Autodesk is one of the world?s leading design software and digital content companies,
offering customers progressive business solutions through powerful technology
products and services. We help customers in the building, manufacturing, infrastructure
and digital media sectors increase the value of their digital design data and
improve efficiencies across their entire project lifecycle management processes.
We provide a broad range of integrated and interoperable design software, Internet
services, wireless development platforms and point-of-location applications that
empower millions of users. Our software products are sold in over 160 countries,
both directly to customers and through a network of resellers and distributors.
Our strategy is to deliver advanced solutions that address our customers? needs
to leverage the digital design data created with Autodesk design tools, so as
to improve their productivity throughout the creation, building, manufacture
and management of the customers? projects. To execute against this strategy,
we are focused on delivering strong products on a more frequent release cycle,
strengthening our desktop position, migrating our customers to more advanced
technologies, expanding in emerging geographies and capturing the lifecycle
management market opportunity.
We are organized into two reportable operating segments: the Design Solutions
Segment and the Discreet Segment.
The Design Solutions Segment derives revenues from the sale of design software
products and services for professionals and consumers who design, build, manage
and own building projects or manufactured goods and from the sale of mapping
and geographic information systems technology to public and private users. The
principal products sold by the Design Solutions Segment include AutoCAD and
AutoCAD LT products. In addition to software products, the Design Solutions
Segment offers a range of services including consulting, support and training.
The Design Solutions Segment consists of the following industry specific business
divisions: Manufacturing Solutions Division; Infrastructure Solutions Division;
Building Solutions Division; and Platform Technology Division and Other, which
includes revenue from Autodesk Collaboration Services and Autodesk Consulting.
Autodesk Consulting provides integrated consulting, training and support for
customers seeking maximum benefit and performance from our products.
The Discreet Segment develops, integrates, markets, sells and supports film
and television compositing systems, High Definition (HD) and Standard Definition
(SD) broadcast editorial and finishing systems, Digital Cinema production systems
for color grading and film finishing, and animation, visualization and streaming
media products. Revenues are derived from the sale of products to post production
facilities, film studios, broadcasters and creative professionals for a variety
of applications, including feature films, television programs, commercials,
music and corporate videos, interactive game production, design visualization,
Web design and interactive Web streaming.
In addition to the customers served by our operating segments, our Location
Services Division offers a technology platform designed to deliver location-based
applications to wired, mobile and wireless users. We market our product, LocationLogic,
to wireless carriers and network operators around the world.
We sell our products and services both through authorized distributors and
resellers and directly to customers, primarily large corporations. Our customer-related
operations are divided into three geographic regions, the Americas, Europe/Middle
East/Africa and Asia/Pacific, and are supported by global marketing and sales
organizations. These organizations develop and manage overall marketing and
sales programs and work closely with a network of domestic and foreign offices.
We also work directly with reseller and distributor sales organizations, computer
manufacturers, other software developers and peripheral manufacturers in cooperative
advertising, promotions and trade-show presentations. We employ mass-marketing
techniques such as web casts, seminars, telemarketing, direct mailings and advertising
in business and trade journals. We have a worldwide user group organization
dedicated to the exchange of information related to the use of our products.
COMPETITION
We compete with a variety of companies in different aspects of our business.
In our Design Solutions Segment, our primary global competitors include Dassault
Systems and its SolidWorks subsidiary, Parametric Technology Corporation, UGS
PLM Solutions, Bentley Systems and ESRI. In our Discreet Segment, our primary
competitors include Avid Technology, Alias Systems (a division of Silicon Graphics,
Inc.) and Apple Computer.