SpuffMonkey Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi - we're up for some serious system updating shortly and one of the shortlisted companies is Viglen - I don't really know much about them - has anyone here been involved in a biggish Viglen project? Did it go OK? Any one used the Cohaero product they push or "Its Learning"? Cheers
Iain.Faulkner Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi there, We were a Viglen school for about the first 8-9 months I worked at my current school. In truth, I wasn't a fan, I found it very restrictive (having come from a Vanilla Windows background). Thankfully, for me at least, we were given the funds to do a very major update and although we looked at upgrading with Viglen, the decision was made to move to a Vanilla Windows Environment and I haven't regretted it for a second.
laserblazer Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Viglen was a great company but are now owned by Amstrad. IMHO, there's a lot better kit out there. Do you have any other approved companies you can use?
Edu-IT Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Viglen was a great company but are now owned by Amstrad. IMHO, there's a lot better kit out there. Do you have any other approved companies you can use? Echo that.
localzuk Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hardware wise, they're excellent. Microsoft licensing side, excellent also. Never tried their software side.
difinity Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 We use it's learning. Ugly as sin, but does the job i guess, and we've only have a couple of short outages in the 3 years we've been using it. It's hosted in Norway IIRC.
FN-GM Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Im not sure about them, the CEO on the apprentice said ISP standard for Internet Service Protocol
localzuk Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Im not sure about them, the CEO on the apprentice said ISP standard for Internet Service Protocol How does the CEO's knowledge of acronyms affect how a company performs?!
sippo Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 When I hear the word Viglen I want to run for the hills! Moved away to a vanilla 5 years ago. Software was awful, support was awful, sales overpriced...
FN-GM Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) How does the CEO's knowledge of acronyms affect how a company performs?! I didnt say it did..... i was joking Edited March 30, 2011 by FN-GM
36Degrees Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi there, We were a Viglen school for about the first 8-9 months I worked at my current school. In truth, I wasn't a fan, I found it very restrictive (having come from a Vanilla Windows background). Thankfully, for me at least, we were given the funds to do a very major update and although we looked at upgrading with Viglen, the decision was made to move to a Vanilla Windows Environment and I haven't regretted it for a second. Pretty much the same as above. As well as finding it restrictive I wasn't impressed with their engineers or their telephone support plus thought the salesman was one of the worst I had ever encountered, although that was 2004 so they may have improved.
Gibbo Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 We've used Viglen for about five years for our software, mainly Microsoft licensing. Good prices, great service.
andyturpie Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 Were looking to kit our school out in Viglen hardware from now on, its around 250 quid a workstation cheaper than its main two lettered competitor.
sidewinder Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 From my limited experiance with them, hardware seems good, Classlink seems expensive and largely pointless.
Edu-IT Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 From my limited experiance with them, hardware seems good, Classlink seems expensive and largely pointless. Pointless in what respect?
sidewinder Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 Pointless in what respect? In that it doesn't seem to offer any advantages over having a Vanilla system. Apart from an AD web interface which makes it easier to add users and deploy printers for non technical users, I dont see what it does at all.
CAM Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 Classlink 7 here, it's awful. The Remote Learning System is intrusive and doesn't always connect along with a very hit and miss web filter, the AD web interface is abysmal and breaks plus it doesn't save bookmarks or history in IE.
glennda Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 Were looking to kit our school out in Viglen hardware from now on, its around 250 quid a workstation cheaper than its main two lettered competitor. Look at the likes of Stone/novatech/misco custom builds they are so much cheaper then Viglen and RM and HP in my experience anyway. As for viglen software...... i wouldn't touch it with a **** stick
localzuk Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 Look at the likes of Stone/novatech/misco custom builds they are so much cheaper then Viglen and RM and HP in my experience anyway. Not my experience. Stone consistently come out 30% or more expensive. HP about 20%, depending on the machine.
glennda Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 Not my experience. Stone consistently come out 30% or more expensive. HP about 20%, depending on the machine. Depends how many you are buying when i replace around 240 per year (no os's has have large box downstairs) and the ones i have mentioned have been cheaper then HP. although i wouldn't use viglen or RM hardware.
ClickOnITLondon Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 We have used Viglen products for the past 6 years. Classlink XP first, and now on Classlink 10. We have also used RM CC3, Ranger and Classmaster in a variety of different schools. Classlink 10, and the Apllication Jukebox were installed into one of our schools 4 months ago, and it has been absolutely excellent. They are both part of Cohaero is an integration platform, it’s based on Sharepoint and integrates information from different systems giving you a single sign on system. Having used the other systems, Classlink 10 is completely different, as it is built on Microsoft Sharepoint, therefore no annoying restrictions etc, and it just doesn't break,like parts of CC3 used to all the time!! New machines are built and deployed using Microsoft WDS, which Viglen installed and configured, so no problem there, and the Application Jukebox is great for quickly streaming software to the workstations around the school!! As some have suggested, we did indeed have some issues around parts of the older Classlink systems, mainly Classlink XP, but the new Classlink 10 using the Sharepoint bits has actually been great for us so far! Considering you would be getting Classlink 10, not Classlink 7, and it is completely different, I would ignore the comments about Classlink 7!
spudgun Posted April 21, 2011 Posted April 21, 2011 we have recently moved to Viglen, seem good so far, (Dell struggled to get us the kit we needed on time). Not sure about support yet, as we've not had to call them, but finding drivers and things like that have been no bother. Good and Bad is that you need a tool kit to get inside them, good to stop prying hands, and bad cause I always forget where I left my tools...
Edu-IT Posted April 21, 2011 Posted April 21, 2011 In that it doesn't seem to offer any advantages over having a Vanilla system. Apart from an AD web interface which makes it easier to add users and deploy printers for non technical users, I dont see what it does at all. Probably aren't in a position to give an informed view then, really.
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