GREED

Slightly off topic but this function should be handled either with an internal messaging system within the MIS (which is rich coming from me...) or it is replicating an email system...

Check the thread title ;-)

It looks very impressive I stood open mouthed when Tim and Frances showed me the school gateway app... Brilliant. Huge step forward for schoolcomms. I always like popping over to their stand at BETT, always have something new and significant to show off!

Totally different systems. They are capita in name only from my experience.

Generally we would want to work with you as the third party supplier on behalf of the school, as it is likely they will not be the Only school!! We would create the required processes or exports and make them available to the schools. Depending on the company we would probably make the export available as standard to future builds. Ultimately yes the school would make the data available to you, set the schedule up (very easy). The interesting thing here is that a simple data export or process that doesn't require physical connectivity between the 2 systems means that a formal relationship is not required, making the process potentially very cheap/free, and quick to set up. It does mean that x third party would not have access to Aspen, this would require a formal relationship, NDAs, technical know how on both sides etc. and becomes costly for both sides. Ad hoc feeds could be handled in the same way, but could just as easily be done through a report into excel or the likes, done using our very simple reporting engine, which uses on screen data fields and filtering to get the information you want before outputting to excel or the likes.

I work now with the former head of sales for promethean, he'll be pleased to know where they all got to!!! Lol

Oh tell me about it! I wanted anything to give away this year... Even pens but the powers that be said no... So beers it will be next year!!

Of course. Customers, enquiries, edugeekers, and personal mates!

I know the chap you mean. Yer he was from the BT construction team who built the stand. Did a good job. Shame about the Internet but that is excel for you! Still, proved how robust aspen was under those conditions! (Bam! Had to get that in there!!) Next year i want a bar put in, serving proper drinks to customers!! Will that work?

The lovely lady from marketing indeed, Kim is fantastic... and would the random tech on coffee duty be me by any chance? You have found out my true newly promoted position!!! lol

Thanks @Bananas Forgive my rudeness but who were you, did I meet you? Glad we gave you the fully hospitality package: business-class biscuits and freshly ground coffee!

That will be good news to your customers John. Good to hear. I had a good chat with one of your guys at BETT (while he was trying to steal all of our Aspen secrets... I know your game!!!), and I really do hope things pick up with the product.

What is the group being polled? Unit-e is for FE colleges, Corero is a finance system (they do have a sort of MIS), ebs4 is FE/HE, 3sys is independent schools. I would be surprised if many move to or have currently any of these, if a normal secondary state school. @CAM yes I am happily surprised to see Aspen MIS, shows my hard work screaming and shouting about Aspen is working

That is an interesting point made here. And this is not from my company head on, more my data manager head on: What would it take to move from Capita? I am not talking costs, but you are suggesting that regardless of whether SIMS is the best option for your school or not, you will not move because it is too much of a headache. And no disrespect to SIMS, it could be any MIS including Aspen, there has to be the weigh up between what is good and what is the cost of change.

When I heard some more detailed statistics from your guys Matt, I nearly choked on my Cola! Particularly the number of people assigned to sorting the suspense errors...

Thanks for that David. Was good to speak with you briefly again at BETT. To bring these two points together I am with @JohnCondon here, we too like Bromcom give a great centralised service to individual schools making the reliability on LA support less a requirement. We do work with many LA/Districts around the world and are engaged with a number in the UK, where we WOULD be looking for local LA support desks to get involved for the distribution to their counties, but this does not mean schools (whether an Academy or not) cannot get direct central support if they have or choose to. It is the large numbers that [insert dominant market player here] have that requires them to utilise local LA support, which has it's advantages and disadvantages...

@JohnCondon were you at BETT, I did have a look round for you to say hi!

@Tallwood_6 I assure you that was not the case... certainly on the days I was there! Closer to the real reason was we were so busy I and my colleagues couldn't get to see everyone, which was a real shame. We did have a booking system which was full and so ad-hoc chats became few and far between! Regardless, I am sorry we missed you, we would be happy to speak to you specifically, about Aspen. PM me and we can discuss further. On a more general note, I gotta say I am surprised in some respects that AL are going to charge for upgrades... considering the 'bad press' Progresso has had in recent times...

Got my a+ few years back before they changed it to expiring every 3 years @Little-Miss and was worth doing yes. It gives you knowledge that you can throw into an interview, or into a troubleshooting scenario. Does it make you a techy, not really, you are passing an exam an we all do those for one reason, to get the certificate! But it definitely looks good on the old CV!

Woot!!! App working!!!

Ex data manager here. Then went over to the other (dark) side

While that is a huge shame, I am not surprised given how busy the stand was at BETT... and how shattered I was at the end of each day!!!

Not impressed with Aspen MIS then eh??!!

Apologies I was too hasty in my original response, so I edited!! So the client we are working with has the same set up, and Aspen sits inside the 'firewall' for want of a better term, and the authentication into the network occurs first (through web browser) before forwarding as appropriate to Aspen. So the authentication to the LA systems occurs first using whatever you have already, and then into aspen as a separate step. In the same way as mentioned the location can determine how this is handled as well as inbuilt features in aspen that presents alternative permissions if located outside of the network! Aspen integrates with AD and can authenticate with AD so utilising SaSO.

Interestingly enough we are working with a client who uses 2 factor authentication to limit access outside the LAN, inside the LAN does not use it. The method puts Aspen one step removed from the web with the 2 factor authentication layer providing the buffer. I would say however that before this thread begins any potential scare mongering, remember every MIS out there provides web access in some form to parents and often staff, while it should be considered it is Definately not being implemented in a vast number of schools. LAs often do provide this to their hosted schools.