How to access Esri technology while working from home

March 24, 2020

Andrea Becker

Shifting to a home office can present some challenges. We understand that maintaining access to the ArcGIS suite of products is crucial. To assist with this transition, we’ve compiled some frequently asked questions that users have when setting up access to ArcGIS Desktop or ArcGIS Pro from home. Our aim is to make this process as smooth as possible.

Many of us have recently found ourselves having to get used to a home office. This can pose some issues when you require access to a software that has been enabled to work on an office machine or company network. If you do not have a remote desktop connection or VPN to give you direct access to your office machine, then we’ve got you covered. Below you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions, issues and scenarios that you may face while working from home.

How do I get access to the software installation package from home?

Downloads for ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Pro and any optional setups are done directly from My Esri. From there, you can access a list of downloads that are available to you by browsing to the My Organizations tab and clicking Downloads. Your account must have the proper privileges to access the Downloads page in My Esri. Don’t have access? Please contact the administrator of your My Esri account. They can grant access and the necessary privileges to My Esri or provide you with the software installation package directly. If you don’t have your My Esri account details or the name of a My Esri administrator, please contact Esri Canada’s Technical Support team and we can provide you with these details.

You now have the software installed, but it remains unlicensed - what now?

If you normally log into ArcGIS Pro with a Named User license (an ArcGIS Online login), you will still have access at home and can simply log in with those same ArcGIS Online credentials. Named User licenses are unique to ArcGIS Pro. The process becomes different when you have a Single Use or Concurrent Use license for ArcGIS Desktop or if you have manually converted your Named User license, ArcGIS Pro. These two license types require an authorization code. If you do not have an authorization code to authorize the license on your home computer, please reach out to one of your administrators to provide you with one. If you are not sure who your administrator is, please contact Esri Canada’s Technical Support team.

I am the My Esri/License Administrator, where can I see the details of what licenses are available?

My Esri is our self-serve online portal for you to access your organization’s licensing information and download the software. All licensing information can be found on the My Organizations tab by clicking Licensing. If you have any issues connecting to My Esri, please contact Customer Care.

I have a Single Use license; how can I authorize?

Single Use licenses are designed for offline and remote use. If you have an authorization code for a Single Use license beginning with ESU, the authorization process is completed in the ArcGIS Administrator application. This application comes packaged with the ArcGIS Desktop installation. If you need assistance authorizing your Single Use license, Esri Canada has created a great YouTube video that demonstrates how to authorize this license type. You can also follow the steps on the Esri help page.

I normally connect to a company server to access my license, what do I do now?

If you were connecting to a company server to access your license, this means you were using a Concurrent Use license which was authorized on a License Server on your company network. If you do not have access to this network from home (for example, with a remote desktop connection or VPN), then you will no longer be able to use this license. There are a couple of options in this case: you can take your license offline (requires temporary access to company network) or you can reach out to your My Esri administrator to determine if there are any Single Use licenses available to authorize the software on your home machine.

How can I take a license offline?

If you still have access to the company network, you can borrow a license from the License Manager thereby taking it offline for a specified period. You can do this by accessing the ArcGIS Administrator. Please find the instructions from Esri’s help page here.

I am using Citrix to access ArcGIS Desktop – will this work?

If you use Citrix to access Esri technology, you shouldn’t have any issues as long as you are connected to your organization’s VPN.

I don’t have access to the software and it’s urgent!

If the process of getting set up with your software at home is taking too long, the best intermediary option for continued access to ArcGIS software is signing up for a trial. Are you an ArcMap user? Now is the best time to test out ArcGIS Pro! During the 21-day ArcGIS trial period, you get access to an ArcGIS Online organization, ArcGIS Pro, several ArcGIS Pro extension products, and other ArcGIS apps. You can access more details on the ArcGIS trial here.

I’m an instructor and I need assistance providing access to Esri software – what do I do?

Esri is providing free ArcGIS for Personal Use licenses for all students in Higher Education to ensure continued access to Esri products. If you have any questions, please direct them to your Account Manager and they will get in touch with the appropriate team to pursue your request. Below you’ll find StoryMap’s with plenty of resources on how to access Esri software:

Who do I contact if I need help?

If you’re unsure of any of the above processes, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Technical Support or Customer Care team. Don’t know who to contact regarding your inquiry? Please refer to the information below:

It may be that you need to reach out to your Account Manager to discuss your licensing options. To do this, please contact the Authorized Caller for your account who can then reach out to your Account Manager. Unsure of who that is? Please call us in Technical Support and we would be happy to provide you with that information.

Need more resources?

Below are links to Esri’s public resources as well as our contact information:

If you have any further questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or reach out to Esri Canada’s Technical Support team, we are always happy to help!