- Founded in 1982, Autodesk creates software products for a variety of global industries.
- Jeff Kinder has been with the company for five years.
- He encourages clients to have a "long-term vision" when it comes to revitalizing current tech stack.
Despite the company being around for decades, Jeff Kinder sees Autodesk as a disruptor. Since its founding in 1982, the software company has been known for developing products to fit a variety of global industries — from manufacturing, architecture, and engineering to media and education.
"We are the company that took the design of buildings from the drafting table to the computer," Kinder, Autodesk's executive vice president of design and manufacturing, told Insider. "We've always been really focused on democratizing access to software."
That ethos has not only powered Autodesk through turbulent times but has bolstered its commitment to its clientele, too.
Kinder has been working in the digital-transformation space for over two decades, and when fiscal headwinds approach, he encourages clients to have multiyear goals.
"Digital transformation takes a long time, and by the way, you're never done," he said. "Whenever you embark on such a journey, you need to have a long-term vision, but you have to break that down into smaller, executable steps and projects to deliver value along the way."
Kinder told Insider how he navigates economic uncertainty with technology to meet internal goals — while delivering efficiency for customers.
Understand your consumer's expectations for technology
Many of us have smartphones in our pockets, which means we all have access to user-friendly technology and self-service convenience whenever we want. This, Kinder said, is what gives enterprise customers expectations for how their businesses should operate.
"This forces us to make sure that we focus on ease of use, so we not only bring this heavy compute power, but we also think about how you make it easy to use," he said.
But using software to design a building is not as easy as writing in a Microsoft Word document, Kinder said. While enterprise software can be complex, making sure your product's user experience is in line with consumer expectations of technology can be a good first step in ensuring longevity of use.
"There are times when enterprise has led consumers, and there are times when consumers have led enterprise — it goes back and forth," Kinder said.
Implement 'flexible tech'
The pace of technology is increasing by the minute, and keeping up with it comes with costs. For companies watching their bottom lines, Kinder recommended investing in "flexible tech" — consolidating multiple, custom systems with integration, digitalization, and highly skilled talent.
Kinder said the manufacturing industry, which has embraced technology like robotics since the 1950s to handle tedious, and sometimes dangerous, tasks, is one example. But many manufacturing companies are just now reckoning with outdated workflows and less overhead available to switch up hardware right away.
"Once you implement a system, switching from one system to a new one, it actually incurs switching cost," Kinder said. "You have to build for flexibility. The pace of change also means businesses often need to bring in new skills and cross-pollinate those folks with new skills, with long-standing experts."
Kinder recommended that leaders try to strike "the right balance" between investing in research and development and revenue growth.
"We know that investing in software drives efficiency for our customers," he said. "It's cheaper to invest in software than it is to go build a new factory."
Understand demand fluctuates
As economic predictions began to sour earlier this year, many companies introduced cuts in their budgets in anticipation. As a SaaS company, Autodesk has been watching its customers' consumption habits for quite some time and adjusting its offerings to meet the market.
"Ultimately what guides us is, 'How do we help our customers align value with their usage?'" Kinder said. "Your customers are going to be happier if they feel like they're getting great value when they use the software."
According to Kinder, Autodesk was an early pioneer in offering its software to its global clientele on a subscription-and-usage basis. It was only a few years ago, he said, that enterprise companies sold their software via perpetual license.
"You would spend tens of thousands of dollars and then pay maintenance fees afterward," he said. For example, creatives who use Adobe Creative Cloud and its apps including Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator have the option to pay for the products via a perpetual license — guaranteeing them access to Adobe's suite of features for a specified timeframe.
But consumer behavior has since changed, so enterprise offerings need to reflect that, Kinder said.
At the same time, implementing digital transformation and moving to a state of "digital maturity" doesn't need to happen overnight for leaders to bring value to their customers. A gradual introduction process, coupled with a long-term vision, is enough to have a resounding impact — both internally and externally.
"There's a sense that you're going to need to go dark for a while and then deliver it," Kinder said. "It's much more about quick wins instead of a big bang."