HOW YOUR BUSINESS CAN BENEFIT FROM AN AUTOCAD-TO-MICROSTATION TRANSITION

From more flexible licensing options to increased competitive advantage, the payoffs are many for a company considering this game-changing move. In the “CAD Manager’s Guide to the AutoCAD–MicroStation

Transition,” we discuss what’s involved, the resources and support available to ease the process, and how

MicroStation can actually make the CAD manager’s job easier in the long run. This guide takes a business- perspective of a transition to MicroStation, discussing benefits such as flexible licensing options, dedicated support of a CAD developer, reduced overhead costs and increased competitive advantage, and potentially greater ROI. ONE BUSINESS BENEFIT 1

Varied and Flexible Licensing Options

Recent licensing changes by Quarterly Term Licensing Perpetual Licensing could very well be what has prompted you Subscribe to your Bentley software Bentley is committed to offering perpetual to consider a move away from AutoCAD. for three months at a time to support licensing. A company of any size can Losing the option to purchase perpetual unexpected workload changes or other license any number of software seats in software licenses — or otherwise feeling spikes in software use, to help manage perpetuity. locked-in to licensing options that don’t software expenses, or for any other make sense for your business — are Most perpetual license users opt for reason that calls for flexibility. Bentley sore spots for some companies and deal Bentley SELECT subscription, which adds term licensing also means that customers breakers for others. software upgrades; network licensing (for never need to worry about procuring all licenses at no additional cost so licenses Bentley recognizes and respects its software licenses in advance to support a can be shared among users working in customers’ software investments, and the temporary uptick in use: Bentley removes the same country); training; technical company takes seriously its responsibility such barriers by allowing users to access support; access to Bentley Communities to support your business. Bentley offers the software they need when they and a comprehensive library of learning a variety of licensing options so you need it, regardless of existing licensing resources; portfolio balancing (for can choose what works best for your “limits,” then bills you later for just that swapping software titles when needs company, whether that means perpetual quarter’s incremental license use, at a change over time); and software check-in licensing (with or without subscription) cost-effective, predefined quarterly and check-out (for when you need to be to support a consistent workload; term term license price. off-site for more than a month without an licensing for pay-as-you-go needs; or a internet connection). An Enterprise License unique combination of both. Subscription option adds operational and competitive benefits for very large organizations for a single annual fee. Term license users also get these same benefits for the term of their license. TWO BUSINESS BENEFIT 2

Reduced Costs and Increased Competitive Advantage

Compared with AutoCAD, MicroStation MicroStation users can integrate and What’s more, Bentley’s powerful software could help your company save money precisely model within the context of applications are built on a common, and increase business opportunities. existing conditions, by leveraging raster unified platform and use the same data An advanced parametric images, point clouds, reality meshes, GIS format, which can save companies money application, MicroStation provides a richer data, and more to create highly accurate, up front and over time. For example, set of modeling capabilities than AutoCAD, data-rich designs. MicroStation alone has capabilities that to more easily and precisely model your would require a multitude of Autodesk When businesses can produce better designs, and this presents opportunities tools to do the same work, so you get quality designs more efficiently, they save for you to expand your 3D services and more bang for your initial software buck. time and money. integrate even move more seamlessly into building information modeling (BIM) workflows — and that can help improve customer satisfaction and win more work. MicroStation has a much more robust bridge between 2D and 3D, enabling faster, less laborious, and more error-free documentation production. It supports more flexible workflows for a variety of disciplines and helps users move efficiently from concept to design, and its more diverse modeling and drafting tools give users a range of choices about how to build out a design concept. MicroStation bridges the gap between drafting, modeling, and BIM. MicroStation Capabilities vs. Autodesk Software To have the same capabilities as a MicroStation user with CONNECTservices, an Autodesk user would need the following:

Task Autodesk Software Required Computer-aided Design AutoCAD / AutoCAD LT File Sharing A360 Drive Visualization 3ds Max / Maya Point Clouds / Reality Meshes Recap 360 Tracking Project Progress BIM 360 Glue Component Management Vault Manage / Publish RFIs BIM 360 Docs

A360 Mobile (web and desktop apps), Design View / Mark Up (Desktop and Mobile) Review, DWG TrueView, Freedom

As your business grows, Bentley’s • allows you to work with just about files, support mobile team members, common and comprehensive modeling anyone to deliver any project; and address organizational and other environment mean companies can workflow challenges. positions you to make better efficiently integrate, learn, and maintain • decisions throughout the MicroStation CONNECT Edition is part new software applications over time. In project lifecycle; of a new generation of cloud-connected particular, MicroStation positions users products from Bentley that are integrated to easily move into BIM or other types of enables you to create high-impact • with a growing selection of cloud-based projects because they can do so without visuals for existing and potential services that different users can tap to steep new learning curves or having to project stakeholders; meet their needs on different projects. grapple with inconsistencies of file formats • makes it easier to transition to It aims to help customers reduce the cost and user interfaces across products. BIM in terms of training as well and headache of keeping software current, This more powerful, more stable, more as implementation; and exchanging project data, tracking project scalable approach can position your progress, facilitating RFIs, transmittals, • gives companies the ability to company for growth. In summary, leveraging computational power in the diversify their business, take on MicroStation: cloud, and much more, so you can spend different types of projects and less time facilitating collaboration while • supports the use and production of clients without buying or learning leveraging the cloud’s power and security a wide range of project deliverables additional software. and focus on delivering better projects. and data formats; If your company faces significant Whether you’re a growing one-person • is equipped to tackle increasingly bottlenecks when it comes to surveying company or a large, multi-office larger projects (or business collaboration, Bentley’s approach to enterprise with complex and ambitions), both on its own and providing a connected data environment workflow challenges, MicroStation can through integration with other can help. It enables teams to work deliver what your business demands. Bentley applications; together inside or outside the firewall, integrate with enterprise functions such • helps large teams easily and reliably as ERP or maintenance management, share common files across multiple prepare and transmit deliverables, share team members and disciplines; THREE BUSINESS BENEFIT 3

Better Overall ROI, Potentially

How does a business justify the • What’s not included with your software investment, disruption, and other license — that is, what necessary significant costs of a design software capabilities and services cost extra, in terms change? How do you determine if the of technical support, training, and so forth? payoffs justify the cost in time and Do new software updates deliver money? When it comes to return on • continuously improved user investment (ROI) for new software, Produce stunning visualizations and win more jobs productivity? Or is your team’s you must flesh out exactly what’s productivity pretty much flat? involved in implementation and No CAD solution is right for all companies, maintenance initially and over time — • How much time does your design and there’s no quick-and-simple way that is, what would the new investment software cost you because of its to determine if the benefits of a new entail (and cost) exactly? Then, how does inherent limitations? What is the application will justify the drawbacks. that compare with doing nothing? cost of lost time due to software But if you’re honest and thorough about crashes, slow performance, data Consider the following: how you assess the ROI of a change, translation, inefficient collaboration you should be able to get a pretty clear What are the up-front and on-going • workflows, and so forth? indication of whether you’re on the costs of everything you’ll need to Try this simple calculation: right track. support each option, including software implementation, licensing, and maintenance costs; hardware; [Average minutes lost weekly] training; and so on? × [number of weeks worked per year] • What does the future entail (and cost) × [user’s hourly pay] for each option in terms of moving to ______BIM, for example, or other realities that = Estimated annual cost of user downtime you’d face down the road? A user who loses 15 minutes/day to software-related delays (and makes $50/hour working 50 weeks/year) incurs a $3,125 annual loss in productivity! By

Top 10 Indications You Should Be Using MicroStation

1. You are creating 3D models for a growing percentage of your projects. 2. You work on complex and large-scale projects. 3. You work on more than one project at a time with different clients and standards.

Analyze and perform data visualizations on models. 4. You design, build or operate engineering-intensive assets. 5. You are coordinating projects that involve many One last word of advice: When it comes different design disciplines. to considering whether a software 6. You work closely on project teams that span many change is right for your business, different offices and organizations. don’t focus solely on financial criteria. Consider also your organization’s 7. You work on projects where different participants appetite for major change, especially are using both CAD and BIM software. one that involves technology, and its attitude toward investing in staff: 8. You prefer specifically tailored solutions that meet your unique workflows. • Is your company an innovator, or risk/change averse? 9. You work with many consultants, contractors, or clients, each with unique preferred data formats and • Does the company culture generally relish the prospect deliverable requirements. of new software (and business) 10. Your projects are demanding, complex, and often frontiers — or loathe it? (if not always) unique. • Will the company devote adequate time for training, establish a realistic time table toward proficiency, and continually invest in users, or is For more insight, take the Bentley Systems survey, it more likely to place unrealistic “Are You Ready for a CAD Software Change?” expectations on the CAD team as it strives to learn new software?

Before answering these questions, make sure a major software change is the right decision for you. FOUR BUSINESS BENEFIT 4 How Your Business Can Benefit from an AutoCAD-to- MicroStation Transition Software Diversity Varied and Flexible Licensing Options • Reduced Costs and Increased Keep in mind that adopting new design software does not require you Competitive Advantage to give up your current solution right away — or ever. There’s a business case to be made for diversifying risk by operating more than your • current single CAD solution. Diversifying means your company could The Potential for be better prepared to take on a wider variety of projects across a larger Better Overall ROI prospective customer base. It also means that you have options — even • a way out, if needed — should the relationship falter with any given Software Diversity software provider or should the economy or market change dramatically. • Dedication From Your CAD Software Developer

Work with and for anyone, regardless of data types or file formats required. FIVE BUSINESS BENEFIT 5

Dedication From Your CAD Software Developer

When considering a new CAD solution, indistinguishable from those created in • Does it proactively work to it’s natural to view it strictly as a software AutoCAD (even supporting all the way back address major problems, such decision. But shouldn’t you also be to R12 up through 2018). Most Bentley as those related to data sharing shopping for a new software developer? software is built on a common platform, and translation, so you don’t When you work with the right software and its DGN has only changed have to worry about them? company, you’ll be building a mutually once in its 30-year history, so you can say beneficial relationship — a partnership goodbye to data-related workarounds and Bentley customers get all this and more — of sorts. That’s how it is for Bentley bottlenecks. Bentley CTO Keith Bentley for example, the latest version of customers. Building strong, on-going says, “We pay the interoperability tax so MicroStation includes a User Feedback relationships with customers is a our customers don’t have to.” Service so you can submit specific

Bentley priority, and it holds the company As you evaluate developers along with requests directly to Bentley from within accountable to continually deliver their software, consider the following: the application and ensure the visibility value for the customer. and prioritization of your requests. • First and foremost, is the software Bentley also is doggedly concerned provider invested in its relationship When you adopt MicroStation, you also about customers’ investments in their with your company? adopt Bentley Systems, a software own data. The company is dedicated provider dedicated as much to improving How does it measure up in terms to interoperability so users can access • of its effort to ensure you maintain your design workflows and your business design data in perpetuity. MicroStation value from your investment? as it is to improving the technology that even includes Autodesk’s own RealDWG Does it look out for your financial drives them. Which kind of software libraries, so users can easily create and best interests? developer do you need to support your share DWGs without time-consuming and business goals and priorities? risky conversions — and be confident that • Is it directly accessible and the DWG files created in MicroStation are responsive to user requests? About Bentley Systems

Bentley is a global leader in providing engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure.

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