What is a Term License?
Bentley has two flexible offerings to enable you to access the desktop software you need when you need it. Term Licenses offer the flexibility of a pay-as-you-use model, where your software needs grow and contract in line with current project needs. In this model you generally pay in arrears for what you use during a particular license term. That payment then authorizes you to continue to avail of the program for future terms.
The alternative for Bentley desktop software is to hold Perpetual Licenses. These may be preferred where you have consistent and predictable ongoing project needs and you need a set number of licenses available to your organization. You pay for Perpetual Licenses in advance and pay annual SELECT fees on them. Term Licenses may be used along with or independent of Perpetual Licenses.
In order to avail of either license type you must to have a current SELECT agreement in place. A SELECT subscription entitles subscribers to Pool Licenses. This means that you are able to use as many instances of the products on as many machines as you wish, within the same country. Where your usage during any counting interval exceeds the number of licenses held, you will be issued a Term License invoice.
(Note: In the past Term Licenses were referred to as QTLs (Quarterly Term Licenses). With recent enhancements to Bentley's offering it is now possible, as an alternative, to receive monthly Term Licenses if you are a Cloud Services Subscription holder.)
Term Licenses are equivalent to 16% of the MSRP of a perpetual license for the same product, with further discounts available for SELECT Open Access or Cloud Services Subscription holders.
How is usage calculated?
Usage is determined by counting the total number of unique machines that access an application during each 10-minute interval throughout the day. The highest number of machines accessing an application during any one 10-minute interval during the quarter is the Peak Usage.
When does product usage time get recorded?
Usage will be recorded from the time you open your software until you close your software. However, billable usage is slightly different. An hour is divided into six, 10-minute intervals starting with X:00 - X:09, X:10 - X:19, X:20 - X:29, etc. The very first interval in which usage occurs is not counted for billing purposes to avoid inflated usage if one user exits and another enters in the same interval. All subsequent intervals are counted for billing purposes, even the final, partially-filled interval.
What triggers usage?
Application installation alone does not trigger usage. Generally speaking, usage is only recorded when an application is opened. Usage is captured upon startup of a desktop application invoking the license client. The usage log is closed off upon completion and exiting out of that session.
Do I have to be using a CONNECT Edition version for usage to be calculated using the 10 minute intervals?
All invoices for all products will use the 10 minute interval counting and peak usage calculation rules.
Users using deployed SELECTserver will still be subject to these policies, however, may not gain the full advantage because the SELECTserver instance they are using will be unable to benefit from the changes. Therefore, it is recommended that all users migrate to Hosted SELECTserver to avail of these benefits or upgrade to versions using our Subscription Entitlement Service (SES) licensing system.
Users with versions of products released prior to August 2015 (or using versions of the License Management Tool prior to version 9.2.0.25) will still have their usage calculated using the 10 minute policies but in some instances may not get the full advantage of the peak application usage calculations.
What are the benefits to Term Licenses when combined with a SELECT Open Access Subscription?
For those users who choose to sign up for SELECT Open Access there are additional benefits to avail of:
There is usage showing from machine XYZ. I never use that machine. Where is the usage coming from?
If there is usage coming from a machine that is rarely, if ever being used, the cause may be a checked out license. A checked out license is a license that has been removed from the license pool. It will reflect usage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the duration of the checkout, even if the machine is turned off. We recommend ONLY using a checked-out license if the machine will be without network connection beyond 30 days (7 days for CONNECT Edition products). Please see this Support Solution for more details on checking licenses in/out.
Are there additional advantages to a Term License for organizations with a Cloud Services Subscription?
Yes. When you subscribe to a Cloud Services Subscription, you will benefit from monthly rather than quarterly term licenses, and you can qualify for additional discounts. Speak to your Bentley Account Manager for more information or to sign up today.
Where can I view my usage information?
The Product Usage Report, accessible from the Subscription Services Portal is a great place for you to view your peak usage for your entire organization. The portal displays usage data at an organizational level (by quarter/product) as well as a more detailed daily level (by day/hour/machine).
In addition to the ability to view your usage, the portal provides access to your Term Licensing Invoices, mid-quarter Statements, and a price book in order to be able to estimate costs associated with your Term Licenses.
Can I be notified of usage in excess of my License Pool before it happens?
By utilizing our CONNECT Edition applications, administrators can take advantage of the license notification alerts within the Subscription Entitlement Service. These notifications can let your users know when they are approaching a certain limit, customizable by the administrator.
How can I control (limit) my usage so I don’t exceed my License Pool?
Please see the following Support Solutions regarding license check-out and other strategies for managing your usage.