The student information system (SIS) is the heart of any education organization’s technology ecosystem. It circulates critical information to every stakeholder so they have the student data and information they need, when they need it. Investing in a best-in-class SIS is a smart choice that, in the long term, will save time and money, boost student success, and improve the quality and effectiveness of instruction.
In the last several years, the landscape of education technology has evolved rapidly and continues to swiftly develop. However, not every SIS or education technology provider has kept pace with those changes. As a result, the gap is widening between what schools and districts could accomplish with their technology and what they are accomplishing with the less efficient and insightful technology of years past.
This is clearly evident when looking at PowerSchool SIS compared to Infinite Campus SIS. When it comes to an interoperable, fully-supported SIS that is scalable, flexible, and intuitive, PowerSchool SIS is best-in-class.
The Essential Features of a Modern K-12 SIS
Regardless of an education organization’s size, its SIS should meet three main criteria:
1. Adapt to changing configuration requests or requirements to collect new data.
When legislation and regulation changes at the federal, state, or district level, reconfiguring your SIS to collect and track that data shouldn’t be a headache. With PowerSchool SIS, you can customize the platform to collect key data without needing coding knowledge or vendor help. PowerSchool SIS provides a broad set of configurations to adapt main features to changing needs in a way that is intuitive, accessible, and easy.
2. Offer comprehensive support from both the vendor and the user community.
While vendors should always be available to support their product, people who know the tool the best—the educators and staff who use it every day—are an even more invaluable resource. Having access to this community, where members can share best practices and quick tips, ask questions, and collaborate, improves the user experience for all.
3. Be supported by a robust, dependable, and secure organization.
Not all student information systems are created equally. With your SIS storing some of your organization’s most sensitive information, you want to ensure that the company behind it is committed to data security and privacy, has the staff to support your organization’s needs, and can respond to any problems as quickly and efficiently as possible.
PowerSchool SIS vs. Infinite Campus SIS: Adaptability, Customization, and Ease of Use
When it comes to adaptability and customization, both Infinite Campus and PowerSchool SIS provide customization features such as new tables, fields, web pages, and report templates. They also accommodate both traditional and standards-based grading, progress reports, and report cards. However, only PowerSchool SIS can flexibly adapt to unique workflows and processes. Its self-service options empower users to build the templates they need with a simplified process that gives users access to a broad set of configurations they can tailor to their unique needs. Staff with coding knowledge can customize the system even further without needing to pay an additional vendor fee for personalization. Of course, PowerSchool is always available for support and help.
Further, only PowerSchool partners with best-in-class public cloud providers in multiple regions (Azure). Azure is a Microsoft product that helps PowerSchool build, run, and manage applications across multiple clouds—hosted on-premises or in the cloud, according to a district’s preference—while giving you access to the tools and frameworks of your choice.
These features have scored PowerSchool a higher ease-of-use ranking than Infinite Campus based on online user ratings.
PowerSchool SIS vs. Infinite Campus SIS: Product Support
As one of the most-used tools in a district, an SIS needs to be backed by a provider that can efficiently resolve problems and support stakeholders’ learning and mastery of the tool. Both Infinite Campus and PowerSchool offer support online, via email, by case submission, and more. They also both have an SIS that can build and share customizations with other users.
What distinguishes PowerSchool from Infinite Campus is its in-house services, support, and training offerings for all 50 states and all Canadian provinces. There’s no additional charge for support, and online user rankings put PowerSchool above Infinite Campus in support quality. Simply put: PowerSchool’s got you covered.
PowerSchool SIS vs. Infinite Campus SIS: A Breadth of Modern Solutions Built with a Strong Security Infrastructure
In a time of increasingly sophisticated ransomware attacks, PowerSchool maintains its strong commitment to security as evidenced by its 24/7/365 eyes-on-glass monitoring, ISO 27001:2022 Certification, and participation in the White House Cybersecurity Initiative. PowerSchool also regularly performs vulnerability scanning and third-party penetrating testing to ensure data confidentiality and integrity.
PowerSchool’s interoperable solutions use SSO (single sign-on) to centralize authentication, allowing for stricter authentication polices such as MFA (multi-factor authentication). These measures ensure that only authorized users gain access to certain resources and information.
SSO also gives organizations greater visibility into login attempts and user activity. With just one point of integration, organizations are empowered to simplify compliance with regulatory requirements by providing centralized control over user access and authentication.
Even better, this stringent security infrastructure protects not only PowerSchool SIS but also its wide range of products including talent management and ERP solutions; evaluation and professional development platforms for educators; college, career, and life readiness planning; and more. Any education organization can get almost every tool it needs from PowerSchool, building its technology ecosystem around a single provider to optimize interoperability, data accuracy, and of-the-moment information.
By contrast, Infinite Campus offers its SIS and a limited selection of various other solutions for learning management, communication, and payment processing.
Infinitely Superior: PowerSchool SIS
While both Infinite Campus SIS and PowerSchool SIS offer robust solutions for schools and districts, the distinct advantages of PowerSchool, including its user-friendly features, customizable interface, and comprehensive product support, set it apart as the preferred choice for many education organizations. With its focus on empowering educators and staff, streamlining administrative tasks, and enhancing the use of student data and information, PowerSchool SIS provides schools with the tools they need to deliver excellent educational experiences now and into the future.
*This blog uses data from a February 2024 comparison of publicly available information between PowerSchool and Infinite Campus.
