Software as a Service (SaaS) is available in most businesses, from accounting to marketing to designing. While it ensures the user is getting software and system updates as they become available, there’s usually a subscription or fee that goes along with it.
And, if you cancel the subscription, you could be at risk of losing the work that you created with the software or program.
But BIM software company Vectorworks is changing all that. Its SaaS solution can help you avoid content catastrophes with a perpetual licensing system. Users can buy the current version of the software, Vectorworks 2019, to own and access as long as they wish.
BUILDINGS Podcast
AIA 2019: BIM Perpetual License—Your Projects Are Yours
Christoph Trappe speaks with industry expert Sarah Barrett from Vectorworks at the AIA Conference about their perpetual license that allows users to keep the software (and their projects) permanently. Listen now >>
What is Vectorworks 2019?
The software, aimed at designers and architects, allows users to go from concept to completion all in one software. One industry trend Sara Barrett, senior architect product specialist at Vectorworks, has noticed is that other BIM software runs on a subscription model where users have to pay every month to maintain it.
[Read also: Virtual and Augmented Reality for Construction]
“The problem with that is the drawings designers create from the software are essentially their legal documents,” Barrett notes. “But if you have a subscription and you don’t maintain it, you actually lose access to those documents.” According to Vectorworks, you lose the ability to make any modifications or create anything new. You can’t plot or publish drawings, and you’re essentially in a read-only view.
More Perks of Vectorworks
Beyond the no-subscription model, Vectorworks offers two additional options:
1. Maintenance program:
For a yearly fee, users can access the current version of the software while still maintaining the old version. If someone cancels, they can still keep the versions of the software for which they have paid.
2. License rental:
If a company needs more subscriptions for a short time, they can purchase licenses on a monthly basis. Barrett offered the example of a company taking on a big project and hiring extra people who needed licenses for a limited time.
Vectorworks offers various options with the end user in mind.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on our users,” Barrett notes. “We like to think our users are longtime fans. We want to make sure they stay that way.”
More AIA Conference coverage:
