No — minimal local IT required. We handle hosting, maintenance, and software updates. But if you already have a team, we will do basic support and unboading.

What your school will need:

• A named administrator (Registrar/Bursar or ICT officer) to manage users, approve transcripts, and receive training. This is a role, not a full-time developer.

• Internet & basic workstation — Admins need a reliable internet connection and a browser; no server hardware required locally unless you opt for on-prem hosting.

• Optional integrations or single sign-on (SSO) — If you want SSO with an existing identity provider, your ICT team may need to provide configuration details (SAML/OAuth endpoints).

• Day-to-day tasks for local admin:

  • Approve or review uploads (results, transcripts)

  • Manage fee items and notifications

  • Support staff/students with account requests

• We provide:

  • Full onboarding and hands-on training for admins

  • Documentation and short video tutorials

  • 24/5 support for the production system (higher SLA options available)

  • All platform maintenance, security patches and feature updates

If you prefer a more hands-on local role (for data residency, integrations, or on-prem deployment) we can provide a technical handover pack for your ICT team.

Yes — we provide CSV/Excel migration with validation, mapping, and secure import processes.

Migration process (typical, transparent steps):

1. Discovery & Mapping

   • We review your current data exports (spreadsheets, legacy systems) and define a mapping template: Students, Applicants, Courses, Payments, Results, Postings.

   • We provide sample CSV templates with required fields and validation rules.

2. Sample Import & Validation

   • You supply a small sample file (10–50 rows). We run a validation pass and return an error report showing missing fields, mismatches, or format issues.

   • We iterate until the sample import is clean.

3. Full Import

   • Using agreed windows (low-traffic time), we import full datasets into a staging instance.

   • Import includes data normalization: ID matching, date formatting, course code reconciliation, and duplicate resolution.

4. Verification & Sign-Off

   • Admins review imported datasets in staging. We provide comparison reports (imported row counts, failed rows, reconciled payment totals).

   • Once verified, we schedule a production import and go-live.

5. Security During Migration

   • Data is transferred over secure channels (SFTP/HTTPS). Temporary migration access tokens are revoked after completion.

   • We follow NDPR and internal access control rules; only authorized staff and engineers access migration data.

6. Timeline & Cost

   • Small schools (≤500 students): typical migration 3–7 business days after sample validation.

   • Larger or complex datasets: timelines vary; we will provide a quote and schedule after initial assessment.

7. Rollback & Backup

   • We snapshot your pre-migration state and keep a rollback option in case of issues. Imported data is retained for review for a limited period per agreement.

We integrate with Paystack and Flutterwave out of the box; other gateways can be added on request.

Key details decision-makers need:

• Supported Gateways: Paystack, Flutterwave (Nigeria-focused gateways). We can integrate additional gateways (e.g., Stripe, local banks) on request.

• How it works:

  • Applicants and students are redirected to the gateway’s secure checkout (or pay within the portal via hosted integration). Scholarium does not store card numbers.

  • Successful transactions are recorded in Scholarium and receipts are auto-generated and sent to the payer.

• Settlement & Reconciliation:

  • Funds settle to your institution’s merchant account per the gateway’s schedules (daily/weekly depending on provider).

  • Scholarium’s payment ledger includes transaction IDs, settlement/clearing status and downloadable CSV exports for bursary reconciliation.

• Refunds & Chargebacks:

  • Refunds are initiated from the payment gateway dashboard (we can trigger/refund workflows and log the action in Scholarium).

  • Chargeback handling follows the gateway’s dispute process; Scholarium retains relevant transaction and proof-of-service logs.

• Security & Compliance:

  • Gateways we support are PCI-compliant; Scholarium never stores raw card data.

  • We use TLS for all payment flows and HMAC/API signature verification for webhook events.

• Local Currency & Taxes:

  • Gateways support Naira (₦) and other currencies where applicable. Tax handling (e.g., VAT) can be configured in fee definitions.

• Setup:

  • You provide your merchant account credentials and webhook URLs; we configure and test in staging before you go live.

Daily encrypted backups with options for long-term retention (20 years) and tested restore procedures.

Backup & disaster recovery details:

• Frequency & Scope:

  • Daily incremental backups and weekly full backups of databases and file stores (uploads,  transcripts, receipts).

  • Backup schedule configurable to meet institutional compliance needs.

• Encryption & Storage:

  • Backups are encrypted at rest using industry-standard AES-256.

  • Stored in geo-redundant cloud storage (choice of region upon contract to meet data-residency preferences).

• Retention Options:

  • Default rolling retention (e.g., 1 year) with long-term archival add-ons up to 20 years for audit purposes (archival storage costs apply).

• Access & Control:

  • Backup access is restricted and logged. Restores are performed only by authorized operations engineers upon formal request from the institution’s admin.

• Restore & DR Testing:

  • We perform periodic restore drills and can provide restore reports on demand to demonstrate recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO).

  • Typical recovery targets: RTO within hours for critical outages; agreed SLAs available under Enterprise plans.

• Compliance Considerations:

  • Long-term retention (20 years) requires agreement on storage, associated costs, and legal ownership. We produce exportable archives to hand over should an institution leave the service.

• Logging & Audits:

  • Backup events and restore actions are logged for audit. We can provide logs and access reports for accreditor review.