Over the past year, you may have heard of an Autodesk subscription service called the Premium plan. Here at CADD, it was one of our fastest-growing subscription services sold in 2021. Since the Premium plan is becoming such a popular product for our customers, Autodesk is constantly adding new features and functions to make it even more valuable. Although I consider myself an expert on the Premium plan and its features, I have also learned that, because its features are always evolving, it can be hard to keep up. If you feel that way, don't worry one bit--that is what I'm here for! I'm going to break down what the Premium plan is, and some of the most important things for you to know about it.
What features are included in the Premium plan?
Single Sign-On: Increase security and reduce user password fatigue with Single Sign-On. When users log in to their product, they are redirected to sign in via company network credentials to access products. Autodesk Single Sign-On is compatible with multiple IdPs, with extensive resource guides to configure, test, and enable it.Directory Sync: Create more efficient user management by connecting the organization’s active directory with Autodesk’s user management platform, to automate group and product assignments. Single Sign-On must be enabled prior to configuring directory sync.
Enhanced user reporting: Gain detailed insight into user's product usage. Admins get insights into reporting by user, as well as the standard reporting insights by product. This means admins can see each user's daily product usage, version usage, last access date, and overall inactive users.
Enhanced Autodesk support: All Premium plan admins have access to 24/7 Autodesk support, including the new option of “Request a Callback.” Users have access to 24/5 live chat, which is increased from standard 8/5 chat. This enhanced support is great for after-hours when CADD Care is closed and an immediate response is needed.
Centralized purchasing: Simplify purchasing for all international offices. With the Premium plan, contract managers can purchase for employees and contractors based globally in one central location.
Are there any changes to the Autodesk account with the Premium plan?
Along with the enhanced reporting, you will notice an additional admin role available under User Management. Below is a helpful chart to explain the three different admin roles, and their access within the Autodesk account. There can only be one Primary Admin, but you can add multiple Secondary Admins and SSO Admins to each team.
If you want certain admins to only have access to a group of users, you can set up different teams within the Autodesk account, and assign certain admins to each team. We have seen our customers with multiple locations or departments split out their users into teams so their respective leadership can help manage their licenses. To learn more about teams check out this article: Managing Multiple Departments with Teams
The Premium plan is available for customers with 50 or more seats
Currently, only customers with more than 50 seats are eligible for Premium. If you are interested in the Premium plan and have fewer than 50 seats, please contact your CADD sales rep to discuss options.What products are eligible for the Premium plan?
Premium is only available for named user licenses and does not include cloud products. You can find the list of eligible products for Premium at the bottom of this article: Products Eligible for Premium Plan.What happens if I purchase additional software seats mid-term?
Autodesk requires that a customer who purchases the Premium plan must purchase it for all seats listed under that contract manager and primary admin. If you purchase additional seats throughout your term, you do not need to add Premium seats to keep your 1-to-1 ratio until your True-Up event.So then, what is a True-Up event?
When a customer has added to their subscription count since buying the original Premium subscription, they will need to add Premium subscriptions to balance out the totals, or True-Up. This happens at Premium renewal date for annual subscriptions, and each year on the contract date for 3-year contracts. Seats that are added mid-term are still eligible for the Premium benefits prior to the true-up event, meaning any new seats will have the features of Single Sign-On, enhanced reporting, etc. Similarly, if a customer chooses to drop seats mid-term of the Premium subscription, they will reduce the number of Premium seats at renewal.How do I keep track if I need to True-Up?
Your CADD Microsystems sales rep will contact you 90 days prior to your True-Up event to let you know if you need additional Premium seats. They will be monitoring your account to ensure you have a clear picture of any additional seats needed to be compliant with the Premium plan’s 1-to-1 policy.What happens when my Premium plan starts?
All Premium plan customers at CADD are assigned a dedicated Customer Success Specialist who will walk you through a formal 90-day onboarding program. The goal of this onboarding is to help you start enjoying your Premium benefits and to see your return on your investment right away. You will learn how to enable Single Sign-On and Active Directory Group sync, review reporting insights from your users, identify common support cases from your company, and more. Premium customers are also given the option to have the CADD Customer Success team added securely as a Secondary Admin in your account to assist with any support case escalation and provide additional reporting insights.I have no doubt there will be more to come for the Premium plan in 2022, and I'll be here to keep you updated with any exciting news and insights.