AD Cloud: customers' choice

[Hirazi Blue]

Interesting little article on cadalyst.com, about Carl Bass' recent Q&A session at Autodesk University,
where he addressed the topic of Autodesk & the cloud:
Autodesk and the Cloud, Part 1: Customers 'Absolutely' Will Have a Choice

Hat-Tip to Stephen Blair

[iamVFX]

I told you!

[Bellsey]

you see, I've been saying that people shouldn't panic. But would you listen? lol

[Hirazi Blue]

Sorry, Bellsey, an article discussing the current views of Carl Bass on this
would seem to have a bit more clout(!) than your postings on the matter...

[Bellsey]

Well, I have only been quoting what Marc Petit has said as well. You see, people should listen to us more......well a little bit more maybe.

[Letterbox]

What are you two going on about, did you actually read the article?

Some quotes...

"Will Customers Have a Choice About Moving to the Cloud "Absolutely," said Bass "

"But is all software moving to the cloud? Yes, in fact, it is, according to Bass. "

"The question I didn't have a chance to ask Bass — the one begged by his concluding remarks — is exactly how long customers will have a choice. However, based on Bass's remarks and what we know about Autodesk strategy, I'm going to guess what he would have said: No one knows. "


Well done Carl, and I mean that, because in that article you clearly have what ever answer you're looking for, "YES", "NO", and "DONT KNOW", that should keep them happy for a while, and more importantly off your back.

[Hirazi Blue]

It's obviously all about how you read it (and I'm in a relatively optimistic mood today ;) ).
If you look at longer-term developments, it's still a bit vague (and "all views are subject to change", obviously), if you however look at relatively short-term developments, it would seem the desktop applications still have a (admittedly probably relatively short) future.

Moving down a level to Autodesk, I think we've demonstrated we're moving a lot of software to the cloud. I don't think that means everyone is moving to the cloud. … I think there are a lot of applications that will be done on the desktop; I think there's a lot of power and capacity there that will continue to be used.

(my highlight)

And the clarification by Clay Helm seems important too:

Clay Helm, public relations director, told Moreno, "… We've certainly been emphasizing the fact that the cloud is not an either/or [option] to the desktop. It's another choice and a way for us to reach our customers on lots of platforms." She went on to explain, "We absolutely intend to continue to support the desktop and no one should suggest otherwise. … If [an Autodesk representative] says 'moving to the cloud' in an interview, they don't mean 'moving away from the desktop.' They mean we're moving to the cloud in addition."

(my highlight)

And

"Absolutely," said Bass as he wrapped up the media Q&A, "… customers will absolutely have a choice."
He continued, "To the extent people find [the cloud] the most productive environment to be working in, they should absolutely use it. My suggestion to anyone would not even to move wholesale. Even if you love the vision of where we're going, what you should do is figure out which of the things that make the most sense and incorporate them one by one — even if you like it. If you hate it, you shouldn't do anything differently than what you're doing today."

(my highlight)

And it's most definitively a different tune than the one Carl Bass was singing in the past, when he claimed

I’d say two to three years from now, every one of our products will be used online.
The only way to use them will be online.

(Source & my highlight, again)

[Bellsey]

As I have said many time, people really do need to calm down. When Carl was first quoted about the cloud, people just immediately jumped to a conclusion, completely ignoring Marc's comments on the challenges of using cloud solution in the M&E space.

I think what Carl did is rationalise the whole cloud thing and simply explained the obvious (and often ignored), that cloud solutions will work better for some industries, customers and software, more than others. He's also acknowledged that customers won't move away from desktop solutions unless the cloud solutions offer compelling advantages and benefits.
Also, like me, Carl is bound the same corporate and business rules, so he's not going to reveal literally everything that Autodesk will be doing, until of course it's ready and appropriate to do so.

[Letterbox]

As I have said many time, people really do need to calm down.

Why do you keep saying that calm down, i'm not seeing anyone who not calm, are you not calm? is it calm?

as I said, and Mr Blue being in a happy mood, picks the answer he most prefers. And that's a good way to keeps customers (temp) happy... so you see everyone's... "keeping calm and carrying on."