idXtra takes on Brazil!

This month we have taken idXtra global, as we were represented at the BETT Show in Sao Paulo, Brazil!

Our representative, Munir, spoke to many suppliers and visitors at the event, as we hope to form some partnerships and distribute our products in this amazing and enormous country.

BETT Brazil, aka Bett Educar, is the largest education and technology event in Latin America. The event was held at the Transamerica Expo Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 10th – 13th May.

We now also have a Portuguese website for idXtra Brazil; take a look!

www.idxtra.com.br

idXtra celebrates its 20th Anniversary!

We are pleased to announce our 20th anniversary of being in business! As we celebrate this, we would like to thank all of our loyal customers, suppliers and staff for your custom and patronage over the years.

Without our loyal customers we would not exist, and we have gone from strength to strength with your support. We look forward to serving and supporting you in all the years to come!

Tony Walsh, Founder

A little bit of backstory about us… idXtra was founded on 28th March 2002 by Tony Walsh and Tarique Ahmad; how time has flown since then!

Initially idXtra focused mainly on ID card printing and software, but twenty years later we have expanded the team and grown, and we now specialize in an array of innovative technologies such as visitor management systems, cashless catering, attendance monitoring and access control systems.

Take a look at our old logo from 2002-2011; what a throwback!

Season’s Greetings from idXtra!

As 2021 slowly draws to a close, we reflect on what a year it has been. Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, we are thankful to be able to spend this festive period with our loved ones.

We would like to thank our loyal customers for their continued patronage, and we look forward to all that is to come in 2022!

Before we see in the new year, we’d like to welcome on board two new idXtra customers, Queen Mary’s College in Basingstoke and Newham College London!

Queen Mary’s College have just had our cashless catering system installed in their premises; it will make their catering and payment processes so much easier. To find out more about our cashless system, EventPOS, click here.

Newham College London have also recently decided to have EventPOS installed in both of their campuses, Stratford and East Ham. The new system is a big step forward from their previous one.

We look forward to hearing how both colleges get on with their new tech!

Come and see us at the AoC Annual Conference & Exhibition 2021!

After eighteen months of no large events, we are delighted to be exhibiting at the Association of Colleges Annual Conference and Exhibition 2021 at the ICC in Birmingham!

The AoC exhibition is the must-attend further education event of the year and will run from Tuesday 16th to Wednesday 17th of November. We will be on stand F2 in the main foyer.

We look forward to seeing lots of our friends, customers and colleagues at the event!

We will be demonstrating our systems on the stand and giving out lots of information, plus idXtra pens and sweets!

For information about the event and to book tickets, visit the AoC website.

The Inspire Education group goes cashless!

Working with our partner, Wisepay, we installed our cashless catering system, EventPOS, at thirteen locations across two of the Inspire Education Group‘s campuses (Stamford and Peterborough Colleges).

The aim of the project was to simplify the issuing of discreet free school meals and to bring several disparate systems together as one system, on a single network linked to MIS. 

Their system is now much more efficient; the college group also made use of EventPOS‘ latest upgrade, which is the allergen tracking feature. This clever feature keeps a record of all students’ allergies and dietary information, and alerts if a student tries to purchase a prohibited item. Safeguarding has never been simpler!

Big thanks to the Inspire Education group, we look forward to hearing how you get on with EventPOS!

Please click here for more information on our cashless catering system, EventPOS, and here to hear more about its new allergen tracking feature.

ID card printing galore for the Trafford College group!

We were delighted to be chosen as the supplier to the Trafford College group to upgrade their ID card printing systems across their five campuses! 

The formation of the Trafford College group meant that there were disparate systems across the four colleges (Trafford College, Stockport College, The Cheadle College and Marple Sixth Form College), and the aim was to bring everything together with one system.

We supplied twelve new ID card printers and updated and extended their ID card printing software, and we wrote integration pieces in order to push records into three different access control systems.  

The result is a smoother, simplified operation that is easier to support and to extend further.  

Thank you to the Trafford College group, we hope you love your new card printing system!

Please click the following links to find out more information about our products and services relevant to this post:

New City College group gets major upgrade!

In these summer months as the new school year rapidly approaches, many schools and colleges use this time to get upgrades to their premises.

The New City College group are no different, and this month have decided to get a major upgrade to their systems, and opted for idXtra’s cashless catering and visitor management systems.

The NCC group had our cashless system, EventPOS, installed across their six colleges and ten campuses. They chose EventPOS to manage their cashless catering across its very large estate; the system works perfectly for them as it links to MIS to deliver FSM and other bursaries in real time.

A recent and major upgrade to the EventPOS system is that it now caters for allergies and dietary preferences, meaning the safeguarding of students is greatly enhanced.

Not only did the college group opt for a new cashless system, but they upgraded their visitor management system too! We upgraded and replaced all of their systems to our VMS, VisiTapp, across all of their campuses. VisiTapp is highly efficient and reliable, and can be adapted to meet your specific requirements and preferences.

Lastly, just in time for the enrolment period, we supplied the NCC with ten new ZXP 7 card printers plus eighteen new CardExchange v10 licenses. Our card printers and software are very reliable and easy to operate, plus our printers can be hired on a daily basis!

Big thanks to the New City College group, it was a pleasure installing our systems in your premises!

For further information on our products and services mentioned here, please click on the following links:

Attendance monitoring at West Notts College!

We are thrilled to welcome on board West Nottinghamshire College to the idXtra family of customers!

Recently we completed the installation of EventMarker, our attendance monitoring system, in all of their classrooms and teaching spaces. The system was installed in a way that incorporates their existing student ID cards, which meant they didn’t need to get all new cards printed, thus saving time and expense.

Through the installation the idXtra team also fine-tuned the link to their MIS system, for the purpose of exchanging timetable and attendance data. This system was a major investment by the college, which will inevitably result in even better student retention rates and the funding associated with it.

Thank you West Notts College, we look forward to seeing how you get on with your new system!

For information on our attendance monitoring system, EventMarker, and to find out how to book a free remote demonstration, please click here.

The Headteacher magazine – Summer issue

As we enter the summer months, we are pleased to announce that idXtra will feature in the new June / July issue of ‘The Headteacher’ magazine!

We are delighted to be featured in the publication again, which is received by many primary school headteachers, school leaders, SBMs, executive heads and academy chain buyers.

Our feature in this issue focuses on our visitor management system, VisiTapp. We feel VisiTapp in particular would be of interest to primary schools, not just because of GDPR reasons but also for safeguarding and security purposes. These systems are essential as much as they are affordable; they can also really enhance the look and feel of the school’s front-of-house reception area.

VisiTapp is highly reliable, flexible and affordable, and is more efficient than the much-hyped leading brands. For more info on our VMS, visit idxtra.com/new-visitapp, and for a free demo or quotation, email info@idxtra.com or call 0800 083 6053.

Get your latest copy of ‘The Headteacher’ magazine (Volume 5, Issue 5) on June 25th.

Welcome New Customers!

In recent weeks, we have had the pleasure of welcoming some new customers to the idXtra family! We are delighted to welcome the following establishments on board:

  • Hartlepool College of Further Education – EventPOS Cashless Catering
  • Derwentside College – EventPOS Cashless Catering
  • Warley Primary School – VisiTapp Visitor Management System
  • Colchester Sixth Form College – EventPOS Cashless Catering

Our cashless catering system, EventPOS, is proving to be very popular at the moment. Now is a great time to invest in a cashless system, as it would be installed during the summer months, so it would be ready just in time for the start of the new academic year!

Bicester School, who have been an idXtra customer for a few years, have recently upgraded to our cashless catering system too.

Benefits of using a cashless system include:

  • Allergen tracking for students (the system records allergies and dietary requirements for all students, and alerts you if a student selects an unsuitable product)
  • Improved customer throughput and reduced queueing
  • Minimised cash handling
  • Improved reporting
  • Easy managing of payments (option to top-up cards online or with cash at a kiosk)
  • Built-in bursary function with discrete FSM feature
  • Ability for parents to view their child’s meal purchase history

For more info about our cashless catering system, EventPOS, please visit idxtra.com/new-eventpos.

For more info about its allergen tracking function specifically, please check out our blog post from February here.

For a free demo or quotation, please email info@idxtra.com or call 0800 083 6053!