OpenGround will be migrated to Microsoft Azure (starting end of July 2021), offering users an improved level of service, experience and more scalable solution. This article contains information about the new environment and how to arrange a smooth migration.
The Environment:
The OpenGround Regions will remain unchanged as London (UK) and Virginia (USA). There is no change in the Service Level Agreement and the service level and security options are comparable or better than the current offering. If your organisation needs to review the new operational procedures, our CiAQ questionnaire can be found at the Cloud Security Alliance website https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/star/registry/services/openground-cloud
The improved Database backup regime includes 35-day transaction log (Point-in-time) backups – up from 30 days, plus the addition of a full backup taken on the first of the month, with three months retention.
To ensure that we can increase the reach of the system we’ve also expanded the system support team from the original Keynetix, UK based, team to include Bentley representatives from additional regions around the world.
The work that we have completed to migrate the system into the Bentley infrastructure team has also paved the way for several internationally recognised certifications to be started. Such certifications may be important for your clients in the future.
The Process:
The majority of the work will be completed behind the scenes by the team here at Bentley, but the timing of this work needs to be coordinated with your IT team as it needs to coincide with a new OpenGround Launcher being deployed.
The dates are:
- US Data Center: July 31st
- UK Data Center: August 7th
During the process, your OpenGround Cloud system will be unavailable until the migration has been completed. During this downtime (or immediately following) your IT team will be able to install the new Launcher. Once the migration has been completed your main point of contact will receive an email to notify you that users will be able to log on using the new Launcher, that can be downloaded from the Bentley CONNECT Software Downloads site.
Please note that if you are using OpenGround in Legacy mode then you will have already been contacted by Roger Chandler to initiate your migration to OpenGround Licensing. To avoid the risk of possible downtime you must complete this process before migrating to Azure.
A Bright Future:
The migration to the new Azure environment will enable enhanced integration across other Bentley products and technologies and further leverage our partnership with Microsoft, resulting in greater connectivity between OpenGround and other Bentley Cloud solutions.
The development, re-architecture, testing and auditing required to migrate OpenGround to Azure has required a significant investment of developer resources over the past year. Following the Azure migration the team now look forward to accelerating the release of new features and connectors that have also been in development.
https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/star/registry/services/openground-cloud
https://www.bentley.com/en/trust-center
https://communities.bentley.com/products/geotechnical1/w/openground-wiki#
What you need to do during the migration process:
1) Installing New Versions:
Every OpenGround Cloud desktop application must be uninstalled
New OpenGround Launcher must be installed (can be downloaded from the Bentley CONNECT Software Downloads section on the CONNECT Portal)
New OpenGround Cloud desktop applications must be installed
2) Proxy Changes
If you are using a Proxy:you need to add the following new URLs
US
api.openground.bentley.com
api.eastus.openground.bentley.com
proxy.eastus.openground.bentley.com
UK
api.openground.bentley.com
api.uksouth.openground.bentley.com
proxy.uksouth.openground.bentley.com
3) Power BI Connector
To connect to your OpenGround Cloud Azure Region, you will have to update the following parameter: OidcRegion
• For Azure Australia: australiaeast
• For Azure US: eastus
• For Azure UK: uksouth
4) OpenGround Data Collector
A new version of the app must be installed. This version will be available on the Google Play Store immediately following the Azure migration. Please ensure all tabelt work is in sync with the cloud BEFORE migration dates.