RWE is one of Germany's largest energy companies and sees itself as a driver and pioneer of the green energy transition. Around 20,000 employees across nearly 30 countries are building a sustainable energy portfolio - focusing on offshore and onshore wind, solar power, and battery storage. For designing, constructing, and decommissioning energy facilities, RWE relies on Autodesk solutions like Inventor and Vault Professional.
The Starting Point: Complex License Structure Meets Fundamental Change
In early 2023, Autodesk eliminated its traditional “concurrent licensing“ model - where a fixed number of users could access software simultaneously. Instead, each license would need to be permanently assigned to a specific user. For RWE, which was managing 278 concurrent licenses at the time, the implication was clear: the company's entire licensing structure would have to be rebuilt roots and branch.
To navigate this transition successfully, Ralf Meinert, a freelance license manager at RWE, turned to long-standing software partner Cideon. The shared goal went beyond simply migrating to the new model - they wanted to establish a future-proof, centrally managed licensing strategy. Cideon was tasked with providing organizational, technical, and commercial consulting throughout the process. First, Cideon experts briefed the team on the new licensing model and alternatives, explored new possibilities together, and identified initial opportunities. As Cideon Account Manager Dennis Schulenberg explains: "Autodesk is constantly evolving, and it's our job as consultants to stay ahead of these changes and work with our customers to find the ideal solution."
A comprehensive inventory followed, conducted through a large-scale, company-wide survey to establish both the current state and actual needs across the organization. "We first had to find out who was actually using which Autodesk software - and whether they planned to continue," explains Ralf Meinert. What sounds organizationally straightforward proved complex: subsidiaries worldwide - from Germany to the Netherlands, France, the UK, and the USA - needed to be engaged and their requirements systematically captured. Compounding the challenge was a licensing structure that had evolved organically over time, with a range of different software products, contract terms, and pricing. This patchwork approach needed to go.
Systematic Transformation: Restructuring it and Making it More Flexible
Following this comprehensive assessment, the actual consolidation within RWE's Autodesk account was the next agenda item. Critical issues needed resolution, including international usage rights for licenses, data protection requirements, and certification standards. Single Sign-On (SSO) procedures were implemented, among other changes.
After multiple coordination rounds, the team found an efficient solution for the entire company, consolidating all global licenses across RWE subsidiaries into a single contract with unified terms. "The entire project team put in tremendous effort, and it paid off," says Stephan Hotzler, Head of Inside Sales at Cideon.
Read more about the project between RWE and Cideon in the reference report:
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