The established meaning of a data silo, is data that is entrapped within an application and not particularly easy to transfer between systems. It might also be data trapped intentionally by an individual.
Sometimes, applications are purposely designed to trap your data within them, binding you to a supplier; so called stove pipe systems. Even though this is well understood, still we see decisions made that lean towards locking up data in proprietary systems. If open source software solutions are not used, which advocate for open exchange between applications, then large and expensive middleware maybe needed to facilitate data exchange. Or more often than not, schools will just bear the existence of silos and the inefficiencies that brings.
There is a new term I recently hear, “product silos”. I feel like this encompasses data silo and expands on it further, perhaps encompassing login.
Can you remember all your passwords? Are you using the same password for multiple products? Is this the result of product silos?
One component of using multiple products is logging in to them. The ability to sign on once and move between different systems has been eroded as applications become more dispersed out to the cloud.
For teachers of multiple systems, I feel your pain.
For instance, transposing grades from one gradebook to another, eats in to precious student teacher time and is prone to mistakes. It is imperative to ensure that systems talk to each other either out of the box or by the implementation of an integration project.
One way to minimise login and data silos is to either integrate disparate systems, which will be complex and therefore expensive or purchase products from the same vendor, with prebuilt integrations.
An informed systems architecture is paramount to a school, as well as policies to uphold the architecture. This is a core task of Technology Directors.
What lead me to this train of thought, was a webinar I recently attended from PowerSchool as well as research I did while working on my dissertation. PowerSchool has purchased the Haiku learning management system (LMS) and are deeply integrating it with PowerTeacher and PowerSchool. They have called this solution PowerSchool Learning. The integration is deeply compelling. From PowerTeacher you can create an assignment directly in PowerSchool Learning and grade it. A real time saver for teachers, under a central username and password.
