TechMonkey

I would suggest getting a training session, it will really help with some of those questions. I've not had to use Cover for a while but: - My recollection is if you want a long term forecast, run a report. The edit page is exactly for that, to edit that day. - The icons show what kind of day they have so you can pick the teachers with a freer timetable, the table shows lessons teaching, free tables and timetable load. Even cover per day, week, month and cycle - Split cover rings a bell so check the documentation, I think it is possible. - multiple teachers to a lesson I'm not sure about you would have to ask support/a trainer - Why would you use cover for people that don't need cover? - Timed suspensions is an issue, iSAMS were meant to be sorting that, no idea how far they got. - Room closures is under Manage Room Closures, you don't use Cover for invigilation. - I can't remember if Cover is part of the core or not, speak to your account manager. I'd seriously get some training as you will just be stabbing in the dark, or get on the support site and Community. There are some threads on the community about moving from SIMS to iSAMS. Moving from one system to another, things will be different you can't just expect to use the same workflow across platforms, especially as it does sound like SIMS allowed some bodges.

Can I ask what the iSAMS module is lacking?

I'm guessing bye bye emails? That leads to a question actually. If a user has an Archive mailbox and move emails to that, are they exempt from the retention policy?

30 days seems harsh, 13/14 months would allow people to look back at this time last year for events. Though sitting on the fence, email shouldn't be a storage medium so they should get things out of email and into proper documents or process sheets. EDIT: Sorry, just read your post properly and seen the 30 days is for deleted items. That seems sensible.

I create Devices, Servers, and People OUs and have all entries in there, I do not use the Users or Computers OUs. Under Devices I have OUs based on what I might want to apply GPOs to. So currently I have Locations and then Laptops and Desktops. Under Desktops I have an OU for locations that have multiple PCs in, so Art cluster, DT cluster, IT rooms, etc. Under Servers I have OUs for Domain Controllers and Virtual Servers and then RDS Hosts under Virtual Servers. Under People I have: - Exam Users - External - Pupils -- 2022 -- 2021 -- etc - Service - Staff

Outlook or OWA?

Do they have to be SMART or Promethean? Are you stuck in their ecosystem? Why not a standard touch panel and then staff can use any tools they are comfortable with. Will almost certainly come in cheaper. Alternative suppliers are Sharp, NewLine, Vestel, BENQ and many more.

Yep same here. £10-12K for basics up to I think £36k. Could not justify it any which way as cool as it looks.

Ohhh, I'm glad it isn't just us then!! No help I'm afraid, just moral support. The annoying thing is this has happened as our Papercut Deploy has stopped working so adding manually is the backup and that has become unstable as you point out.

I know you have the info you need but just wondered, is the door entry system standalone? Ye olde white handset on the wall? You can probably convert that VOIP and then use ring groups, failover or timed responses that are standard in your phone system. May only need the door panel replaced, a network connection and config in your PBX.

Yep! I created an Admissions report that had comparisons to previous years, predicted intake for the next few years, Leaver comparisons and year on year analysis. Was intended to be run monthly to submit to the Governors. Looked pretty too

Yes you can. They offer a course to show the iSAMS way, how to best access iSAMS info and how best to setup Visual Code to access resources. Ultimately it is an SQL database, using SRSS and SQL.

That is concerning. How long ago was this? I can see in the Analytics & Insights module there is a rename option, so that is easy to do. In the old standard SRSS interface it was a bit fiddly but still something you could do. Had you done the SRSS training course? I know there were some support staff that would stick to the guideline rigidly that if you hadn't been on the SRSS course they couldn't help you with reporting queries. I can understand the logic. Maybe they have tightened the threshold of what is allowed for free edits? Ultimately, yes you can create reports yourself, yes you can rename reports, but yes there is a chargeable element that can be a bit blurry on what they will guide you through and what they will want to do themselves.

Could you use Teams? You can set assessments, have evidence uploaded, see which are complete and which are still open. Not exactly what you are after but, depending on your ecosystem, would be low cost and using things staff are already mostly familiar with.

I'd rather go for a proper door access system that would tie in to a VOIP phone system, allowing user failover and sustainability, and giving remote door opening.

Defender covers anti-virus and Malware. Intune covers application and device control. There is web filtering in Defender but I have no experience with it.

I don't use iSAMS, but manage and administrate it. So teacher's may have a different view point. Likes: - Online, so no updates needed from me and accessible anywhere. - Mostly sensible, there aren't many odd choices or processes, you can logic most processes. - Interface isn't horrific - Support are generally responsive and sort things quickly - Are moving forward and filling gaps, like finance system. - Great API. Less of a concern now with Wonde and the like, but the API has been a real help on occasion. - Admin is easy. - Customer interaction good. They do regular customer voice events, either in person or online, that are really useful. Dislikes: - Needs an overhaul. A few bits need a good overhaul, still being bits not totally suited to general online access. Co-Curricular module is the biggie for me, and the Parent Portal - Parent portal. Isn't really a dislike but, as above, it is missing so many things to make it fully competitive with things like My School Portal and EduLink. All the information is there, just not developed it. Supposedly coming soon though. - No clear Roadmap. I've been told the new Parent Portal and co-curricular module is coming soon for the last 4 years. I understand COVID possibly redirected resources but it is beyond a joke now. - Sometimes not consistent. So in the pupil search you can create custom searches based on almost any field. Not possible for staff, using almost the exact same interface. - Some bulk inputs/creation missing. Secondary tasks, so nothing awful, but adding meetings to a teachers timetable can be a bit slow and laborious. No daunting tasks. Everything is just there. Academic reporting can be pretty complex, but it just is on any system. Once you have it setup you can just copy it. I sometimes wished it was a bit more complex, maybe cleverer, to allow fewer reporting setups, but it always produced what we needed. Overall positive, much better than the 2 other old school MIS I had to deal with, but I have not had the chance to see or play with Arbor or Bromcom. EDIT: Just to correct someone, you can edit the reports yourself, using SRSS. iSAMS also offer training courses to carry this out. They will alter minor changes for free, but if you want a major change they will charge for it due to one of their reporting resources being used. This can be a bit annoying, but understandable, but also a God send if you have a complicated report you want them to create for you. Changing name is something you could do yourself for free, and I do find it hard to believe they charged for a name change as there is no SRSS needed.

We use Defender. Control from Intune.

But as one wise man said, if the journey is never started, it will never complete. Getting a replacement for MatRep will plaster over the issue and kick the can down the road. Starting the process of migrating from SIMS will solve the issue, more than likely save money, and more than likely solve a whole heap of other issues.

Out of interest, who did you sign with?

Slightly glib response but, get an MIS that works. Any modern, MIS will allow staff to write reports online from anywhere, without the addition of third party systems.

OCR recognises my handwriting, which is terrible. And I can write and jot much faster than I type and trying to type when annotating is particularly annoying. Typing is also a very intrusive act, especially if you are using a laptop, thereby having something between you and the person you are talking to.

Rocketbooks are wipeable, if you use the correct pilot pens, but less easy to smudge than whiteboard pens.

I use a RocketBook. Works well and people who like that tactile feeling of writing get on with them really well. A Remarkable alternative is Boox. They are full Android tablets using e-ink displays. The Kindle Scribe appears to be a missed opportunity. The issue with all these devices is that they are very expensive! If you are a MS school, OneNote will take hand written notes, through the app. Alternatively get the Office Lens app and that will orientate the paper nicely for you and put it in OneNote, OneDrive, SharePoint or Teams.

I don't think you can, it will be the MS server IP that is being rejected. It will pass, but not sure the time frame.