Autodesk Inc.

09/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/15/2026 10:03

Autodesk launches Support for Small Business and expands tools to help small teams save time, manage costs, strengthen security, and sell what they make

Key takeaways

01

Autodesk is launching Support for Small Business, giving small teams a direct path to live help. It joins new security offerings-including passkey sign-in, latest-version installs, and a CrowdStrike partnership-and commerce integrations that bring tool purchasing into Fusion.

02

Autodesk is extending its 33-token, $99 Flex offering for occasional users and will introduce workflow-sized Flex packages, making it easier to understand how many tokens a specific, named workflow requires.

03

The updates arrive at a moment of real pressure for small businesses: 41% of surveyed small businesses cite cost control as their top challenge, and 80% said they struggle to balance running the business with doing the actual work.

Today, Autodesk is increasing its focus on Support for Small Business as part of its Autodesk for Small Business initiative. The dedicated support experience gives small teams a clear path to create a case and connect with an Autodesk specialist. With Support for Small Business, customers can resolve issues faster without having to leave the Account Admin Center. The launch is part of a broader set of updates across support, flexibility, security, and commerce-four areas where small businesses are often asked to do more with less. The pressure is clear in Autodesk's 2027 State of Design & Make Small Business Breakout report: 41% of surveyed small businesses cite cost control as their top challenge, compared with 30% of enterprises. While Autodesk's State of Small Business report found that 80% of small business owners within Design and Make say they struggle to balance running the business with doing the actual work-11 points higher than small businesses overall. "Small business owners wear many hats. They're entrepreneurs, problem-solvers, and creators-often all in the same hour. We designed these updates around that reality: less time navigating software, support, and security, and more time doing what they do best-creating, serving customers, and growing their businesses. When small businesses thrive, they create opportunity, strengthen communities, and power our economy." - Dara Treseder, Chief Marketing Officer, Autodesk.

  • Support: Support for Small Business brings self-service resources and live help together in the Account Admin Center. Now within their account, eligible customers have a clearer support path, helping small teams spend less time tracking down answers or repeating their issue, and more time honing their craft and running their business. Support for Small Business is available now to Autodesk customers in North America. Over the coming months, Autodesk will continue expanding the ways small businesses can connect to support, including increasing availability of options such as live chat, scheduled call backs, and agent support within Autodesk forums
  • Flexibility: Project-based work is rarely predictable, and software needs for small businesses can change from one month to the next. Earlier this year, Autodesk lowered the minimum Flex purchase requirement from 100 tokens for $300 to 33 tokens for $99, giving small teams a smaller upfront commitment and more flexibility as project demand changes. Today, Autodesk is committing to extending that work through at least the end of the year. Autodesk is also introducing Flex token packages sized for common workflows. This option removes the guesswork from token estimation, making it easier for customers to determine how many tokens they may need for a specific workflow - without the need for an Autodesk subscription. Workflow-sized Flex packages are now available in the United States and United Kingdom and will expand to more markets in the coming months.
  • Security: Security can be especially challenging for small businesses without dedicated IT staff or large budgets. We're launching a new partnership with CrowdStrike which gives U.S. Autodesk small business customers 50% off select CrowdStrike products, helping make endpoint protection more accessible to small teams. The offer is now available in the U.S. and may expand internationally in 2027. Autodesk is also introducing passkeys for account sign-in - letting customers use Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello, or a device PIN instead of a password. Passkeys make sign-in faster and are resistant to phishing. Rollout begins in Oceania, with global expansion planned through early 2027. Password sign-in remains available. Latest-version installs will also make it easier for teams to keep Autodesk software current and plan updates around their work.
  • Commerce: Fusion customers can now bring live tooling and workholding data from partners into the CAM workspace. Customers can now access tools from Haas Tooling and 5th Axis, with MSC coming later this year. Manufacturers can access approved tools from partners directly in the Fusion tool library, helping small teams compare, select, and buy tools within their Fusion workflow.

Frequently Asked Questions

What changes for a small business that needs help with its Autodesk software today?

The path to a person gets shorter within the Account Admin Center. Existing chat and search remain available for quick answers. When an issue needs a human with context, a customer can connect with the touch of a button to create a case and talk to an Autodesk specialist directly. North America is first, with other regions following in the coming months. As we enhance this experience, the context will move with the issue, so customers do not have to start over or explain the problem again to someone new.

How do the $99 Flex option and workflow-sized packs change how small businesses plan and pay for software?

Small-business work is cyclical. A team's software needs can shift significantly from month to month, and a flat, up-front license does not always fit that reality. In June, Autodesk lowered the minimum Flex purchase from 100 tokens for $300 to 33 tokens for $99, giving occasional users a smaller entry point and room to scale when a project demands it. That option remains in place through the end of the year.

Next are workflow-sized Flex packs, pre-sized to named workflows, so a small business can see whether a pack covers the job without first having to work out the token math.

Why is a design software company partnering with CrowdStrike, and what do passkeys and latest version installs fix?

Many small businesses operate without dedicated IT or security teams, yet face many of the same threats as large enterprises without the same defenses or budgets. CrowdStrike's 2025 State of SMB Cybersecurity survey found that, among businesses with fewer than 50 employees, just 47% have a security plan in place.

Through the new partnership, U.S. Autodesk small business customers receive 50% off select CrowdStrike products, putting endpoint protection typically priced for larger IT budgets within reach of a small team. The limited-time promotion is available in the United States, with potential international expansion next year. Details are available at https://go.crowdstrike.com/autodesk.html

Passkeys address a different everyday problem: signing into your Autodesk account. Instead of remembering and typing a password, customers can use the same unlock method they already use on their phone or computer. Because a passkey only works with the site where it was created, it cannot be reused on a fraudulent sign-in page - reducing account takeover risk from phishing. Password sign-in remains available when needed.

Latest version installs address a more practical problem: updates that get deferred until a file will not open or a collaborator flags a compatibility issue. They make updates easier to fit into downtime, before they become urgent.

For a small firm subcontracting to larger companies that run current software, staying up to date also reduces the risk that a compatibility problem-or an outdated file-gives a client reason to hesitate on the next project.

What do the Fusion commerce integrations mean for a shop that designs and sells its own products?

Fusion in Commerce brings live tooling and workholding data from Haas Tooling and 5th Axis directly into the CAM workspace, with MSC coming later this year. A shop can compare, select, and buy what it needs without leaving the design file it is already working in. That gives a small job shop more of the sourcing speed a larger manufacturer gets from a dedicated procurement team.

How does this fit Autodesk for Small Business, and what comes next?

Autodesk launched Autodesk for Small Business in May as a global initiative to better serve small businesses across the Design and Make industries. Since then, Autodesk has added a new capability or offer every few weeks.

This latest set-Support for Small Business, the Flex extension, the CrowdStrike partnership, passkeys, latest-version installs, and the Fusion commerce integrations-continues that work. The through line is simple: help small teams spend less time managing the business around the work and more time doing the work itself. It also sets the direction for what's still to come: practical changes that give small businesses time back, increase the value they receive, and make Autodesk easier to use as their needs evolve.

Autodesk Inc. published this content on September 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 15, 2026 at 16:04 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]