SOLUS3 Upgrade

Following the Capita technical road map, all schools using SIMS should upgrade to the new version of SOLUS by the end of March 2016.

In addition, Microsoft have removed support for SQL Server 2008 and 2008R2, and this must be upgraded to SQL2012 as soon as possible. The Autumn upgrade for SIMS and FMS will only be able to be installed onto SQL2012 or SQL2014. This is required to produce your January census. According to our records some of our schools have not yet upgraded. We will be contacting schools individually to discuss the upgrade requirements.

SOLUS3

SOLUS (SIMS Online Update Service) allows an automation of the SIMS, FMS and Discover upgrades and the application of patches on a workstation without intervention, making the process effortless.

If you are currently using SOLUS2, Capita is recommending that you upgrade to SOLUS3 before the previous versions are phased out early 2016. By upgrading to SOLUS3, you will benefit from simplified SIMS upgrades and patch installations that are easier to manage. If you manually perform upgrades, you will still be able to do so, however, SOLUS3 means there will be no need to visit each SIMS workstation to roll out the upgrades from the server, freeing up your time or your technicians time, enabling you to work on other important projects.

Benefits of SOLUS3:

• Schedule updates allowing you to control when you want the upgrade
• Entire SIMS system can be upgraded without end-user involvement
• SIMS client software can be installed remotely, reducing the need for a workstation visit
• Infrastructure (e.g. .Net Framework 4) is deployed automatically, saving support time
• Improved reporting, helping the deployment manager to identify any potential issues and resolve them in advance

In order to support this within our schools we are planning to book visits to carry out these network projects during school holidays to minimise disruption, but can undertake at any other time to suit the school. We expect that for a standard primary school the upgrade to SOLUS3 and migration to SQL2012 will take one day. Naturally, there are times when projects are more complex, and for larger schools this may take longer. Service Level Agreement allowance can be used for this installation, or the additional time can be purchased as required. Please contact us at misservicedesk@schoolbusinessservices.co.uk or call 0345 222 1551 • option 3 for pricing and to book your date. We anticipate high demand for this service, so will operate a first-come, first-served basis for bookings.