SIMS vs CMIS

[DaveP]

Removed.

[SpuffMonkey]

We use it. I think it has the potential to be a good product - but its not an install and go live type system - you need to consider how you are going to use it and tailor it accordingly - which takes time. Support can be very slow and 20-40 minute waits listening to music are not uncommon.

[Geoff]

The both suck in equal amounts of suckness. Cheesy tag lines like 'inbetween a rock and a hard place' and 'from the frying pan into the fire' come to mind.

[DaveP]

The both suck in equal amounts of suckness. Cheesy tag lines like 'inbetween a rock and a hard place' and 'from the frying pan into the fire' come to mind.

That may be true, but what winds me up most about this is that we have only recently moved over to SIMS from Integris with all that that entails: Licences, new server, training,... and it is not as if I can dump SIMS completley as in a separate move we also moved from Cash Accounts to FMS, which will stay even after the CMIS move has been completed.

[Geoff]

I see. Was there any planning involed in this process? It seems like you're just throwing money away to me.

[wesleyw]

Why are you moving away from SIMS after only recently moving from Integris?


Wes

[DaveP]

Why are you moving away from SIMS after only recently moving from Integris?

Wes

I see. Was there any planning involed in this process? It seems like you're just throwing money away to me.

I didn't want to do it. We are in a consortium, you see. Because the other schools are doing it we have to also, apparently.

[Geoff]

So all the schools in the consortium are going through this convoluted migration?

[DaveP]

So all the schools in the consortium are going through this convoluted migration?

Yes I am afraid so. On a side issue, we moved away from RM Connect to Viglen Classlink, again despite my objections. If a system is working and there is a clear upgrade path to follow, why deviate if the reasons for doing so are whimsical?

[krisd32]

aren't they both similar products? rm connect and classlink? just had a look at class link all it looks like is netsupport school. am i being incredibly thick or is that actually what it is just re-badged as viglen?

[DaveP]

aren't they both similar products? rm connect and classlink? just had a look at class link all it looks like is netsupport school. am i being incredibly thick or is that actually what it is just re-badged as viglen?

I think that what you are alluding to is the NetSupport product which comes along with a Viglen network. it is one of the network management tools supplied, Viglen just re-badge it as Remote Learning Tutor.

[monkeyx]

ops:

[tosca925]

What LEA are you in Monkey X?

[monkeyx]

ops:

[eejit]

I have used SIMS and SIMS.net and Nova was quite a good part of the system. The rest of it was bloated and I particularly disliked the Assessment Manager module.

We switched to CMIS 6 months ago and it way better than SIMS. Eportal interface is great for teaching staff. It takes conisderable effort to make CMIS do what you want, but at least it gives us what we want, which SIMS.net did not!

Are you fully transferred over already? I heard that it takes a year just to move across fully, also that Capita put some blocks in the way by copyrighting the data so you are not allowed to export it to CMIS.
This could all be bitter rumours though.