What is the RISA license manager? #
RISA Tech, Inc. has made RISA structural engineering software in Foothill Ranch, California, since 1987. It joined the Nemetschek Group in 2017, alongside Bluebeam, SDS2 and SCIA. RISA says 24 of the top 25 US design firms have chosen its software.
The RISA license manager phrase covers the tools that decide who can open a RISA program, on which machine, and for how long:
- The RISA Customer Portal (portal.risa.com). Subscription licenses, users and usage statistics live here, and every engineer signs in with a RISA login, usually an email address and password.
- A Sentinel RMS license server, for network keys. RISA runs its own customized build.
- The RISA Licensing Dashboard on each workstation. It lists installed products and license types, sets which license type the software tries first, and converts standalone or network keys to subscription.
Which license types does RISA support? #
| License type | How it’s delivered | What it means for RISA license management |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone (perpetual) | Sentinel USB key in one PC | One machine per key. RISA recommends USB 2.0 ports, because some keys misbehave on USB 3.0. |
| Network (perpetual) | Customized Sentinel RMS license server, version 8.6.1 or 9.1 | A floating license pool served over UDP port 5093, open in both directions. RISA’s build won’t run alongside a standard Sentinel RMS install or another vendor’s customized one, so plan a dedicated RISA license server. |
| Subscription (cloud) | Sign-in through the RISA Customer Portal | Shared seats, no named users. The program needs internet access at launch. Annual fixed cost, no overage charges, quantity adjustable each year. |
Two subscription details change how you count seats.
Borrowed seats #
A user can borrow a seat of RISA-3D, RISAFoundation or RISAConnection for any number of days, up to the subscription end date. Borrowing and returning both need internet access. If the laptop holding a borrowed seat breaks, that seat stays locked until the borrow period ends.
Portal roles #
There are four: Billing Admin, Admin, Manager and Engineer. RISA recommends one login per employee, so usage traces back to a person.
Which applications use RISA licensing? #
RISA licensing covers RISA’s own applications and the ADAPT products it acquired in 2020. You can add ADAPT products to an existing RISA standalone or network key through the Licensing Dashboard. There’s no separate RISA-3D license manager: RISA-3D licenses the same way as the rest of the family.
| Application | What it does, in RISA’s words |
|---|---|
| RISA-3D | 3D structural analysis software for multi-material design |
| RISAFloor / RISAFloor ES | Model, load, analyze and design multi-story buildings |
| RISAFoundation | Foundation design |
| RISAConnection | 3D design and reporting for steel connections |
| RISA-2D | Analysis and design of 2D structures |
| RISASection | Built-up shape properties |
| RISACalc | Web-based design of individual components |
| ADAPT-Builder | Analysis and design of multi-story concrete structures |
| ADAPT-PT/RC | Post-tensioned and reinforced concrete projects |
| ADAPT-Felt | Losses in post-tensioning tendons |
RISA lists RISA-3D, RISAFloor, RISAFoundation, RISAConnection, RISA-2D, RISASection and the ADAPT products as available on subscription.
How Open iT supports your work with RISA #
Start with two numbers you already own. One is the seat count on your RISA subscription. The other is the most seats in use at the same moment. If the second sits well below the first, every idle seat is a full year’s subscription paid for nothing. If you hit the ceiling and engineers get turned away, you have the evidence to add seats.
Open iT gets you the second number. The company makes software that collects usage data from license managers and turns it into reports a SAM team can act on.
Here’s how the integration works:
- Every hour, Open iT’s license status utility asks the RISA portal for current license use, at a five-minute sample interval.
- Each night, the data goes to your Open iT Core Server for storage and reporting.
- If your firm runs several RISA accounts, Open iT collects each one separately.
- Because the integration reads from the RISA portal, it covers RISA subscription licenses.
The RISA portal already shows real-time and historical usage by user and program. Open iT keeps that history in your Open iT Core Server, breaks it down by user, host and user group, and reports it next to the 6,000+ other applications it supports. Open iT’s documentation shows four sample RISA license monitoring reports:
- Utilization Trend: licenses in use, licenses available and denials over time. You’ll see whether you hit the ceiling.
- License Efficiency: how long each license was actually used. Idle seats stand out.
- Heatmap: use by day of the week and hour of the day, showing when peak demand falls.
- License Monitor: a real-time view of licenses in use and available.
That’s where RISA license optimization starts: with a measured peak, before the renewal date.
Frequently asked questions #
What license manager does RISA use?
RISA uses three licensing methods. Standalone licenses run on a Sentinel USB key, network licenses run on RISA’s customized Sentinel RMS license server, and subscription licenses are managed in the RISA Customer Portal.
Are RISA licenses named-user licenses?
No. RISA subscription licenses are shared across the team and not tied to a specific user, so you need as many seats as your peak concurrent use.
Can I see RISA license usage without Open iT?
Yes. The RISA Customer Portal shows real-time and historical usage by user and program. Open iT adds history stored in your Open iT Core Server, user group breakdowns and reporting alongside your other licensed applications.
Which Open iT version supports RISA?
Open iT supports RISA usage reporting from version 10.2.580.
Know your RISA peak before you renew #
Open iT shows how many RISA seats your engineers use at the busiest hour of the week. Connect one RISA portal account, and the Heatmap shows when your peak falls.
