MIS Market Information

[Bromcom-PR]

On this thread, we suggest market information that will be interest to readers is shared

 

to start with here is Nick Finnermore’s LinkedIn post on Scomis:

 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nickfinnemore_mis-missupport-schoolsupport-activity-7250499713093767169-rr7v?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

[Ditto]

I wonder if there are enough threads already and that this could be merged into an existing thread rather than starting another.

 

Mods - thoughts?

 

I note Nick Finnemore links to the thread I started back in January this year, where I acknowledged the earlier @cnewstead report. It was titled "Are ESS trying to make it harder to migrate away from to SIMS?". Given the SCOMIS update and wider suggestion of it being an approach to other SIMS support providers, I wonder if the title should be changed to "Are ESS trying to make it harder to stay with SIMS?"

[Damon]

Haha, you've got a point about the title change Ditto!

 

I will say that as someone who has always looked up to Scomis as a bit of a leader in the support space, this news feels particularly significant and perhaps the sign of things to come. It doesn't look like ESS are going to allow third parties to support Next Gen so the ecosystem that's served both ESS and the schools so well for the past few decades is at risk of falling apart. I'm biased in terms of wanting that ecosystem to continue as I started my career there, but I really hope that it finds a way to continue through new partnerships.

[Bromcom_John]

Also agree with the title change for the original thread. Although I do think that this news is SO big that it does warrant its own discussion.

The provision of MIS and now its support are a two pronged pincer on schools capability to operate their systems, not just MIS.

Firstly we have the alleged restrictive practices we are hearing about with regards schools wanting to move away from the software.. and now we have an apparent attack on the ecosystem of support around the remaining SIMS schools.

I think people might have different opinions/experience to bring to this thread that might get a bit lost in a single thread covering all topics.

Like Damon, I am biased to want the support teams to flourish, although for entirely different reasons. Choice is important in the MIS space and that extends to the choice of who you take your support from.

Direct can be of benefit but support teams can and do offer something that the MIS providers may not be able to with centralised support and that is a more personal and local experience which can even be folded into a more unified technical support offering.

Also, I think that somewhere to talk about things that are not necessarily ESS related is a worthwhile separation.

Edited October 14, 2024 by Bromcom_John

[Chockster]

As someone who's main interaction with Edugeek is the "Today's Posts" page, I'm fed up with these threads. Really, I'm fed up.

 

I can't make a difference as to which MIS the trust uses and I can't do anything about the "restrictive practices" in the market. And even if I'm asked to help with our next procurement for an MIS I can't use anything I read about in these threads to help make our decision.

 

I agree with Ditto. It would be nice if the squabbles were kept to their own thread.

[DBR99]

Irrespective of MIS vendor, personally I think any move by those vendors to prevent competition in the marketplace for support, not only in cost terms but also in the quality of service is a bad option. We've been with SCOMIS for some years and always found their response and resolution times to be good, if it wasn't we'd have moved at contract renewal. It would be a great shame to loose the pools of expertise that they and other 3rd party support organisations have built up. Without competition what's the incentive for any MIS vendors support to be top notch?

[MrEprise]

Irrespective of MIS vendor, personally I think any move by those vendors to prevent competition in the marketplace for support, not only in cost terms but also in the quality of service is a bad option. We've been with SCOMIS for some years and always found their response and resolution times to be good, if it wasn't we'd have moved at contract renewal. It would be a great shame to loose the pools of expertise that they and other 3rd party support organisations have built up. Without competition what's the incentive for any MIS vendors support to be top notch?

 

This is something that worries me in losing our support with them. I've worked now in 2 Secondaries and had to support a number of Primaries in those schools. All these schools have had some level of service/support provided by ScoMIS and in every dealing I've had with them, they've always been positive experiences and always managed to come to some sort of solution or resolution, even in a few cases writing their own third-party utilities to fix issues that ESS (and before that, Capita ES) were seemingly never able to fix themselves.

 

The only saving grace is, they'll be the ones helping us move (albeit temporarily) back to a on-premise setup, but I'm not looking forward to after 31st March next year when our support defaults back to ESS.

[Damon]

Here's another update from Scomis on their newsfeed. One thing that's helpful is they have links to the MIS Discovery sessions they hosted with ESS, Arbor and Bromcom. So for anyone wanting a light touch exploration of what's on offer from those three they can take a look at the public videos on youtube via the links below.

 

Mods - Hope this is ok to share as it's a public post from Scomis and not promoting a specific supplier.

 

Scomis Newsletter:

 

First off, by now you will have all seen our notice that has been made public about ceasing our SIMS hosting and SIMS support services after 31st March 2025. Our other services remain unaffected, including our support of other MIS applications.

 

This has sparked an enormous amount of interest across the sector and consequently, you may be contacted by other organisations. We would like to remind you that Scomis is a public sector traded service and part of Devon County Council, and as such we have a duty to provide best value from public funding.

 

We have a 40 year record of delivering high quality services to schools and as a trusted partner we are committed to maintaining successful, long-standing relationships with our customers and partners that are based on mutual respect and trust.

 

Recognising and responding to what is important to our customers is what Scomis is all about. We are passionate about delivering the best possible customer experience and constantly challenge ourselves to improve.

 

If you need to discuss anything related to your services, please contact your account manager. Get in touch by calling Scomis on 01392 385300 and select option 5, or email [email protected].

---

 

MIS Discovery Days

 

Earlier this year we hosted a number of MIS Discovery Days sessions, showcasing options for schools’ MIS provision. These sessions included deep dives into each MIS and are all available to

.

 

If you missed them, or would like a recap, you can

.

 

 

Scomis Newsletter 17th October 2024 | LinkedIn

[elsiegee40]

Here's another update from Scomis on their newsfeed. One thing that's helpful is they have links to the MIS Discovery sessions they hosted with ESS, Arbor and Bromcom. So for anyone wanting a light touch exploration of what's on offer from those three they can take a look at the public videos on youtube via the links below.

 

Mods - Hope this is ok to share as it's a public post from Scomis and not promoting a specific supplier.

 

Scomis Newsletter:

 

First off, by now you will have all seen our notice that has been made public about ceasing our SIMS hosting and SIMS support services after 31st March 2025. Our other services remain unaffected, including our support of other MIS applications.

 

This has sparked an enormous amount of interest across the sector and consequently, you may be contacted by other organisations. We would like to remind you that Scomis is a public sector traded service and part of Devon County Council, and as such we have a duty to provide best value from public funding.

 

We have a 40 year record of delivering high quality services to schools and as a trusted partner we are committed to maintaining successful, long-standing relationships with our customers and partners that are based on mutual respect and trust.

 

Recognising and responding to what is important to our customers is what Scomis is all about. We are passionate about delivering the best possible customer experience and constantly challenge ourselves to improve.

 

If you need to discuss anything related to your services, please contact your account manager. Get in touch by calling Scomis on 01392 385300 and select option 5, or email [email protected].

---

 

MIS Discovery Days

 

Earlier this year we hosted a number of MIS Discovery Days sessions, showcasing options for schools’ MIS provision. These sessions included deep dives into each MIS and are all available to

.

 

If you missed them, or would like a recap, you can

.

 

 

Scomis Newsletter 17th October 2024 | LinkedIn

 

Didn’t SCOMIS and Bromcom announce a partnership last year? Are you trying to claim they’re independent?

[pete]

Didn’t SCOMIS and Bromcom announce a partnership last year? Are you trying to claim they’re independent?

 

While the MIS market is rife with astroturfing, Scomis are fairly up-front about who they partner with: https://www.scomis.org/our-partners/

[elsiegee40]

While the MIS market is rife with astroturfing, Scomis are fairly up-front about who they partner with: https://www.scomis.org/our-partners/

 

Fair enough, but reports they write need to be read with that in mind.

[Damon]

Didn’t SCOMIS and Bromcom announce a partnership last year? Are you trying to claim they’re independent?

I didn't intend to make any independence claims, that sentence came from my limited understanding of whether it's appropriate to share external links that could be perceived as promotional. But likewise, I appreciate that whilst most Support units try to be agnostic there can still be some bias even if it's unconscious.

 

However, they are partners with ESS, Bromcom and Arbor, and all were given the opportunity to host sessions with their schools. So to be fair to them, they did their bit when it comes to giving their customers options. I haven't watched the sessions myself but could see the value they might have for anyone who wants a light touch review of the top 3.

[supportman]

I thought it was interesting Scomis recommended looking at other MIS's on their PR announcement. Shows just what they think of ESS really

[Bromcom_John]

While I won't mention names (as its obvious they are going to do this), but a lot of the other support providers are looking to see what happens with SCOMIS.

I think the term "waiting with baited breath" is appropo

So this isn't just affecting the schools who SCOMIS support, it it going to continue to have impact across the sector.

The next 6 months, and beyond, are going to be VERY interesting.