What's in a Name?

On August 1, 2016, we entered a new Autodesk era, the era of “subscribers.” The words “subscribe” and “subscription” have been used with Autodesk products for a long time, so this new, formal name is causing a bit of confusion. 

I’ll try to clear things up.

In a nutshell, you are a subscriber with Autodesk if you:

1. Own an Autodesk product and have a current maintenance plan. You will want to be sure to keep your maintenance plan up-to-date; you will lose your subscriber status if your plan expires. 

2. Have a subscription contract (formerly called a “desktop subscription”) to an Autodesk product.

If you do not meet either of the above criteria, but own an Autodesk product, you are considered a legacy customer. As legacy customer you can continue to run your software as long as your computer and operating system support it, but you will not have access to upgrades or the latest software.

Why do you want to be a subscriber? Because you get all of these benefits:

• Instant access to the latest product releases and enhancements.
• Access to previous versions of the software.
• Ability to use your software on your home computer.
• Ability to use your software when traveling outside of your home country.
• Autodesk technical support.
• Easy-to-use administrative tools that allow you to simply and effectively manage software licenses, seats, and usage.
• Additional cloud and software services.

Still have questions? Feel free to contact me. I would be happy to talk with you about your status and your options.

Thank you for reading. For more information on the software solutions, training and consulting Ideate provides, please visit the Ideate Inc. website.

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John Souza

Director of Sales

John Souza started on the ground floor with Autodesk CAD, selling solutions since release 10. In the nearly 30 years since, he's worked to grow his expertise with each Autodesk solution, weaving a career around cutting-edge 3D design software sales.

He has proven success in building high-performing sales teams in the Civil Engineering and Government sectors, he's managed and led business development and sales teams for Autodesk and Advanced Solutions. Joining Ideate, Inc. in 2003, he was initially the Manufacturing Solutions Director then worked to expand reach within the AEC community as Director of Business Development. Today, as Sales Director, he leads a dedicated team working to connect architects and designers with best-fit design technology education and implementation solutions.

How Suite it Was

Autodesk recently announced it’s replacing the popular Design & Creation Suites with industry collections. So, why are they messing with a good thing?

The answer is easy: because they’re giving you something much better. They know you want to know soon as updates are available, understand what has changed, and have the option to incorporate changes at a time convenient to you. They also know you expect your mobile experience to be the same as your desktop experience and that you prefer to pay as you go. 

Industry collections give you all this and more.

Easily Select the Right Collection

You’ll see a big difference between Suites and collections as soon as you start exploring. You no longer need to evaluate a multitude of Suites and select a tier that best matches your needs. Now, simply select the collection for your industry: Architecture, Engineering & Construction Collection, Product Design Collection or the Media & Entertainment Collection.

Get More for Your Money

Industry collections, which are workflow focused instead of product focused, provide you with value that well exceeds the Premium Suites at a very competitive price. 

Industry collections offer:

• Access to a wide selection of the most essential Autodesk software for your industry in a single collection that will evolve and get better over time.
• Continuous access to the latest software releases and enhancements through the Autodesk desktop app.
• More cloud services, enabling you to access powerful, flexible tools whenever and wherever you need them.
• The flexibility to choose single-user or multi-user access.
• The ability to grant shared access to cloud (for those who subscribe to a collection with multi-user access).
• The option to choose a term that works best for you (monthly, quarterly, annual or multi-year).

Do you know what hasn't changed? All subscribers to Autodesk products will continue to receive previous version rights, global travel rights, technical support, and powerful administrative tools.

Gain a Competitive Advantage

I know change can be difficult, but this change is good. I recommend you embrace it: those who adopt collections will have access to more tools.

Contact me if you’d like to learn more about what industry collections can do for you. And keep an eye out for my next blog post with more on collections and licenses.

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John Souza

Director of Sales

John Souza started on the ground floor with Autodesk CAD, selling solutions since release 10. In the nearly 30 years since, he's worked to grow his expertise with each Autodesk solution, weaving a career around cutting-edge 3D design software sales.

He has proven success in building high-performing sales teams in the Civil Engineering and Government sectors, he's managed and led business development and sales teams for Autodesk and Advanced Solutions. Joining Ideate, Inc. in 2003, he was initially the Manufacturing Solutions Director then worked to expand reach within the AEC community as Director of Business Development. Today, as Sales Director, he leads a dedicated team working to connect architects and designers with best-fit design technology education and implementation solutions.

Am I in The Cloud or Not?

The better question is, “How much of what I do with my Autodesk solution is in the Cloud?”

Today everyone throws around the word “cloud” and assumes it always means the same thing. When it comes to your Autodesk solution, the answer is, “It depends on which license you have, which product you use, and the type of subscriber you are with Autodesk.” See my previous blog post, What’s up with Autodesk Licensing? for an explanation about the different licensing types.

Today there are three types of cloud functionality from Autodesk:

1. License Management - Autodesk Desktop products use a license manager in the Cloud.

2. Data Storage and Collaboration - Autodesk360 products offer cloud-based data storage and sharing. This enables designers, clients, engineers, architects, and contractors to review, share, and comment on 2D and 3D models, floor plan markups, and budget spreadsheets from their desktops and mobile devices. The viewer supports more than 50 2D and 3D design file formats, including those from Autodesk, Solidworks, CATIA, Pro-E, Rhino, and NX.

3. Cloud Services - By adding Autodesk Cloud Services to your subscription, you get virtually infinite computing power and, for select products and suites, exclusive access to cloud-based services, such as rendering, energy analysis, design optimization, and robust collaboration. By performing computer-intensive functions in the Cloud, you can explore and visualize more design options, streamline collaboration, and optimize your designs without investing in expensive hardware.

Contact me if you’d like to discuss the options and determine which is the most cost-effective for you. And keep an eye out for my next blog post, “How Suite It Was.”

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John Souza

Director of Sales

John Souza started on the ground floor with Autodesk CAD, selling solutions since release 10. In the nearly 30 years since, he's worked to grow his expertise with each Autodesk solution, weaving a career around cutting-edge 3D design software sales.

He has proven success in building high-performing sales teams in the Civil Engineering and Government sectors, he's managed and led business development and sales teams for Autodesk and Advanced Solutions. Joining Ideate, Inc. in 2003, he was initially the Manufacturing Solutions Director then worked to expand reach within the AEC community as Director of Business Development. Today, as Sales Director, he leads a dedicated team working to connect architects and designers with best-fit design technology education and implementation solutions.