Education MIS New business Partners Strategy Technology

Free MIS Discovery Sessions for Schools, Academies & Trusts this September

Nick Finnemore 2 Comment

On the back of a LOT of requests from schools, academies, partners and MATS, this September we were pleased to independently host a series of MIS Discovery Sessions.

With everything going on in the MIS market at the moment, schools have a real appetite for understanding all the MIS+Finance options available to them. They told us they’d like to take a look at all the MIS options available in England & Wales so this month we were pleased to host the three largest multi-phase, cloud-based school MIS+Finance suppliers: Bromcom, Arbor and IRIS Ed:gen.

Who were the Sessions for?

We hosted the MIS Discovery Sessions as virtual events which are completely free of charge to participate in and to attend. The sessions were open to all schools, MATs and academies in England and Wales, plus anyone else from the sector who’d like to find out more.

 

What did the Discovery Sessions cover?

We asked suppliers to talk about how their MIS meets the needs of key people within schools (including business managers, SLT, teaching staff, finance, students, governors, and parents) and asked them all the follow the same agenda to make it easier to compare.
But it wasn’t just about the software; we also asked suppliers to talk about their organisation and culture, and what it’s like to work with them – especially when it comes to switching MIS. There was plenty of Q&A throughout each day and the goal was to help everyone feel confident about the options open to them and the next steps.

I was unable to attend, can I access recordings and information now?

Yes, all the suppliers are happy to share the recordings plus more info on everything discussed in the sessions, just click on the links below:

 

Bromcom MIS Discovery Session

Arbor MIS Discovery Session

IRIS Ed:gen MIS Discovery Session

Thank you to all the suppliers who took part, and to all the participants who joined us in the sessions. We had over 240 people register across the three days and the feedback has been great.
We’re looking to run further sessions in the future – watch this space!
#FinnemoreFireside Education MIS MIS Support Strategy Technology

Ep. 026 – Education & Business Leader Q&A: Keren Wild, Service Manager at Schools ICT

Nick Finnemore 0 Comment

Our next fireside chat is with Schools ICT Service Manager and all-round MIS expert, Keren Wild.

Schools ICT is a fully traded service of NYCC working through North Yorkshire Education Services (NYES), which means they work with all types of organisations and education settings across the UK, not just in North Yorkshire.

We’ve known Keren for many years, and it’s great to speak with colleagues from MIS support teams as it gives such a unique and insightful view of the landscape. In this Q&A, we chat about a wide range of topics including:

  • The North Yorks framework and how this has given choice to the schools
  • The value that Support Teams offer to Edtech companies; how support teams protect their schools and take away the pain of IT
  • How technology has encouraged primary schools to make different choices, especially with the added pressure of Covid closures
  • How Support Teams will evolve in the future to include wider services, multi-MIS, more competition, and becoming being a partner to MATs
  • Academisation and its role in moving Primary schools to cloud-based solutions
  • The role of Senior leaders in the decision change MIS, and how this can be a challenge
  • How well schools’ understand data and what an MIS can do for them
  • Anytime, anywhere access to MIS and how this has become even more important since Covid
  • How secondary schools feel about cloud MIS options
  • Usability and change, and what challenger MIS could do to make their solutions slicker
  • The difference between ‘one-stop shop’ and ‘best of breed’ solutions
  • The opportunities for Edtech to partner with support providers as they have insights and connections which will give Edtech companies insights to the customer
We’ve split it into four parts to make it easier to digest. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product Development Product Management Strategy

Why you need to prioritise usage analytics

Nick Finnemore 0 Comment

According to McKinsey, if a software company grows at only 20%, it has a 92% chance of ceasing to exist within a few years.

This means that software companies – particularly SaaS companies – must look at every advantage possible to stay alive in an ever-competitive market.

Remember it is the small margins that can be the deciding factor as to how successful you are.

Customer analytics can be just one way that gives you that competitive edge.

Whether it is measuring retention, product usage, or on-boarding, SaaS businesses must have comprehensive data collection and usage analytics. This enables them to make agile decisions as to the priorities and direction of their overall solution.

When starting a project, make sure that usage analytics are part of the initial NFRs (Non-Functional Requirements).  Think about: what information do you want to understand and act upon.

Ask your stakeholders what information would they find useful to support their business area so they can offer the best service they possibly can.

Ensure the Architect and development lead build in these analytics from the beginning – you want the feedback at every opportunity.