[bromcom] Anyone use the Bromcom MIS?

[Achandler]

I know all MIS have their quirks and problems, annoyances and bugs and even some useful features.

 

However, I am wondering, does anyone use Bromcom as a full MIS? If so do you like it, in comparison to SIMS.

 

I think that Bromcom have actually gone away and rewritten their program, something Capita can't/ won't do and as a result on paper (have only seen 2 modules) it looks much better, and has a better feel to it but then on paper I suspect SIMS looks good to.

 

We have Bromcom coming in soon to show us their full MIS and wanted to know any thoughts first.

[vikpaw]

Not sure of anyone here that is. Filtering by thread prefix only reveals a few users of add-in products. You'd be better off checking for case studies off their website.

 

I must admit when i looked at it 6/7 years ago, it was very intuitive and had been designed really well with usability at the forefront. I really liked the student info view which had all key info summaries then little floating menus that you could expand to drill down to more detailed info.

 

Attendance which is where their roots lie is obviously very robust and works well, and i always liked the reporting. Not seen / heard from them much lately, which was more notable from their absence at the #Bett_Show

[Achandler]

Indeed vikpaw, I did the same search as yourself and found it mentioned very little.

 

I have contact details of two schools that do use it, which we are going to contact but I expect their views will be predominantly on how it works, I want to know if it always works and what bugs there are, as end users tend to "do it this way and it stops that happening".

[GREED]

They are selling still as a full MIS have run into a rep twice recently.

[vikpaw]

Indeed vikpaw, I did the same search as yourself and found it mentioned very little.

 

I have contact details of two schools that do use it, which we are going to contact but I expect their views will be predominantly on how it works, I want to know if it always works and what bugs there are, as end users tend to "do it this way and it stops that happening".

@Achandler there was one school that moved from SIMS to them, and then moved back again. If you search around the threads, you'll probably find them based on their comments, i wont highlight them directly I believe this was to do with issues with data handling and support.

 

If you get in touch with the techie at the schools, i'm sure they'll tell you how it stands. Nothing always works, and nothing is bug free, it's going to come down to how much you get on with it and if it suits your needs.

 

When i had it at a previous school, i never had any major issues that couldn't be solved quickly and efficiently. Some have said that support is not now as good as it used to be, but i always found it great (going back 6-8 years).

 

If you're considering a change of MIS, what else are you looking at? ASPEN, Scholarpack, Progresso, iSAMS, Pearson, RM, ?

[Achandler]

There are also schools that have goen from SIMS to Serco to Scholarpack.

 

To say the school is considering alternatives to SIMS would be true, but how serious they are I don't know yet. I wanted to see Bromcom in action really, but don't fancy a 3 hour drive!

[vikpaw]

Get them to drive to you the account managers are great

[Rebelgirl]

We use most of the modules in the Bromcom MIS. Nothing is perfect but what we like is that when you ring them or post on Supportnet, you know who you are dealing with. If there is a problem they dial in straight away and look at it with you. None of this sending a file to Head Office and waiting three weeks for an answer. If you make a Change Request, the engineers/developers talk it through with you and if it's rejected then they explain why. If it's accepted they get it into the build when they can. No waiting 18 months and finding not enough people have voted for it and they have decided against it.

 

It's all web based and they do the upgrades. I can log in from work, home or a beach in Bermuda (not that I would want to) and see exactly the same screen - no software to instal. At the moment the MIS bit doesn't work in Firefox. I believe you can use some of the bits on an iPad but don't quote me. Our parents prefer their Parent Portal and teachers like their day to day front end. They like it that they can see instantly if they have missed a register.

 

They are smaller than some of the big players but that means we know most of the staff by name (and they know us!), they visit when we need them or if we want to discuss future developments. Room for improvement? Yes, but at least they are listening.

[matt40k]

Glad it's working for you, last time I heard from them it was all sales talk and they never delivered what they promised. Support was excellent however.

 

Yes, but at least they are listening.

 

Are you trying to say "others" don't? Mmm...

[Bromcom_Hus]

Sorry to hear that matt40k! When this happened?

[matt40k]

This was... 4 years ago? Sure it's changed since, but you only get kicked so many times before you walk away, sure it's the same with Capita and other people.

[Banjo]

I'm sure that in one of the Becta rerports on MIS there was a table of all suppliers and the number of schools that they currently supported.

 

From memory Bromcom was around the 20 school mark, but that figure would be a couple of years old now.

[matt40k]

DfE release public statistics regarding general figures from the census, they've improved this alot lately, include number of MIS systems used.

[alharv3560]

Hi,

 

My school moved over to Bromcom's full MIS. We used Serco and had any amount of issues with downtime, support and unstable products, especially when there was an upgrade. Bromcoms packages are web based, allowing integration with Office Apps through an add-on. Only a small number of staff use the full MIS, teachers etc take registers, check timetables, view student info and complete assessment input using a different interface called 'Webfolder.' Which keeps them away from the full MIS and access to only the elements they need. We also bought into their parental portal, 'My Child At school' again web based and displays info on a parents child, so they can monitor attendance, homework etc. It's a cracking package. Support is great, the guys do respond promptly to any calls. They handle all upgrades remotly at a time to suit. We have had no downtime or major issues since we moved to Bromcom in 2010. Overall, its incredibly stable and easy to use. Drop me a line if you want any further info.

Edited February 29, 2012 by alharv3560

[vikpaw]

I'm sure that in one of the Becta rerports on MIS there was a table of all suppliers and the number of schools that they currently supported.

 

From memory Bromcom was around the 20 school mark, but that figure would be a couple of years old now.

 

Yeah, you're right, it's probably attached to one of the threads here. I think that was only counting full MIS system users, which is relevant here, though i'm sure they still have loads of SIMS Schools that use the registration add-in.

 

It would be interesting to hear any updated figures .. . .

[SimonLewin]

If anyone has any queries on non-product or services relatingto Bromcom Computers Plc then please send me a private message. We are happy to respond.

[BCUser]

Several comments in this thread about Bromcom's current financial difficulties and winding up petition have been deleted.

 

Schools about to embark on a long term financial and technical commitment such as to an MIS have the right to know such information. Any school who has switched MIS in the past will be aware of the costs both financially and in terms of training.

 

We should at least be entitled to know what contingency plans have been put in place by Bromcom to continue supporting/maintaining their source code were they to become insolvent.

[GREED]

@BCUser I agree with the spirit of your post, @paul above has posted an impartial link to the article.

 

You have to understand that you have made just 1 post on this forum, and that is quite distinctive a post. Staff from Bromcom have invited users to contact them regarding this point which is an excellent response.

[SimonLewin]

To those concerned at the notice, there were unprecedented mitigating circumstances behind this. However, the originator of the notice has been fully satisfied for some weeks now. If you have any further queries on non-product or services relating to Bromcom Computers Plc then please send me a private message. We are happy to respond.

[vikpaw]

Would it not make sense to explain the state of play in public. Making it look like there is something to hide does not instil confidence, though I understand in some cases due to legal reasons things can't be public, but then they shouldn't be shared to anyone anyway.

[SimonLewin]

Vikpaw, you are right. Whilst happy to communicate individually under PM, for legal reasons we are limited what can be state at present time other than to confirm the most relevant information that “the originator of the notice has been fully satisfied for some weeks now and therefore they have no need for any action to follow.

[GREED]

I would understand the concerns from a user of their MIS. Have you taken up their offer of contacting them to find out what the issues are? This may well alley any fears. Yes such an event is serious but there are many circumstances that may cause this, as well as many a successful business going though rough patches at some point in their history.

 

I should say that if switching MIS is a concern, most suppliers will have plans in place to assist with this, not to mention comprehensive schemes to get your staff trained up with the least amount of disruption. You must have switched TO Bromcom at some point.