In these challenging times when COVID-19 is imposing significant disruptions to day to day activities and affecting normal business flow of our much-valued users and employees, we at Bentley are mindfully committed to ensuring a smooth transition of work from the office to a remote location or home. Our innovative software and services are all geared for working from home or remote locations and do not impose the need to be in an office set-up.

For a general overview of how this works for Bentley products refer to

• https://www.bentley.com/en/covid-19 
• Working from Home with your Bentley Software (General FAQ)

We have assembled this document to help ensure a smooth transition of work from any location using OpenBridge Designer.

Machine Requirements

There are several options to work remotely. You may decide to install the software on your home computer which is our recommendation, or connect to a work machine virtually using Remote Desktop Connection or other virtualization software. OpenBridge Designer will work on most any machine running Windows, but we recommend Windows 10. For more please see the System Requirements from the Product Data Sheet for OpenBridge Designer.

Downloading Software

All Bentley software is downloaded from the Bentley Software Downloads pages: https://softwaredownloads.bentley.com/

General download and installation directions are available here.

• You need to be a CONNECTED user to download and use OpenBridge Designer.
• During of installation of products, the CONNECTION Client will also be installed.
  • The Bentley CONNECTION Client is the mechanism to sign-in and entitle all current Bentley applications.
  • Sign-in using your work email address. If your company has a federated sign-in with Bentley, then the password will be your company password, otherwise use your Bentley password.
  • The System Clock should be accurate. We recommend the "Set time automatically" option in the Windows Date & time settings.
• After initial connection, you can check out a license to work offline if necessary, see Reserving a License
• When starting any OpenBridge Designer the first time, be sure to select the right option. If you are not sure which license option to use, check with your local administrator first.  Here's a brief video on the Subscription Entitlement Service: https://www.bentley.com/en/subscription-services-portal/subscription-entitlement-service

Accessing Product Documentation

• Product Manuals are installed with your application, and accessible via Help menu inside the programs.
• Additional technotes, tips, and FAQs can be found in the Bentley Communities.

Additional Trainings and Videos

• Bentley OpenBridge on YouTube
• LEAP Application Trainings
• RM Bridge Training
• OpenBridge Modeler Training

Resolving licensing issues

• Activating a CONNECT Licensed Product 
• Subscription Entitlement Service
• Bentley User Registration
• Offline Usage
• How to ensure usage from only one user on a shared workstation
• How remote usage is recorded with Subscription Entitlement Service (SES)
• How to check out licenses from Entitlement Management (how to run offline)
• How to bulk checkout licenses from Entitlement Management (extended offline scenarios)

How to Get Help

• Service Request Manager for any technical question and support. Our technical experts are ready to help.
• Bentley Communities Wiki and Forum
• Entitlement Management
• User Management