Today’s post is all about how to pick the school sign-in system that’s perfectly meets your requirements.
The growing consensus within the education sector is that sign-in systems are essential to the safeguarding of students, staff, visitors and the school premises as a whole.
The difficulty with this often lies in the specifics of school sign-in systems available on the market. It’s can be hard to compare systems and know exactly what you should be looking for when it comes to the features, cost, connectivity and security credentials of a particular system. So, today we’re giving you a short guide of the key criteria you need to look for when selecting a school sign-in system.
Cost
Have you allocated a set budget for a sign-in system? Do the systems you’re considering fall within your budget? While you compare the different features available it can be useful to get pricing or request a quotation early on so you have idea of how solutions measure up on cost too. Here are a few things to consider when weighing up the financial side of a sign-in system:
- Hardware price: Is the hardware itself a reasonable price? Is there anything unique about the hardware which changes the price point e.g. integrated features such as card readers? Do you own the hardware or are you renting it for the longevity of having the system in place? What’s the cost of any physical add-ons such as stands, mounts and printers cost?
- Installation: Does the solution provider offer system installation – and how much do they charge for installation? What exactly is included in this cost?
- Support costs: Are there yearly costs associated with system support? Perhaps a provider offers multiple support plans at tiered pricing levels. In this case, compare and evaluate which plan is most suitable for your requirements.
- Other recurring costs: This can include software licensing and costs for integration with management information systems and access control. If your school sign-in system prints visitor badges, there will also be a recurring cost for new print rolls.
Ease of use
How easy and intuitive is the system to use? This may sound like an obvious point at first, but systems can vary hugely in their usability. This, in turn, can lengthen the sign-in process which reduces the efficiency of the reception as a whole.
This is why booking a demonstration of the system is highly recommended. Videos, online demonstrations, and personal demonstrations will give you an idea of the processes and whether the user experience is right for you.
Security and privacy
With the enactment of GDPR, security and privacy within schools has never been more important, especially in schools where safeguarding and student security is particularly vital.
One key consideration here is the way in which a prospective school sign-in system stores and handles the data it receives. It’s essential that the system you’re considering stores its data either in the cloud or on a server located on the premises, as opposed to locally storing it. This ensures that data is securely backed up and encrypted, as well as making data amendment and data erasure a more simplified process.
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Looking for more guidance on your search for a school sign-in system? Download our comprehensive guide below. You’ll use this guide to evaluate systems against a list of criteria and pick the system which best meets your exact needs.
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If you’re looking for a school sign-in system that ticks all the boxes for usability, security, privacy, affordability and much more, VisiPoint is ideal. Get in touch with a member of our expert team on +44 (0) 191 341 0016 or by using the form.