Autodesk Perpetual Network Licensing

August 27, 2015 Unknown 0 Comments



Most of our clients’ questions about Autodesk software are around licensing. Should they have standalone or would they be better off to purchase a network license?  As an Autodesk reseller for over 20 years, Repro Products has guided many companies through the changes and growth of Autodesk licensing.  Recently the alternatives for acquiring Autodesk software have increased.  Clients now have options of not only Stand-alone or Network but Perpetual and Usage/Time models as well.

One of the first questions we get from a client is how do I know if Network licensing is right for our business?
  • Do you have 5 or more licenses? If yes, you should use Network Licenses.
  • Do you have less than 5 people needing to use the software but they are partial time users? If yes, you should use Network Licenses.
  • Do you have a one person design team but need to access it at the office or in the field or from home? No, a Stand-alone License with subscription covers that need.
Is Network Licensing Cheaper than Stand Alone? No and Yes
  • At the time of software purchase, Network Licenses are an additional cost. Examples of real cost savings are below:
o   Most clients who use design software rarely have all their software users using it 8 hours a day.  The majority of company’s design teams have project meetings, client meetings and field work, in addition to design/modeling time.  Since network licenses are based on a concurrent pool of licenses, typically a license per every user is not required. So money can be saved by not having to purchase a separate, individual license for every user.
o   A tremendous amount of time is saved managing the licenses.  With a network license, you can set up as many workstations as you need or want.  Hardware replacement is a constant part of today’s new office lifestyle and keeping track of all the serial numbers, past serial numbers and versions can quickly become a large time-consuming process.

Do you have to be connected to the server to access a network license?
  •   No, a user can check out/check in (borrow) a license

Are there different ways to set up a license server?
  • Yes, you can choose a single license server model or a distributed server model
    Can network licensing help me gain more control?
  • Yes, it can help you control license access several ways, including who and by what time.  You can create a report log, regulate how long a license can be used, reserve licenses for specific users or systems and control license recovery for idle products.

0 comments :

In-Plant and Commercial Printers’ Strategic Initiatives Over the Next Five Years

August 26, 2015 Unknown 0 Comments



Info Trends recently produced a study entitled U.S. Production Software Investment Survey 2015.  In this study, commercial print service providers and corporate in-plants were surveyed about their strategic business direction. The 120 respondents revealed both similarities and differences worth noting.  The survey, which also included questions about software usage and purchase intentions, as well as services offered, included a key question:  “Which initiatives best describe your strategic business direction in the next five years?”

Both the in-plant providers and commercial printers selected the following as top initiatives:
  • Reducing production cost and improving efficiency
  • Expanding to new print applications or services
  • Focusing on growing existing core offerings

It is not surprising that both in-plant and commercial printers see reducing manufacturing costs as a top priority.  This strategy was selected by 81.4% of corporate in-plant printers as a key initiative of their business strategy and it was the second most selected initiative by the commercial printers at 57.1%.  It is also clearly imperative that both groups must expand their offerings to new applications and services in order to grow over the next five years as print volumes decline.  
 
Commercial printers also recognize the need to focus on specific vertical markets and industries.  In fact, this initiative was chosen by the highest percentage of commercial printer survey respondents with 67.5% choosing this strategy as one of their top three strategies over the 5-year period.  This movement is in line with the recommendation Barb Pellow, Group Director at Info Trends, has made in her presentations over the years.  Similarly, in the book, “The Winning Performance: How America’s high-growth Midsize companies succeed” authors D.K. Clifford Jr. and R.E. Cavanaugh say, “Midsize high-growth companies succeed by identifying and meeting the needs of certain kinds of customers – not all customers – for specific kinds of products and services. Business academics call this market segmentation, entrepreneurs call it common sense.”

For more information on how to achieve the top ranking initiatives of in-plant and commercial printers as noted in the Info Trends study, contact Repro Products.  One of our staff business consultants will perform a business analysis and assist you in creating a plan to work more efficiently, expand your offerings and market your services more effectively.

0 comments :

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )