1.

Introduction
There is little doubt that the design of every infrastructure project today involves the collaboration of many
individuals and organizations across multiple disciplines. It is with this context that we have developed Bentley
CONNECT to facilitate successful project outcomes for you and your organizations. Bentley CONNECT helps you
produce better designs by facilitating collaboration, interoperability, standardization and skills development. For
an organization and enterprise, CONNECT provides greater insight and control over project design, deliverables
and the people working on them. In the sections that follow we look at some of the capabilities and services that
are delivered today, with more being added every week, with Bentley CONNECT to help you achieve even
greater project and personal success. Please visit www.bentley.com/connect to keep up to date on the latest
capabilities.

2. The Basics
The core premise of CONNECT is to facilitate successful project outcomes through common capabilities and
shared services across desktop, mobile, server and cloud. To enable this, Bentley has utilized Microsoft’s Azure
cloud-service to connect uniformly and consistently with and across users, projects, and enterprises. To enable
the value and your success on CONNECT, it is imperative that users register for a free CONNECT account, sign in
when using your CONNECT Edition products and associate your design models with a CONNECTED Project:

2.1 The User Advantage

Today the CONNECT Edition Product user gains four FREE major advantages by signing up and in, namely:
Access to personal LEARN material, paths and history.
Space on the cloud to share files from desktop to mobile and other users.
Accurate tracking of time spent against products and projects.
Timely product related news, automatic product updates and notifications.

The CONNECTED User Advantage

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Each CONNECTED user is provisioned with a Personal Portal on the Bentley CONNECT site. This portal provides
you access to each of these services and more. See the section on CONNECTION client Sign In for more details
on how to access this and other CONNECT services.

Personal Portal Page on CONNECT Website

2.1.1 Automatic Updates

One of the key capabilities of CONNECT Edition products is the ability to receive update notifications and initiate
updates directly from your desktop for all versions within the same generation of the product line. Users no
longer need to sign into SELECT Downloads to look for updates of their product but will now be able to check for
updates and receive notification of updates from within their products.

2.1.2 Future
And this is just the start…automated checks of performance measures, personal service ticket status, space for
sharing model files and shared product settings on a project are a few of the upcoming enhancements. Keep
your eyes on the Bentley website for new services delivered with Bentley CONNECT.

2.2 The Organization Advantage

The value of CONNECT just starts with the CONNECTED User advantage. Of course users and organizations work
together on projects. If an Organization choses to register their projects with Bentley, those projects now
become CONNECTED Projects. With CONNECTED users and CONNECTED projects, the ability for project centric
analysis, dashboards on who is working on the project where and how much, shared documents, deliverables
status and more are now available through the Project Portal.

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 The CONNECTED Project Advantage

Project Portal Page on CONNECT Website

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Today the CONNECTED Project Portal provides four major advantages for CONNECTED Project Organizations:
View project activity by site, application and user.
Gain insights into the users who are working on your projects and their effort.
Manage your CONNECTED Projects and other CONNECT Services.
Access new ProjectWise Connection Services including ProjectWise Project Sharing, ProjectWise
Project Performance Dashboards and ProjectWise Issue Resolution Administration.

At this level, enterprises that have CONNECTED Users working on CONNECTED Projects with their CONNECT
Edition products become CONNECTED Enterprises. Information that was once disjointed or unavailable, is now
placed in context with Key Performance Indicators brought to the forefront to help our accounts improve
project performance. All that from just signing in as a CONNECTED User and associating work with CONNECTED
Projects.

The CONNECTED Enterprise Advantage

You can get more information on Bentley CONNECT by subscribing to the community below:
http://communities.bentley.com/communities/other_communities/sign-in_assistance_and_web_services/

3. Key Concepts
3.1 Bentley Profile
This is a single sign-in to all Bentley web pages and Cloud services. If you don’t have one already, you should
create a Bentley profile. This will let you:
Sign in to all Bentley web sites.
Submit and manage service requests if you have a technical problem.
Ensure you receive advice when new versions of CONNECT Edition products are available.
Update you when new product training materials are available.
Give you access to Cloud Services.
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3.2 CONNECTED Projects
Once you have a Bentley Profile, you (or your organization’s IT administrator) should register a CONNECTED
Project. This is a way of keeping track of everything you and your team members do within that project. A
CONNECTED Project does not contain your project data, it is simply a universal common ID to link together all
activity within a project. It also contains information such as Name, Number, Industry, Asset Type, Location etc.

The first time you open or create a file, you will be prompted to select a Project. All activities relating to that file
will be associated with the project.

3.3 Bentley Cloud Services

This is a range of services for learning, file sharing, project sharing, transmittals, project analytics and more.
Some of the key components you will use as a part of Cloud Services include:
CONNECTION client – small desktop application installed with MOSES that manages your sign-in.
Project Chooser – a dialog which lets you choose projects to associate with your files.
Personal Portal – web page where you can manage your Bentley profile and access learning content.
Project Portal – web page where you can manage your projects and launch cloud services.

4. The Details
To take advantage of the values of CONNECTED, users must be registered and signed in, CONNECTED projects
must be available and CONNECT Edition/Service products must be used to associate product work with
CONNECTED Projects.

4.1 Register as a CONNECTED User

If you have ever signed in to Bentleys SELECT site to download a product, submit a service ticket or sign up for a
webinar then you are already registered to use the CONNECT services. Proceed to the Sign-In section for
information on how to sign in. If you have not signed in to Bentley for any reason, you can register yourself for
free through one of two ways:

4.1.1 CONNECTION Client Sign-In Window

If you have installed any CONNECT Edition/Services product then you have installed a CONNECTION client. This
client shows up as an icon on your taskbar.

Double-click the icon or Right-Click>Open on the icon to expose the CONNECTION client Sign-in Screen.

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 CONNECTION client Sign In

Select the Register link on the window to display the Create Profile Window shown below. Provide the details
for your account paying particular note to your Work Email and Profession (Role). The former will impact the
users that will be considered part of an organization and the latter will impact services and notifications you
receive that will be particular to your role. After completing this screen, you will be sent to the Bentley IMS
profile page to set password and other information as you desire.

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 Profile Creation

4.1.2 Bentley IMS Website

You can also log in directly from the Bentley website from https://ims.bentley.com. Doing this will send you to a
sign-in web page as shown below where once again you can select the Register link to enter your profile
information and password as in the CONNECTION client case previously mentioned.

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 Sign-In Web Page on Bentley Website

4.2 Sign-In as a CONNECTED User

Once you have registered as a CONNECTED User (see previous section) you can proceed to sign-in. Sign-in can be
performed from one of three places:

4.2.1 CONNECTION Client Sign-In Window

If you have installed any CONNECT Edition/Services product then you have installed a CONNECTION client. This

client shows up as an icon on your taskbar.

Double-click the icon or Right-Click>Open on the icon to display the CONNECTION client Sign-in Screen.

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 CONNECTION client Sign In

Enter the same email you provided in your registration and your password. It is highly recommended to enable
Remember Me to avoid having to enter your credentials on each start-up.

4.2.2 Product CONNECT Widget Sign-In

Each CONNECT Edition product has a new CONNECTION Widget in the frame of the product window. Most
products have this widget on the upper right or status bar of the window.

Select the widget dropdown and choose the Sign In command to display the CONNECTION client Sign In window.
Follow the direction as provided above for the CONNECTION client.

4.2.3 Web Site

You can also log in directly from the Bentley website from https://ims.bentley.com. Doing this will send you to a
sign-in web page as shown below where once again you can sign-in.

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 Sign-In Web Page on Bentley Website

Once signed in from any of these places, you will be signed in for all services.

4.2.4 Forgot Your Password?

If you don’t recall your password, simply select the Forgot Password? link on the sign-in window and your
password will be reset through email.

4.3 Register a Product

A fundamental requirement of CONNECT is the creation of projects. Only users with “Project Manager” and
“Administrator” level roles on their profile are allowed to create projects. Contact your account administrator to
add projects or assign you rights to add projects yourself. See the Managing User Rights Section below. Projects
are typically added to the Bentley registry for your company through any of the links on the Project Portal,
Personal Portal or Project Chooser Dialog window.

4.3.1 Register Project from Project Portal

The CONNECTION client shows up as an icon on your taskbar.

Right-Click select the icon and then select Links>Project Portal to display the Projects Portal Screen below.

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 HINT: You can also navigate to the Project Portal from the CONNECT widget in your desktop product.
Select Register a Project to add a new project.

Projects Selection Web Page on Bentley Website

Select “Register a Project” to add a new project. See the section “Managing User Rights” if you do not have the
rights to add a project.

New Project registration screen

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The project attributes should be entered accurately to obtain the greatest value from CONNECT. Content,
recommendation and insight services in the future will be based specifically on the Asset type, industry and
location.

This same screen is accessible directly from the CONNECT Project Page through the Project Dropdown on the
top of the Project Portal window by Selecting +New.

Register a New Project through the Project Portal Dropdown

4.3.2 Register Project from Personal Portal

The CONNECTION client shows up as an icon on your taskbar.

Right-Click select the icon and then select Links>Personal Portal to display the Personal Portal.

HINT: You can also navigate to the Personal Portal from the CONNECT widget in your desktop product.
Select the +New in the Recent Projects Tile to Register a New Project. See the section “Managing User
Rights” if you do not have the rights to add a project.

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 Register a New Project through the Personal Portal Link

4.3.3 Register Project from Project Chooser Window

The project Chooser window is accessible from the File menu command. To register a new project select the
+Register Project link on the upper left of the Project Chooser.

Register a New Project through the Project Chooser Link

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4.3.4 Managing User Rights
User rights in an organization are administered by the site administer in your company. This is typically the main
contact for your company at Bentley. This user can assign you Project Manager Rights through the User
Management Portal https://ims.bentley.com/usermanagement. Select the Manage button on the top of the
window and search for a user.

Manage User Portal

Select the user and click “Modify Roles” to expose the roles window. Scroll down and select “Project Manager”
to allow a user to add and manage projects.

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 Set User Rights through User Management Portal

4.4 Associate a Project to your Work

The last remaining critical step to reap the benefits of CONNECT is the step of associating the project files with a
specific CONNECTED Project. If you are signed in all Products will automatically display the Project Chooser when
you start a new model or open a pre-CONNECT version of a project. The Project Chooser is also accessible from
the Bentley Cloud Services menu command in these products.

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Simply select a project to be associated with your work. See the Project Chooser documentation for more details
on the various capabilities of this window. All use of this file in the current product will now be associated with
this CONNECTED Project.

5. Summary
Bentley CONNECT Edition products enable a whole new world of connectivity helping facilitate better project
outcomes by providing users with timely insights, consistent project settings and easier project collaboration
capabilities. Organizations benefit from greater visibility and control into their projects with key performance
metrics accessible from a single portal. CONNECT has and will continue to be a major investment at Bentley. We
encourage you to dive-in and leverage the capabilities, share in your experience on our Bentley Communities
site and reap the current and future value of the CONNECT experience. Please visit the Bentley Communities site
to learn more:

http://communities.bentley.com/communities/other_communities/sign-in_assistance_and_web_services/

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 Bentley Communities Landing Page for Questions and Answers on Bentley CONNECT

6. Bentley CONNECT FAQ

What benefits do I get from having a Bentley Profile?
The key benefits for a Profile are access to learning content about your software, the ability to track software
usage on your projects and the ability to share files with others and with your mobile devices. More benefits will
be added in future as we add more cloud services.

Can I work offline without an internet connection?

Yes. If you are not online, the software will work as usual and you can run without signing in or selecting
projects. When you reconnect and next open your file, you can assign it to a project at that point.

No projects appear in my Assign Project list, what should I do?

First, click the Refresh button at the top of the dialog. If there are still no projects, click on the Register Project
button at the top left of the Assign Project dialog. This will take you to a web page where you can register a
project.

How do I get permissions to register a project?

If you do not have permissions to register a project, ask your IT administrator to give you Project Manager
permissions in your Bentley Profile.

I do not see the project I created in the Assign Project list?

Click the Refresh button in the Assign Project dialog.

Do I have to associate files with CONNECTED Projects?

While it is strongly recommended you do so, you are not required to associate your file with a project. However
you will only get the benefit of software usage tracking in your project if you associate your files with a project.
If you don’t associate a file with a project at first, you can do so later using the Associate Project command. We

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will continue to add new cloud services in future which will use the project association to provide helpful
reporting to you and your colleagues.

Are my files now stored in Bentley Cloud Services?

No. Your files are saved on your local hard disk or network drive as usual. If you are using ProjectWise to store
your files, they will continue to be stored there. The only change is that the ID of the CONNECTED Project is now
stored in your file so use of the file can be associated with the project. The ID is a randomly generated complex
32 character string of characters, it does not disclose any information about your project.

Do I have to sign in to use the software?

While it is not required to sign in to use the software, we strongly recommend that you do so. Sign-in is required
to take advantage of current and future cloud services. Sign-In may be required in future.

Can I turn off the prompt to sign in?

If you are not signed in when the Assign Project dialog is displayed, you will be prompted to sign in. It is not
possible to turn off this prompt.

What information is Bentley storing about my files and projects?

Bentley is not storing any information about your files. We are only storing basic information about your project
including name, number, industry, asset type, and location. When you run the software using a file that is
associated with a project, usage information is stored so that you can track which software is used when, on a
given project. Bentley is not able to see the name of the user using the software, only the unique machine name
is stored for licensing purposes. This is unchanged from previous versions of the software. Your information is
kept confidential to you and your organization.

How secure is the Project and Profile information stored by Bentley?

All project and usage information is stored using encrypted data sent to and stored in the Microsoft Azure cloud
platform. This is a highly secure environment used by millions of companies.

How do I see usage information regarding the software I use on a project?

Software usage reports are available via the SELECTserver web page at https://selectserver.bentley.com. Note
that your organization must be using the hosted version of SELECTserver to take advantage of this capability.

Can I track the use of non-Bentley applications on my project?

No. The usage tracked by SELECTserver and available to you in SELECTserver reports is only for Bentley
applications.

Do I need a license to use cloud services?

You do not need a desktop software license to use cloud services however all services require a Bentley Profile
(which is free of charge), some services require a Bentley Passport and other services also require a specific Visa
be added to that Passport. A Bentley Passport is a general access, named user license for using file servers like
ProjectWise as well as cloud services. Usually your organization will purchase a pool of Passports for many users
to use.

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In the following table, an x indicates that the cloud service in that row requires the access privileges of the
column.

Engineering ProjectWise
Bentley Content Scenario
Cloud Service Bentley Profile
Passport Management Services Visa
Visa
Learning
x
Service
Personal File
x
Sharing
Project
x x x
Sharing
ProjectWise
Scenario x x x x
Services

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