy and access software.

Written by Fadi Matti on December 12, 2015. Posted in Autodesk, Knowledge Base, Tech Tips.

Autodesk is gradually transitioning new software purchases for our products to subscription options only. In the first phase of this transition, Autodesk will cease selling new perpetual licenses in Australia and New Zealand on June 7, 2015 for the following Autodesk AutoCAD LT family products: Autodesk® AutoCAD LT®, Autodesk® AutoCAD LT® for Mac®, Autodesk® Inventor LT™, Autodesk® Revit LT™, Autodesk® AutoCAD® Inventor LT™ Suite, Autodesk® Revit LT™ Suite.

In the second phase of this transition, new seats of individual desktop software products, excluding Design and Creation Suites, will generally be available only as a Desktop Subscription after January 31, 2016.

Desktop Subscription products provide a simplified product management and deployment experience, and make 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 as monthly, quarterly, or annual plans. Autodesk will introduce 2-year and 3-year multi-year Desktop Subscription plans in March 2015.

Throughout this transitional period, Autodesk and our Authorized Resellers will work with customers to make this transition as smooth as possible and will provide as much advance notice as possible so that customers can anticipate and plan for these changes. The following information has been prepared to address any questions, and we will continue to update this site as we progress throughout the transition.

Q1. What products are affected in Phase 1?
Effective on and from June 7, 2015, Autodesk will discontinue the sale in Australia and New Zealand of the following new perpetual licenses:

Autodesk® AutoCAD LT®
Autodesk® AutoCAD LT® for Mac®
Autodesk® Inventor LT™
Autodesk® Revit LT™
Autodesk® AutoCAD® Inventor LT™ Suite
Autodesk® Revit LT™ Suite

Q2. Does this affect existing software purchased under a perpetual license? No. If a customer already has a perpetual license or purchases a new perpetual license of the above products at any time up to and including June 6, 2015, that license doesn’t go away. Those customers still retain the perpetual license to that software and can continue to use it in accordance with the applicable license agreement. If the software product is covered by Maintenance Subscription, they will also continue to receive their Maintenance Subscription benefits.

Q3. How will this change impact Maintenance Subscription customers?  Customers with current Maintenance Subscription contracts on June 6, 2015, will retain the option to renew Maintenance Subscription for the affected products (and receive corresponding benefits). The elimination of perpetual licenses only impacts the ability to make new purchases of new perpetual licenses.
Current Maintenance Subscription customers who need additional licenses will have the option to purchase network licenses on subscription and share these licenses on a network server with previously purchased perpetual network licenses. This option gives customers the ability to continue to receive subscription benefits such as software updates and usage flexibility and share their existing perpetual licenses and subscription based licenses on a network server. See the longer FAQ available at the bottom of this page for more information about “network subscription.”

Q4. Why is Autodesk making this change?  Our customers have long asked for greater flexibility and more value from their software investments, and the shift to subscription allows Autodesk to deliver both, as well as an improved user experience and access to a broader portfolio of technology. Autodesk plans to continually innovate and improve Desktop Subscription products to more tightly integrate them with Autodesk cloud services, and reduce file compatibility issues.

Q5. 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 included Autodesk cloud services is optional.

Q6. How will Autodesk ease this transition for customers?
Autodesk is doing several things to make the transition to Desktop Subscription as smooth as possible for customers:

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
Continuing to offer Autodesk Design and Creation Suites as a perpetual license

As your preferred Autodesk Platinum Partner and valued customer, please do not hesitate contacting us with any enquiries at 02 9552 3466 or CadgroupNews@cadgroup.com.au

Source: http://www.autodesk.com.au/products/perpetuallicenses