1. Overview

2. What Is vFusion?
It is a system that stores, integrates, and manages all school (and district) information related to:
Student data (contact info, parent/guardian info, demographic info, course info, grade info, discipline info, afterschool course info…)
School data (terms, calendar, room types, sections, courses, grades)
Staff data (contact info, role information, teacher assignments)
Also….Transportation information, Library information, Guidance/Counseling information, HR/Finance information, Fee information, and Nursing information….
Everything educators and administrators need to manage information can be accessed, reported upon (through standard reports in the application), and managed through a single interface.
This one system can accommodate the needs of all K-12 enterprises, from single charter schools to the largest districts in the country.

3. What Are the Main Features?
Core Components:
Student/Parent/Guardian Data Management
School/District Data Management (Calendar/Term)
Course/Section Management
Staff Data Management (Authorizations)
Scheduling
Attendance
Authorization
Gradebook
Teacher Portal
Student/Parent Portal
Communications
Optional Components:
School Nursing
Counseling Services
Library
Transportation
HR and Financials
Fee Management

4. Features: Technology Scalable and Web-based
Multi-Tier Architecture (illustrated on next slide)
Integrated modular structure (single data entry)
Easy customization
Multilanguage support
SIF Compliant

5. Features: System Multi-tier Architecture
This illustration of the multiple-level LEA (Districts and Sub-districts) structure shows that the application can support an infinite number of parent LEAs in the system, which is advantageous for state-level projects.

6. Features: Technological Environment
Development: Visual Studio .NET 2008
Backend Database: MS SQL Server 2008
Interface: Browsers powered with Ajax
Object/Relation Mapper: LinQ
Architecture: N-tier Architecture

7. Who Are the Users?
LEA (Local Educational Authority) Administrators and Departments
School Administrators and Departments
Staff
Teachers
Parents
Students

8. Who Are Our Competitors**?
Pearson (Powerschool, Chancery, migration of old SASI to Powerschool)
SchoolMax
Infinite Campus
Sungard Pentamation
**This is not an exhaustive list. These are some of our top competitors. A more detailed list of competitors will be posted to the Resource Center.
Easy to Deploy - No software to install and no infrastructure to manage - Vantage Fusion is an integrated solution and fully web-based Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery. It enables real-time data flow and reporting. It is efficient. It does not require a massive staff to support the application. In most cases, districts can run the application on existing infrastructure, including current computers, and utilize existing staff to manage the application. Changes and enhancements to be deployed without major efforts on the part of the district or school. Enables districts to be more effective - By providing teachers with new tools to help them be more effective in the classroom, such as attendance, grades, discipline, parent communication, and a host of other tools, all through a custom dashboard just for them, districts can truly be more data-driven in their ability to positively affect student achievement. Role-based functionality - You define the roles and responsibilities of each user and provide this to them. They then have a customized interface designed specifically for their needs. Vantage Fusion enables you to create new user profiles and manage levels of authorization. Levels can be created, edited, and monitored in real-time. Scalable, Modular, and Flexible - Choose the core Student Information module or other optional modules as you need them. If your district is growing or shrinking, only pay for what you need. Vantage Fusion was designed from the start to be a highly flexible system that can be adapted to the ever changing needs of a district. Proven Solution - While Vantage Fusion is just being introduced to the K-12 market in the U.S., it has been a proven solution with over 600,000 students and hundreds of schools and districts throughout the world. Combined with Vantage Learning's experience with large, enterprise XML and Web-based assessment delivery since 1998, you can feel confident in our ability to serve your needs with Vantage Fusion SIF compliant - Vantage Fusion leverages the most current web-based development technologies and conforms (and complies) with the SIF Implementation Specification 2.2 standards, allowing seamless integration of data from a variety of systems as well as disaggregation of data using reporting module that leverages many of our 37 patents in linguistic technology and natural language understanding. Built from the foundation as a web-based application, Fusion incorporates the latest technologies that will be your foundation for a new school intelligence system. Meets federal, state, and district reporting requirements - any reporting requirements are easily addressed within the Vantage Fusion system. Any data field is easily dropped into unique report requirements. Improve communication and decision making - Vantage Fusion helps engage parents in the conversation about their child's school activities, connecting them with the school, teacher, and classroom more effectively with timely, relevant information.

9. What Are the Benefits?
Single interface of student information, library, HR and financials, fee management, counseling, and transportation
Easy to Deploy - No software to install and no infrastructure to manage
Improve communication and decision making

10. Supplemental

11. What is the Information Flow?
Create School
Set up Staff
Basic information for the staff
Give assignment type
Assign staff to grades
Set up the School
Set up the Homerooms
Set up other room types
Set up the Calendar
Set up the term for the school year
Set up Sections
Courses
Sections that the courses fall into
Create Mark information and set mark info for sections
Authorizations (role/user-based)
Add Students
Student personal and contact information
Enroll students (enrollment to school happens automatically when the new student record is created)
Enroll student to the sections and courses
Attendance Codes 11

12. What is the 101? http://demo.vantagefusion.com
Districts/Sub-districts: 170
Schools: 199
Students: almost 200,000

13. What Questions Should I Ask Prospects?
What student information system (SIS) are you currently using?
How long have you been using this system? (in years)
Are you looking to replace your current SIS with a new SIS (is so, by when)? Or are you simply interested in seeing what other SIS products are out there in the marketplace?
What are your main areas of pain/concern with your current SIS?
What pain point(s) are you looking to resolve with an SIS?
Are you currently looking at other vendors as well? If so, which vendors?
TIP: 1) if the prospect uses acronyms; remember to get the description. This will help you conduct your research in prep for the presentation 2) find out exactly how much time they are going to allot to the discussion 15 mins; 30 mins, more?

14. What Challenges are Inherent in This Kind of Sale?
Not currently installed in the US
Customers comfortable with what they have even if it is not an ideal solution
These are multi-year implementations which means prospects may have a few years left on their current contract before they can purchase a new solution
The sales cycle is often a long one (takes a long time to close)
Prospects have many different needs when it comes to student data, so asking the right kind of follow up questions is key 14

15. What Are the Common Questions We Have Internally?
What is the cost?
Subscription cost per student for core component: TBD shortly
Cost for optional components (over and above the core): TBD shortly
Where are we installed?
Not installed in the US
Branded internationally as K12Net (in 650 schools; 1M students in the system)
Are we customizing?
For deals up to 500k:
No customizations on the application; application sold “as is”
If a customer wants customized reporting, they will get the iSeek reporting bundle *if* they purchase the full component set (core and optional)
For deals 500k+:
Customizations will be allowable (the platform upon which these customizations would be built will be a business decision made on a case by case basis)

16. How Can the Sales Team Share Information?
Share the following with each other in meetings or calls:
Lessons learned from sales presentations and/or conversations
Common questions that you hear in the field
Issues that may have come up in the discussion

17. What Tips, Tools, and Takeaways Do You Have For Us?
Training session slide deck
Sales Presentation (Master): 33 slides that include the screen prints of each component
Sales Presentation (Cut to the Chase): 10 slides that just cover the basics
Features Document
Reports List (report names and descriptions)
Competitor List
Competitor Pricing List
Part 2 Training: we will go a level deeper into the application and show the video that can be used for your presentation