PrimarySite website migration to Juniper CMS

[BlueSkies]

Hi there,

 

I have just received an email this morning from Juniper advising me of my upcoming PrimarySite migration to Juniper websites CMS. Apparently they emailed me about it recently ... but it's the first I've heard of it!

 

The email advises that the migration is required as our Primarysite website will soon no longer be supported and gives details of the costs of the migration (!!) - good luck with that guys, there isn't money in our budget for this!

 

Has anyone else received something similar from them?

[BlueSkies]

Just bumping this one ... although from the email exchange I am currently having with them, I'm starting to wonder if we are the only school that hasn't already migrated to the Juniper platform!?!

[Primus]

Just bumping this one ... although from the email exchange I am currently having with them, I'm starting to wonder if we are the only school that hasn't already migrated to the Juniper platform!?!

 

We have 2 schools that we recently moved off PrimarySite as this was part of our centralisation etc in any case - they kept telling us we were some of the few who hadn't yet migrated to Juniper...

[Koldov]

I'm confused... am I reading it right?

 

Juniper Education backed by Horizon Capital acquired Primary Site (and I presume all their customers) back in 2021?

 

"In May 2021, Juniper Education bought Primarysite, which provides nearly 5,000 primary schools, academies and trusts with subscription-based educational websites and comprehensive parent communication solutions. This strategic decision allowed Juniper to capitalise on this recognised need"

 

Now they are trying to fleece money from the ex-Primary Site customers to move to Juniper CMS?

 

And I'm guessing so far 4,998 websites have had to be migrated and paid for?

 

Are Juniper Education part of Juniper Networks "The Hewlett Packard Enterprise's (HPE's) pending acquisition of Juniper Networks"

[BlueSkies]

I'm confused... am I reading it right?

 

Juniper Education backed by Horizon Capital acquired Primary Site (and I presume all their customers) back in 2021?

 

"In May 2021, Juniper Education bought Primarysite, which provides nearly 5,000 primary schools, academies and trusts with subscription-based educational websites and comprehensive parent communication solutions. This strategic decision allowed Juniper to capitalise on this recognised need"

 

Now they are trying to fleece money from the ex-Primary Site customers to move to Juniper CMS?

 

And I'm guessing so far 4,998 websites have had to be migrated and paid for?

 

Are Juniper Education part of Juniper Networks "The Hewlett Packard Enterprise's (HPE's) pending acquisition of Juniper Networks"

 

Maybe 4,997 have and it's just me left!

[PotNoodleTech]

Judging by the shocking "ESS tactics" juniper have been using over the last few months i would create a google site pronto and dump them like a sack of the proverbial.

 

If you don't you're gonna end up paying through the nose for various things in the future and being locked into various contracts.

[Koldov]

Whenever a venture capital firm acquires a software company, you know it is only going to be downhill from there for the customers...

[BlueSkies]

The fact they have just rocked up in my Inbox with their migration "demand" is enough for me! I'm waiting to hear back from them as we have no money in our budget for this!

[Koldov]

Is that not just plain shocking, that they can buy a company with a large user base and then charge those users to migrate to it's platform...? Or is that just how it works...?

[BlueSkies]

Is that not just plain shocking, that they can buy a company with a large user base and then charge those users to migrate to it's platform...? Or is that just how it works...?

 

Well, if that is how it works ... they clearly have little or no understanding of how schools' budgets work! It's not OK to demand that we migrate ... at a cost ... with 5 minutes' notice!

[BlueSkies]

Just coming back to this thread to see if anyone else here has had the migration email from Juniper?

 

I'm currently looking into alternative website providers:  Greenhouse, School Spider.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions of others I can look at?

 

Thanks 🙂

[PotNoodleTech]

Personally I would look at doing it myself for free to avoid this kind of thing happening again - google sites or Wix or something.

 

The good thing is you can start building it right now get most of the pages done and ready and then cancel the old website and say "screw you moneygrabbing idiots"!!!

[BlueSkies]

4 minutes ago, PotNoodleTech said:

Personally I would look at doing it myself for free to avoid this kind of thing happening again - google sites or Wix or something.

 

The good thing is you can start building it right now get most of the pages done and ready and then cancel the old website and say "screw you moneygrabbing idiots"!!!

 

Yes, I hear you ... however the school was in a position many years ago of having a website that only one person was able to "look after".  Hence the move to a mainstream provider - Primary Site.  I really wouldn't want us to be in that position again!

[PotNoodleTech]

5 minutes ago, BlueSkies said:

 

Yes, I hear you ... however the school was in a position many years ago of having a website that only one person was able to "look after".  Hence the move to a mainstream provider - Primary Site.  I really wouldn't want us to be in that position again!

Understood, in that case you will always have to pay and always be at the mercy of whatever company you choose.

 

The previous company were excellent for years, until they got taken over/bought out.  Same could happen to your new company.

[BlueSkies]

1 minute ago, PotNoodleTech said:

Understood, in that case you will always have to pay and always be at the mercy of whatever company you choose.

 

The previous company were excellent for years, until they got taken over/bought out.  Same could happen to your new company.

Yes, absolutely ... but we have also been in the position of being at the mercy of one single person .. who then disappeared!  Although now with Google Sites that is less of a risk - but it still needs someone to "look after" it.  Not sure anyone here would volunteer for that!

[JonoMDJ]

We had the email last week, well it was the Final warning before a migration date is picked for us, the emails were going to my predecessor.  We had an online consultation last week, well a sales pitch with added time pressure tactics.  They said first 250 sites are getting 50% discount and she didn't know how far through those they were.  I'm not convinced about that as the emails don't mention it so I guess that's a commission tactic.  The templates are not that much better than our current one and most have that really annoying top section you have to scroll past on every page and they don't support branching sub menus in the navigation bar still (too much trouble for the designers apparently).

 

Anyway, our head teacher has refused point blank to pay for a new site and insists we keep the one was have as it's only been live two years (migrated from an older PS design).  We also have nothing in the budget to cover it anyway.

 

Just had the email follow up email from juniper, so I'm wording a no thanks email to them now. 

 

Personally I feel to be forced to pay for this is wrong and we will look to go somewhere else.  In my past life I worked on web based systems, but was maintaining pre-written sites.  I'm not up to date with the latest web technologies, but that said existing site can be up for six months so got time to do it.  I might do that just to rub it in their noses.

 

I think we should all refuse to pay, this should be a free migration, they want to merge into the parent company, that should be on them, I think I'll put words to that effect back to them.  What's stopping them pulling the same trick a couple of years down the road.

Edited April 7, 2025 by JonoMDJ

[Babynoush]

Has anyone changed provider? We have just been quoted by School Jotter and its 1.2k cheaper over 3 years but never used them before?

[VexRed]

Honestly, these guys are utter cowboys.  Last year they sent around an email to all of our Primary Schools saying they were doing some upgrade works and the schools would be billed £250 each to cover it, not "we're offering you this service" just a flat "we're doing it". really scummy way to run a company.

 

Git rid, run far!  We use Schudio at most of our schools now. Really friendly company to deal with, decent websites, easy to use back-end.  Especially for anyone who has ever used WordPress or similar and used to plain text content updates with stylised front-end.  For clarity, I do not work for, nor affiliated with, Schudio.  I make this recommendation based solely on my customer experience with them.  I am happy to make introductions with the company (for which I don't receive a kick-back, finders-fee, nor any commission, favourable rates, etc).