GREED

Assuming this is a primary school?

Fake all the way... Fake hair, eyelashes, nose, chin... John Merrick in a suit.

It is why I make so many sales...

Parents Evening Booking System is the big alternative, from NetMedia. Worth checking out as well.

Play nice please... Let's not have the 4th emergency service come on down... Mods

Ref: GDPR

Have you looked at XoD at all yet @vikpaw ?

Agreed. You could give away the MIS (or any system for that matter) for free, but if it is a huge undertaking to get staff up to speed, where is the cost saving? I should say I do not advocate in any direction for moving or staying, not up for playing that often fun game. What I have always believed and promoted is there is a right system for everyone, whether it is a new system or your existing one. Look at the market and see what is there, but also look at what you have now and see if you are using it best for the money you have paid. Moving for the sake of moving, or for the sake of a ham and shiny bells, is bluntly - stupid. You should not feel forced to move from one system doing x to another system also doing x for just one or two reasons, and certainly not for the less zeros on an invoice. But, if those are part of an overall reason to move, then they are the collective bonuses that add up to a single good deal. OK my soapbox is but away now...

Most partners either have or are migrating to Xporter on Demand which directly ask the school what data is and is not being requested by each and every partner integration. School authorises that before any data leaves and partner cannot access anything above this. This also covers the new GDPR requirements coming next year - we are all aware of this right?

Would assume so, given the banks who almost always provide the payment gateways charge a % fee... Otherwise a flay fee would either be a ridiculous amount to cover it or would be loss making. In fact I know for a fact ParentPay do because it changed recently, so I am told.

As someone that has sat on both sides of the fence during an MIS migration (MIS supplier and school employee), I can 100% say that the cost of change far outweighs the invoiced £££ paid. I recall saying exactly this here about 4 years (and amazing to see that certain individuals who are now agreeing with that point were less open minded then!). As has been stated, it can be the most fantastic efficient and cost saving product in the world, but if no bugger can use it or wants to use it then it isn't a good deal. I think this topic is wandering slightly with some proliferation of advertising of services... Somewhat ironic for me of all people to say! That said, I also feel that some points raised about the market and/or suppliers are somewhat outdated or playing on the headlines of old...

OK sorry my bad I misread that. Yes that does sound like a good deal for backup support, not questioning the importance of that at all. Yet still, what value would you place on an MIS?

Perhaps a bad example, and yet it is still 3.5k, 7 times your valuation of an MIS. Consider that an MIS runs the whole exam system, a timetable system (which is silly complex btw!), assessment, forecasting, admissions for some, communications to 2000 parents, etc etc. I think it is all about perception, some will use it all day every day and see the real value, and others will not and question the value. Some will question whether 3.5k for MS software is good value... How do you quantify value in that way? I am not saying right or wrong, but I am saying the market for MIS and pricing is what it is, like any other market that has been priced organically from year dot - for those that live and breathe it I think prices are competitive and demonstrate value for the most part.

Interesting discussion. On that point, when your Microsoft licencing for server software, desktop software, office software, rolls into the many thousands of ££, given we would all agree that is essential, why does that not get the same flack on pricing?

I'm not so sure about that...

Interested to know - what do you consider 'well priced' @AButters - and how long does that 'well priced' stay being well priced when it suddenly becomes a race to the bottom? Assuming that 'well priced' is less than most out there right now, you are saying want everything better than everyone else, and cost less money, on a product that is not bringing in income already to pay for the development marketing sales and support of said product? I suspect there is a reason the big players have not entered the market

In the next window I will request and add too the data the version of the MIS which until now I did not realise was available. This will help identify the difference for AL software specifically.

I don't think it will if you really do mean September and what might have been!

You will have to ask the mods that one. You are welcome.

Yes that is what I do. You can get the raw data if you download the spreadsheet on the summary stats page FYI

It is there on the site, the previous link was not the right place on the site. It is a shame I am not allowed to talk more about this on here, how this is put together and how others use it, sticking within the rules as best i can!

It is. And thank you

As I built it, yes. Unfortunately someone else will have to put the link up as I get in trouble from suppliers complaining (that I put the stats on my own personal website up)...

Yes there is one

It is something Groupcall does, yes. Unfortunately we'll probably have to speak via PM or elsewhere for any details, as a non-sponsoring supplier I'm barred from saying much more.