OpenLM for Autodesk: Eliminate subscription waste
OpenLM for Autodesk | Solution overview
OpenLM provides the governance layer for Autodesk environments, bridging the gap between seat assignments and actual workstation activity.
Organizations use the OpenLM Platform to:
- Optimize token burn: Gain per-minute visibility into Autodesk Flex consumption to identify and eliminate “token leakage” from idle applications.
- Identify “Zombie” subscriptions: Detect inactive Named User accounts to reallocate licenses dynamically and reduce annual renewal overhead.
- Reclaim idle capacity: Automatically identify applications left open without activity, ensuring seats are available during peak demand periods.
- Verify feature-level usage: Track specific Autodesk Feature Codes to determine if users require full AEC Collections or single-product subscriptions.
- Automate compliance governance: Maintain an independent, audit-ready “Source of Truth” to eliminate unexpected true-up costs and simplify license renewals.
The Autodesk licensing landscape
Autodesk has shifted from “Software Ownership” to “Identity-Based Consumption.” This transition maximizes access but introduces significant financial “blind spots.”
The modern Autodesk licensing framework
Named user subscriptions
Autodesk flex (Consumption-based)
Industry collections
The visibility challenge
OpenLM bridges this gap, providing the workstation-level heartbeat required to ensure your Autodesk spend matches actual project activity.
Summary table: Which one do you need?
Usage frequency | Best license type | Key benefit |
Daily / Frequent | Single-user Subscription | Predictable annual cost; unlimited use. |
Occasional (less than 7 days/mo) | Autodesk Flex | Pay only for the days you actually work. |
Large Teams (10+ users) | Subscription + Premium | Security (SSO) and better usage data. |
Students / Teachers | Education Plan | Free access for learning purposes. |
Common Autodesk management challenges and solutions
The “Zombie” seat | Flex token leakage |
Problem: Named-user seats remain assigned to inactive or departed employees. | Problem: High-value apps consume daily tokens when left idle or launched by mistake. |
Impact: 15-25% of annual subscription spend is wasted on zero-value accounts. | Impact: Rapid budget depletion on non-productive background activity. |
OpenLM solution: Automated inactivity detection | OpenLM solution: Real-time Idle Heartbeats |
The collection “Over-buy” | Visibility blindness |
Problem: Provisioning full AEC Collections for users who only need a single tool (e.g., AutoCAD). | Problem: Relying on vendor portals that show assignments but not actual work. |
Impact: Excess cost of $1,000+ per user, per year, on unused specialized software. | Impact: Strategic decisions based on “presence” rather than “productivity.” |
OpenLM solution: Feature-level usage tracking | OpenLM solution: Independent audit logs |
Is your Autodesk spend matching your activity?
The three pillars of Autodesk optimization with OpenLM
OpenLM doesn't just count what you bought; it measures how your engineers work.
1
The visibility layer (Global monitoring)
Gain total transparency across Cloud, On-premise, and Hybrid environments. OpenLM monitors workstation processes—not just login status. This allows you to distinguish between an application running in the background and active drafting work in specialized tools like AutoCAD Map 3D, Civil 3D, and Revit.
2
The automation layer (Active management)
Move beyond passive tracking with the ML-driven Subscription Optimizer. Automatically identify “zombie” seats and reallocate them to active users. By validating actual workstation activity, you can safely downgrade users with high assignment rates but low productivity, ensuring your Autodesk Flex tokens are never wasted on idle sessions.
3
The intelligence layer (Strategic foresight)
Negotiate your next EBA or renewal with high-fidelity analytics.
- Peak Usage Analysis: Identify your “high-water mark” to determine the actual number of licenses required.
- Denial Tracking: Measure the cost of scarcity by logging every time a user is denied access, providing the hard data needed to right-size your inventory.Â
Capability matrix: Autodesk optimization coverage
Unified governance across the entire Autodesk portfolio, from legacy network seats to modern Cloud-Flex consumption.
Autodesk model | Visibility and monitoring | Optimization and control |
Named user (Standard/Premium) | Track workstation-level “heartbeat” to identify active vs. idle users. | Zombie seat reclaim Identify inactive users for subscription reallocation. |
Autodesk flex (Tokens) | Per-minute consumption tracking across all Flex-enabled products. | Token leakage prevention Alert or harvest idle sessions before they burn daily tokens. |
Industry collections (AEC/PDM) | Feature-level tracking to see which specific apps (Revit, Civil 3D, etc.) are used. | Right-sizing Downgrade “Collection” users to single products based on actual tool usage. |
Cloud services (InfraWorks/BIM 360) | Monitor login and session duration for specialized cloud-connected tools. | Scarcity analysis Track denials to determine if more seats are required for peak demand. |
Autodesk investment governance—ROI beyond the subscription
Transition from reactive annual renewals to a proactive, data-driven procurement strategy.
- Establish a high-fidelity audit trail Eliminate reliance on vendor-provided summaries. Access a 100% independent record of workstation-level activity to challenge “true-up” discrepancies and ensure 100% compliance without over-purchasing.
- Drive strategic renewal negotiations
Enter your next Autodesk renewal or EBA with absolute certainty. Use high-resolution usage data to identify the 15–25% of seats that can be retired or downgraded, significantly reducing your annual fixed costs.
- Maximize token economy
Stop the “burn” of Flex tokens on background processes. By identifying and curbing idle usage, organizations can extend their token pools by months, preventing unbudgeted mid-year credit purchases.
- Automate cost-center attribution
Eliminate the complexity of internal “Project-Based” billing. Automatically map Autodesk consumption—whether Flex or Named User—directly to project codes for effortless and accurate financial chargebacks.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes. OpenLM provides full support for the Autodesk Network License Manager (FlexLM), giving you real-time visibility and advanced reporting that goes beyond native tools.
It uses a server-based utility to manage a pool of licenses. When you start an Autodesk product, it requests a license from the server via the network; when the product is closed, the license returns to the pool for another user.
You can manage Autodesk license assignments through the Autodesk Account portal for named users. OpenLM unifies them into a single dashboard for easier oversight.
Subscriptions are managed via the Autodesk Account portal, where admins assign software to specific users. OpenLM enhances this by showing you which of those assigned subscriptions are actually being used and automating smart reallocation of licenses with its Subscription Optimizer functionality.
LMTOOLS is a graphical user interface used to manage the FlexLM license server engine. OpenLM provides Autodesk LMTOOLS configuration help by monitoring the service status and license output automatically.
This error typically relates to a connection issue with the license server. OpenLM helps diagnose this by showing real-time server status and whether the license pool is exhausted or the server is unreachable.
Error 96 indicates the service is not running or the workstation cannot reach the server. OpenLM alerts you immediately if an Autodesk network license service goes down, allowing for faster resolution.
Yes, you can host the license manager on cloud-based virtual machines (like Azure or AWS). OpenLM monitors these hybrid setups seamlessly, ensuring you have a unified view of all license pools.
Absolutely. By identifying “zombie” licenses and optimizing Autodesk flex tokens consumption, most organizations see a significant reduction in renewal costs and unnecessary “true-up” fees.
Yes. You can generate granular reports on Autodesk feature codes, peak usage, user activity, and denial rates, all of which are essential for Autodesk license compliance and budgeting.
It is a common question for those moving to consumption-based models. They are a “pay-as-you-go” currency used to access Autodesk software for 24-hour increments, ideal for occasional users.