Your choice of school management software can make or break your school’s daily operations. That’s why choosing the right solution and the right provider is vital.
Research suggests that around 75% of software buyers are unhappy with the service they received. Despite that, 77% say they continue to renew their contracts with those providers, citing a lack of better options available.
Ultimately, it’s impossible for any one provider to provide every solution that every school needs.
But that doesn’t mean that you need to keep migrating systems until you find the best fit. Start by finding the right school management software provider – a provider that’s flexible – and work with them to build a solution that is exactly right for your school.
Your school management integrations could be the difference between a software that meets the needs of all school departments, or spending each day trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole.
Your school management system should work for your schools daily operations. In some cases, school management providers may offer a range of solutions that can be added to your foundational database to build the solution that you need. Whereas other suppliers may offer a more all-in-one approach.
Having a system that offers multiple integrations offers a more flexible approach for your school operations. No one solution will suit every school’s needs, despite the best efforts from each provider. The latest API and software integration technology enables you to work with a range of bespoke systems offered by each supplier, or engage with third parties that better suit your needs.
The education software industry continues to grow, with new solutions consistently coming to market. This effect has been seen in technology industries around the world post-pandemic, and EdTech is predicted to see a CAGR of 13.5% until 2030. Schools can now benefit from one database, rather than disparate systems, while still maintaining the functionality that you desire from the growing variety of options.
Any provider that claims to offer a complete solution that meets the needs of every Independent school is demonstrating a lack of understanding about their industry. No one school is the same day-in, day-out.
It’s unrealistic to expect any single software solution to meet your needs. While some options may work better for your school, a certain amount of flexibility within that system is important.
However, the growth of the EdTech industry has meant that more providers are present on the market than ever before. There are now more and more options for your school’s tech stack, and some might meet your needs more than others.
The best school management software providers will recognise that integration is key to continued growth and development. They will assess their limitations and understand that system integration can strengthen their functionality, thereby empowering schools to continue growing with their system.
Integration boosts the potential of your school management software. The right provider will encourage you to seek the features that you need, where they cannot provide a solution.
The benefit of choosing one school management software provider and working with their integration technology is that it removes the need for disparate databases and inconsistent, manual data transfer.
Once central database is the key to promoting total data accuracy in your school. The smaller your need to transfer data, the smaller your margin of error. Reduce mistakes by working with one database that shares key data with your systems, rather than attempting to manage multiple databases across your departments.
A robust MIS / SIS integration means that your teams can trust the accuracy of your data, and that it is the most up-to-date information available within your systems.
This is particularly key when managing sensitive student data, or working with your data stores to generate analytics and insights. Empower your teams to make the most out of your system's database with a seamlessly integrated school tech stack.
At first glance, it can feel more economical to opt for a single, all-in-one system – even if it only partially meets the needs of each department. In reality, this often results in teams working around limitations, duplicating effort and relying on manual workarounds, all of which carry their own hidden costs.
By contrast, investing in best-in-class solutions for each area of school life, all connected through a robust MIS / SIS and API framework, enables every department to work with tools that genuinely fit their workflows. This approach supports better adoption, higher productivity and a stronger return on investment over time.
Look for a school management software provider that actively supports this model and already has established relationships with specialist solutions across admissions, finance, HR, safeguarding, teaching and learning, and more. It’s important to explore this when you meet with your shortlist of school management software suppliers.
Do they offer flexible integration that allows you to choose the right tool for each function? Are you restricted to only their modules, or can you connect to a curated ecosystem of tried-and-tested third parties? Asking these questions will help you build a stack that serves every department effectively, while still making a sound, cost-effective financial decision.
Working within a core database ensures data accuracy, but also enables your data managers to prioritise security. Maintaining one database for student data is a much more manageable task for your teams and allows them to focus on securing one set of data, rather than managing separate systems.
Integration also enables single sign-on for your school software. This is a much more secure approach to log in, and all data transfer is handled within one system.
Ultimately, data security is a priority for any school. Your databases handle large amounts of sensitive student information and it’s key to ensure the safety of this data wherever it is accessed across your school. Reducing the need for data transfer, and restricting access to only relevant data, removes the margin for error, mistakes, and lessens the risk.
At iSAMS, we recognise that we cannot provide a solution for every single area of school life and an off-the-shelf solution is often not the best choice of software for any business. In our years of experience, we have learned that every school is different. While you may need a foundational database, the required solutions for each school can be fundamentally different.
While our teams have worked hard over the years to build key solutions into our modular system, there are a range of other providers on the market that may better meet your specific needs. That’s why we offer a dedicated iSAMS API (Public and Rest APIs) and existing partner marketplace.
Work with our existing partners to build a solution that works seamlessly for your school and benefit from our existing relationships. Alternatively, you can work with our API to share data with any other third-party by building an integration that works for you.
To learn more about the iSAMS school management system and how it can be adapted to suit your needs, you can watch a demonstration below: