Tableau Software Inc. is catching up with the times, rolling out subscription pricing for its entire suite of business intelligence products as it prepares to ditch its old software license business model.

The company said subscription pricing will significantly reduce the startup expense for deploying its products, which include Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server and Tableau Online. It reckons customers will appreciate the move, as subscription prices mean they’re better able to budget and plan their deployments. In addition, the subscription model means companies can scale more easily as their requirements grow.

“Many customers have told us they prefer to purchase software through a subscription model to more easily access the products they want, reduce upfront expenses and increase flexibility,” said Tableau Chief Executive Adam Selipsky.

Tableau offered the following prices for its four major products:

• Tableau Desktop Personal – $35 per month
• Tableau Desktop Professional – $70 per month
• Tableau Server – $35 per month
• Tableau Online – $42 per month

Tableau figures that many of its customers have already shifted to a subscription model, pointing to more than 5,700 customer accounts subscribed to its Tableau Online software-as-a-service product that runs in the cloud. Clearly, the company hopes that the reduced deployment costs will encourage more enterprises to try out its software.

Brown-Forman Corp., a spirits and wine company that distributes brands including Jack Daniels to more than 160 countries, is one such company that couldn’t resist the temptation. “The subscription pricing model was a major factor in our decision to deploy Tableau as our enterprise-wide visual analytics platform,” said Tim Nall, chief information officer at Brown-Forman.

Tableau said the new subscription pricing was part of a “continuing shift” towards a full subscription business model, which suggests that future versions of the company’s software may not be available under the old licensing model.

Photo: Tableau