Operational Intelligence Beyond BIM
As software needs change and new tools emerge, nettletontribe uses Bimbeats to understand how their tools are being used and act on what the data shows.
Saved annually by switching to Affinity.
Reduction in graphic design software spend.
Staff with access to graphic design tools.
Nettletontribe is an architecture and design firm with over 50 years of practice with 6 studios across Australia. Nettletontribe operate across student accommodation, education, and large-scale residential and commercial developments. With a team of 124 staff, the firm runs a significant digital toolset including Revit, Adobe Creative Cloud, Bluebeam, Microsoft 365, and a growing suite of AI tools.
Adobe Creative Cloud licensing had grown to cover most of the firm, though most staff were using a fraction of what they were licensed for. When the Digital Design group, led by Mitchell Axisa, needed to make the case for transitioning staff off Adobe Creative Cloud and onto Affinity, he didn't rely on gut feel or a manual audit. He used Bimbeats.
The result was an estimated AU$128,000 in annual licensing savings, a managed transition tracked and visualized in real time, and a fundamental shift in how nettletontribe thinks about operational intelligence.
The Challenge
Paying full price for partial use.
Adobe's per-seat pricing meant the firm was paying full price across the board. Some staff used Creative Cloud tools for only a few hours a week. Others, a few hours a month. There was a clear case for switching to Affinity, which offers comparable tools at a fraction of the cost.
The business question was straightforward: could Affinity serve as a viable, lower-cost alternative? And could the transition be managed without disruption?
The harder question was accountability. How do you know when a transition is complete? How do you identify who still needs to move across, and who has a legitimate reason to stay on Adobe?
Without data, those answers would have required surveys, self-reporting, and judgment calls. Mitchell needed to know exactly who was using Adobe, how much, and what for. He needed to know who had a legitimate reason to stay. And once the transition started, he needed to know when it was actually finished.
That's what Bimbeats gave him.
The Solution
One dashboard made the whole transition visible.
nettletontribe deployed Bimbeats in 2022, initially focused on Revit performance and BIM model health. When Active Window came online, Mitchell built a dedicated transition dashboard on top of it.
The dashboard tracked time spent in Adobe and Affinity applications, broken down by user, updated continuously. The entire transition became visible.
It showed who was still on Adobe, and gave Axisa a reason to check in with them directly. Not a broadcast email. A targeted conversation, grounded in actual usage data.
It made exceptions defensible. The marketing team had a legitimate reason to stay on Adobe. The data confirmed it.
It gave leadership a clear, ongoing view of progress. Updates were frequent early on, then moved to monthly, then quarterly as adoption stabilized. After 12 months, the data confirmed the transition was done.
AU$128,000 IN ANNUAL LICENSING SAVINGS
Resulting from transitioning from Adobe to Affinity
Bimbeats as business intelligence
One platform for every corner of the business.
The Adobe transition is one use case. nettletontribe now runs Bimbeats across the whole business.
AI tool adoption: Usage data across Copilot, ChatGPT, and the firm's custom-built AI tools revealed a clear gap between design teams. Targeted training sessions are being planned as a direct result.
Policy and compliance engagement: A dashboard tracks engagement with onboarding documents across the firm, helping leadership understand whether current formats are working and where to improve them for new staff.
Revit usage by seniority: Time-in-Revit data broken down by job title gives leadership a clear picture of where senior staff hours are going, and where adjustments to workflows, staffing, or training could free up that time.
"The name Bimbeats doesn't do the software justice anymore. It's not just about BIM. It encompasses the whole business. It's like Businessbeats."
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