What’s New in Productstream 2009

Included as part of Autodesk’s 2009 software release is Productstream 2009. In addition to all the improved capabilities included as part of Autodesk Vault 2009, Productstream offers additional enhancements to its previous features along with some brand new capabilities including:

An integration with Microsoft SharePoint so that customers can leverage Productstream as the source for all product information and share the digital knowledge with the extended enterprise via SharePoint technology.
Productstream’s engineering change order (ECO) process has been improved by reducing the number of steps necessary to generate an ECO and simplifying the creation of markups and comments
Reduced system administration via Microsoft Active Directory integration, simplified user and group management and Windows authentication
Additional security model improvements achieved via more flexible security options, folder permission propagation and expanded user roles
The ability to perform system backups while users are connected thus avoiding system downtime during backup and restore operations.

In addition, changes have been made to Productstream’s packaging and pricing options. Prior to the 2009 release, a number of different Productstream modules including Creator, Reviewer, Explorer and Replicator may have been required to fill customer requirements. With the 2009 release, this has been simplified so that “Productstream 2009” is the only item necessary. This module is priced similarly to the old Productstream Creator and essentially performs the functions of the Creator and Reviewer. Although more expensive than the old Productstream Reviewer, a new Productstream 2009 license does float for non-CAD users who previously needed to buy Reviewers on a one-to-one basis.

Also, the Productream Explorer licenses which provided Internet Explorer-based search-view-print functionality is now included for free along with the Productstream Replicator for multi-site file/data synchronization and replication.

Finally, Autodesk Gold Support which also includes telephone support directly from Autodesk is now the only subscription option available with Productstream. As a result of these changes, many existing Productstream customers may find that their subscription renewals now come in at a higher rate. Some or all of this additional cost may be eliminated since customers will no longer need to pay subscription for Explorer and Replicator and may also not need as many licenses now since the basic Productstream license floats.

Autodesk is also in the process of making changes so that Autodesk data management customers need to be in either a pure Autodesk Vault environment or a pure Autodesk Productstream environment. For sales of new copies of Productstream 2009, this requirement goes into effect immediately.

For existing customers who go to Productstream 2010 and Vault 2010 next year, it will no longer be possible to mix Productstream and Vault client types in the same installation environment. For example, the Vault Explorer client will only be able to access a Vault server and likewise, Productstream clients will only be able to access a Productstream server. Customers who currently have some users who use Productstream Creator, Reviewer or Explorer and others who use only the Vault add-in or Vault Explorer may need to purchase additional Productstream licenses or revert back to a Vault-only environment.

If you have questions or concerns about any of these changes, please feel free to contact us to arrange a one-on-one discussion of your situation.