Engineering software licensing has changed – here is what comes next | Data-driven Engineering

In this podcast episode, we talk with Paul Empringham from Enable ITAM and Maurits Schmidt, Strategic Transformation Director at Cadmatic, about how engineering software licensing has shifted over the past decade and where it is heading. Paul brings an independent view from his work helping engineering companies optimize and rationalize their licenses across sectors. Maurits shares the thinking behind Cadmatic's new primary subscription licensing model, Cadmatic One License, and how it was designed to match the way engineering teams actually work. Key topics in this episode: The perpetual licensing era: concurrent pools, the two-thirds rule, and why niche modules were always a utilization problem. The subscription shift: from CapEx to OpEx, the rise of bundles and named users, and where the friction came from. Why consumption and credit-based token models did not fully solve the problem, and what a returnable token pool does differently. How the Cadmatic project lifecycle – with hull design, outfitting, and information management peaking at different phases – shaped the COL model. What a low-risk transition to Cadmatic One License looks like for existing customers, including hybrid options and maintenance license credits. Where licensing in industrial software is heading, and what customers on maintenance licenses should do first if they are curious about COL.