Multiple-platform Integration
A large public school needed to leverage data in two of its cloud-based platforms—PowerSchool and Feenics—to streamline operational tasks. Separately, the platforms housed student information and managed access control. But together, they could automatically manage and flag building entry based on real-time student updates.
Company
Large public school
Facility Size
~2,500 students
Project Lead
Jay Shepard
Joshua Dunn
The Challenge
Leverage existing platforms to streamline and automate student access.
The district needed student data to flow between its two systems—Feenics and PowerSchool. Specifically, if a student is added to PowerSchool or their status is changed, Feenics would automatically update that student’s status based on the new information. For a school district, that information goes far beyond names and enrollment, and includes things like attendance, suspension status and grade level.
Required Services
Security Software Solutions
Octeum’s software developers and subject-matter experts were tasked with leveraging development kits from the two cloud-based systems to close the gaps and reduce manual data entry—reducing the risk for errors and providing a new, automatic layer of building security. The two platforms needed to:
- Talk to each other, reflecting any PowerSchool updates in the Feenics access system.
- Automatically flag security if a suspended student swipes into the building.
- Log whether students’ swipe-in times are on time, late or absent for each school day.
Why Octeum
Experience & Proficiency
Octeum’s team has unmatched experience building, navigating and, when necessary, becoming experts in physical security platforms from the ground up. That foundation made our team the right fit to transform the district’s existing platforms and challenges into an automated solution that met their needs.
The Solution
A three-pronged approach allowed the district’s platforms to sync student data and security information.
Transit-IO
Octeum leveraged our proprietary Transit-IO service to move student data securely between Feenics and PowerSchool, with flexibility for future configurations.
Badge activity monitor
Our developers created a solution specific to the school district to monitor Feenics badge activity and automatically send it to the PowerSchool platform, marking a student as on time, late or absent.
Suspended badge swap
When a student is suspended, Octeum’s solution automatically replaces their badge photo with a “suspended” image that alerts building security to the swipe-in. When the student is no longer suspended, the image automatically reverts to the original badge photo.
Results / Benefits
Octeum’s three-pronged solution automated tasks the district previously performed manually, eliminating the risk of manual error and adding an automatic layer of building and student security.
- Reduces mistakes by eliminating human error and manual data entry
- Provides automatic visibility into student swipe activity, specifically for suspended students
- Tracks student swipes in real time, giving teachers and administrators immediate attendance information
