Manufacturing and design software heavyweight PTC is signalling a big opportunity for the services channel with its continuing move to SaaS-based software.
Like most computer-aided design (CAD) platforms in the manufacturing industry, along with product lifecycle management (PLM) software and other related offerings, the solutions are still largely deployed on-premise.
But $2 billion-turnover PTC is moving towards 25% of its turnover being generated through the cloud with SaaS-based offerings, which spells a big opening for those MSPs and VARs already in or targeting the manufacturing software space.
IT Europa is this week attending PTC’s annual LiveWorx customer and partner conference in Boston, Massachusetts, where the firm has continued to roll out its “+” strategy, which sees its various products being made SaaS-based.
At a Q&A for media and analysts at the event, PTC CEO Jim Heppelmann was asked by IT Europa about the opportunities for the channel being created by the vendor’s cloud delivery strategy.
He said: “We certainly won’t be using less partners, we will need them to help with modified and integrated services at end customers’ sites - there will be new opportunities through the cloud.”
This week, it was the turn of PTC’s Creo CAD platform to be given the Creo+ moniker, signalling it was now available as a SaaS option. The company already sells the Windchill+ PLM solution.
Creo+ combines the proven functionality of Creo with new cloud-based tools to enhance design collaboration and simplify CAD administration. Building on the capabilities of model-based definition, simulation-driven design, and advanced manufacturing, Creo+ includes real-time design collaboration tools to enable multiple team members to review, explore, and edit product designs.
Creo+ also includes the PTC Control Center application, powered by the PTC Atlas SaaS platform, which enables simple deployment and management of software licenses for cloud-based tools.
“With Creo+, our customers will be enabled to design faster, easier, and more collaboratively than ever before,” said Brian Thompson, general manager of Creo at PTC. “We’ve combined the market-leading design capabilities of Creo with productivity benefits that can only be achieved through the power of the cloud.”
Creo+ users can collaborate on the same designs simultaneously with internal and external partners, which helps accelerate the development process and reduce redesign.
Creo+ is fully upwards compatible from on-premise versions of Creo, and is built on the same core technology, so no data translation is needed.
In addition to the release of Creo+, PTC announced the simultaneous release of Creo 10. With Creo 10, users can now design and simulate with composite materials for lighter products that maintain strength and durability.
Additionally, Creo 10 introduces thermal stress as well as non-linear materials and contact simulation, which “significantly broadens addressable simulation-driven design use cases”, the vendor said. Creo+ includes all the capabilities of Creo 10.
