Sony was not the first…But STARS will be the last!
With the New Year and events in the news, all business leaders should be most concerned about cyber-security. With State-sponsored terror attacks new on the horizon, imagine our surprise to find that Sony was not the first. An article in December 15th’s Businessweek magazine titled, “Now at the Sands Casino: An Iranian Hacker in Every Server”. Shockingly, a little publicized precursor to the Sony attack occurred on Feb 10th, 2014 at the Sands Corporation. Read all about it at http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-12-11/iranian-hackers-hit-sheldon-adelsons-sands-casino-in-las-vegas
The minute the hack attack started, the Sands IT department drastically severed all ties to the Internet and turned off all computers using Windows Active Directory. Luckily, “ Sands was able to keep many core operations, the hackers weren’t able to access an IBM mainframe that’s key to running certain parts of the business. Hotel guests could still swipe keycards to get into their rooms. Elevators ran. Gamblers could still drop coins into slot machines or place bets at blackjack tables.” (Businessweek magazine, December 15, Page 64)
The common denominator in the Sony and Sands attacks is the Windows server platform. When looking for a school management system that you know will be secure, STARS stands alone. STARS is the only enterprise grade solution built on the IBMi platform on the market. All our competitors use the same Windows server platform that is consistently compromised. All STARS clients should sleep soundly knowing that their core business operations and data are safe…even from hackers.
No bleeding over Heart Bleed
There has been a lot of concern over the “Heart Bleed” SSL exploit, and rightfully so. SSL has always been the standard in secure internet transactions. Recently, a flaw in V 1.0 of SSL was discovered that would allow an individual to grab additional information from an SSL link, including personal information. Rest assured, as we have kept our technology up-to-date, STARS has not experienced this problem. When choosing a student system, security today is a paramount consideration. Being on the STARS cloud offers you the following:
So, no bleeding here…
Your Data Your Way!
One of the most challenging areas of some school management systems (SMS) involves the difficulty of obtaining data outside of the structured reports provided. The good news is that STARS IS DIFFERENT! The power of the STARS query tool is amazing! You can drill into your data and view it the way you want it, when you want it. Instead of fumbling with several reports to get the data you need, you can create the report you want and have it sent to you automatically. Your data your way!
As a result of having the query tool in STARS, campus presidents and school owners have improved staff efficiencies, the flow of student information, and staff knowledge of numbers and goals. They have generated more discussion regarding student and school success, and they have raised managerial effectiveness allowing them to improve their outcomes.
The latest enhancement is a simple drop-down tool that allows you to drill into your favorite queries by date ranges, student statuses, etc. It’s user defined! All that’s required to become a query creator is training with the STARS team that is part of the support offered to all clients. The data in your school management system should be at your command, the way you need it to operate and improve your campus. Your data your way!
See more STARS features at www.starscampus.com
See you at CCST!
Come visit us at the Texas CCST Convention on October 2-4. We will be set up to show you STARS live!
Come and say hi to Elsie and Paul!
Easily Manage Attendance
Did you know that STARS allows you to print student ID cards directly from the STARS database? The PDF created by STARS can be printed on the BADGY printer (available in our store HERE) or most badge printers. Once your students have their ID cards in hand, they can scan them as they enter and leave your institution. Their attendance is loaded directly into STARS. In order to scan, all you need is a basic bar code scanner like THIS.
Announcement: 7/12/2013
STARS, the only enterprise grade cloud-based school management system, today announces the integration of text messaging for use with lead contacting and student contacting. For example, send a text to all your active students to warn of campus emergencies or weather conditions. Communicate with perspective students about open houses and tours.
