Autodesk to recruit more resellers as it offers margins of 15-25 percent

The news comes as the company prepares for its Worldwide Channel Summit, One Team Conference, in Las Vegas next month where it will announce a number of new products.

It also has an End User conference at the end of April in Sydney which showcases all Autodesk technology.

According to Hanspeter Eiselt, managing director, Autodesk Australia, it has two offices and an R&D Centre in Melbourne, one office in Sydney and is looking to open a branch in Auckland, New Zealand, later this year.

It currently has 100 resellers in Australia but is looking for more in the territories and wants to branch out into the Government and education sector.

The company recently appointed Express Data as a second distributor for its AutoCAD and other related products.

The products include AutoSketch, Showcase, AutoCAD Raster Design, Autodesk Cleaner and Autodesk Combustion. 

 "In the past, we have been seen as a niche software application provider but we have broadened our portfolio. Our acquisitions have created a portfolio that is very unique in this sector also our expansion into the gaming sector," he said.

"There are heaps of opportunities for channel partners and resellers to join up.

"We have become a lot more mainstream than we were in the past. Considering the channel margins we offer, we see ourselves as very complimentary.

"Channel partners can make 15-25 percent margin. It is a very attractive proposition. It requires a higher level of investment but considering the number of competitors they are dealing with it is not difficult to obtain," he added.

Eiselt said Autodesk has been growing in double digits in the last four to five years.

He said there are lots of opportunities for ISV and SI.

"The market of  IT infrastructure and security software has been saturated but when you look at our product portfolio and where it ranks, we have emerged as a significant player," he said.

"We are currently investing in our channel partner training. We plan to spend in excess of $4m APAC to ensure technical competence, training courses for sales managers, evening courses, training for new sales managers and Bootcamps for channel partners."