Ever try to figure out the cost of a given PDM system? How’d it go? Get everything you need? I’m guessing not. Here’s why.
What’s the first thing most people do before they make any kind of meaningful purchase? They search for it. They read reviews, they watch a few videos, maybe they hit the relevant forums. Once they’ve become more familiar with what’s out there and pared down their options, what’s the next thing they do? They search for the price.
After that? Your average consumer likely doesn’t think about total cost of ownership (TCO) for every single meaningful purchase. But if you’re evaluating PDM, you likely will think about TCO. Or at least we think you should.
Determining the Cost of PDM
You try finding a TCO image that isn't goofy. I'll wait.
Step 1: Search for PDM Pricing with Care
In a perfect world, a web search would turn up a handful of prices and you could move on with your life. Does that work for PDM? Let’s find out together.
I’m looking at roofing material. Off to a good start! How about we try something else?
That’s better. But I don’t see pricing info anywhere. What I do see is a bunch of forum posts and a couple of VARs. I believe this is what they call “foreshadowing.”
A couple of blogs, a lot of impressive-looking marketing collateral, a deck covering cPDM from 2009. There is a TechRepublic article that does offer up some pricing info. Alas, it’s from 2000.
PTC Windchill PDM Essentials price
Here, if you’ve somehow divined the name of the specific Windchill product you’re after, you’ll find the price. It’s on an industry blog and you’ll need to confirm with a reseller, but it’s better than nothing. Be sure to send that blogger a thank-you note.
Things are starting to look up! A price search will point you directly to the AutoDesk site. But, you’ll still need to speak to a reseller to get a quote.
GrabCAD Workbench Price
Now this is a surprise. Our site is the very first result. And the pricing info is right there, plain as day. That’s weird. It’s almost like I knew it would be. What a happy coincidence.
Step 2: Think About the Total Cost of Ownership of Traditional PDM
What else makes it hard to figure out the true cost of a PDM solution? We didn't have much luck finding the license cost for PDM via the web. But that's just the beginning. Even after you have the license costs there are a number of other costs you need to figure out, including:
- The costs associated with integration, migration, and training
- How about a service assessment – will you need to upgrade?
- Is the PDM system you’re looking at going to live on a server in your building/datacenter? Do you still have a server room? What's that cost?
- You’ve located/constructed a server room. Who’s going to look after the server? An additional FTE? An IT Manager who’s already got a full plate?
It’s these variables that make finding PDM TCO a bit of a challenge. Even if you’re ok with ballparking the license cost by cruising the forums, you’ll find the numbers vary wildly. Besides, would you rather go to your boss with ballpark figures or rough estimates? Better still, would you rather negotiate having prepared beforehand with hard or soft data?
Complex Systems Have Complex Prices
In the interest of fairness, it’s only right to point out that there are a lot of things in the world whose price can’t be found online. This is especially true for enterprise software that requires internal resources to administer and maintain it.
When there are a lot of variables, someone has to walk you through your implementation and tally the bill. When there are few variables, and no admin/maintenance costs, that’s not always the case. Sometimes you can just grab the licensing price from the web, have a short conversation, and move on with your life.
The Next Generation of PDM
More teams are using Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, and Social tools to speed up product development. Independent analyst firm, Consilia Vektor, explains how this changes Product Data Management (PDM) as you know it and how this can help your team work smarter.
