Engineering Application
& Third-Party Software Risk
Specialist SAM advisory for engineering and simulation software publishers – including CAD, plant design, process simulation, and document management tools – delivered through a quarterly governance cadence focused on compliance, audit readiness, and cost control.
Top 5
High-risk vendors per quarter
ELP
Defensible license positions
10
Priority vendors identified
High Risk
Audit likelihood: Autodesk, AVEVA, Siemens+
WHY ENGINEERING SOFTWARE REQUIRES SPECIALIST SAM
Engineering and simulation software publishers like Autodesk, Hexagon, AVEVA, AspenTech, Bentley, EPLAN, Trimble, and Siemens operate complex licensing models with significant audit enforcement programs. Their licensing approaches combine per-seat arrangements, named-user licenses, and network floating licenses, along with mandatory bundle requirements and shifts toward subscription models.
CAD software represents the highest per-seat licensing expense in most non-Microsoft software portfolios. The market is highly fragmented, with 171 products across 82 vendors in a typical engineering environment. Vendors conduct aggressive audit programs – organizations need specialized skills to properly reconcile licenses and usage.
171
Products in typical engineering estate
82
Vendors across a typical environment
High Cost
Per-seat cost – CAD leads non-Microsoft portfolios
Service Delivery Model
CADENCE
Quarterly engagements with defined deliverables and vendor rotation
VENDOR RISK PROFILING
Top 5 highest-risk engineering vendors per quarter
DELIVERABLES
ELPs, exception reports, rationalisation plans, inventory validation
INVENTORY ACCURACY
Endpoint/device inventory with AD/Azure AD reconciliation
REPORTING
Quarterly exception reports: EoL, EoS, ELP variances, savings realised
ENGAGEMENT MECHANISM
Remote analysis with validation and verification interviews per cycle
KEY RISK AREAS ASSESSED
AUDIT EXPOSURE
6 of 10 priority vendors rated High audit likelihood
Zero contract coverage: AnyDesk, Rockwell, Team center
1,322 commercial-use deployments without entitlement
Oracle Java Employee Metric instances requiring triage
AVEVA, Bentley, EPLAN, Siemens, SAP – active audit programmes
LIFECYCLE & HYGIENE
52 servers operating beyond end-of-support
612 desktop instances of end-of-life software
178 high-risk tool indicators (Tor, P2P, keygens)
SolidWorks 2018 and ANSYS18 discontinued versions
Discontinued Autodesk App Manager (212 installs)
FRAGMENTATION & COST
CAD: 4 vendors, 7 products – 2,292 installs
Simulation & CAE: 3 vendors, 6 products
673 non-incumbent installations across estate
PDF editors: Nitro, PDF-Xchange, Adobe overlap
9 software categories with multiple tools per category
Ready to understand your true licensing position?
Contact Blackhill to discuss a SAM engagement tailored to your organization.