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Blackbaud Education Management Solutions vs. WatchGuard AuthPoint

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Blackbaud Education Management Solutions

    Score7.1 out of 10
    N/ABlackbaud Education Management Solutions is a unified student management system for K–12 private schools. Blackbaud Enrollment Management System™: Gives schools and families the ability to track admissions progress from first impressions all the way through the application process to acceptance, enrollment, and tuition payment. Blackbaud Learning Management System™: Track students' academic performance and progression…N/A

    WatchGuard AuthPoint

    Score9 out of 10
    N/AWatchGuard AuthPoint protects workforce logins to desktops, VPNs, and cloud applications, from Windows and macOS sign-in to Microsoft 365 and third-party SaaS. It runs on WatchGuard Cloud, the same console that manages WatchGuard network and endpoint security. An MSP or an IT team can cover identity without adding another vendor to the stack. When MFA alone is not enough Day-to-day authentication runs through the AuthPoint mobile app, with push, QR code,…N/A
    Pricing
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsWatchGuard AuthPoint
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    WatchGuard AuthPoint MFA
    Contact Sales
    WatchGuard AuthPoint Total Identity Security
    Contact Sales
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsWatchGuard AuthPoint
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsWatchGuard AuthPoint
    Considered Both Products
    Blackbaud
    No answer on this topic
    WatchGuard Technologies
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    73%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    97%
    Would buy again
    238 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    85%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    226 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    87%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    240 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    97%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    202 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    83%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    92%
    Implementation went as expected
    218 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsWatchGuard AuthPoint
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    Google Authenticator
    Score8.9 out of 10
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    Cisco Duo
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
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    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsWatchGuard AuthPoint
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.0
    (120 ratings)
    8.6
    (245 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.5
    (9 ratings)
    9.1
    (23 ratings)
    Usability
    6.5
    (7 ratings)
    9.0
    (29 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.8
    (6 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.5
    (6 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (115 ratings)
    5.0
    (53 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.7
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (14 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (4 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    7.0
    (21 ratings)
    6.4
    (5 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.7
    (6 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (4 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (4 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Blackbaud Education Management SolutionsWatchGuard AuthPoint
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Blackbaud
    A good, and constantly improving solution for private schools. I don't know that a lot of its functionality would be well suited to public schools, but maybe? The integration with other Blackbaud software is a huge plus for us, as we have several of their other products including their flagship Raiser's Edge. Smaller schools may not need the sophistication of Blackbaud solutions, and it is not an inexpensive option.
    Incentivized
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    WatchGuard Technologies
    Works great as a 2FA token, for endpoint control, for computer and server updates, for scheduling updates, and for patching security features when exploits become known. Remote connection is very reliable and doesn't drop in and out as many programs do. It may not be as appropriate if you are looking for a plug-and-play control, as it requires more learning and setup to get it set up correctly.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Blackbaud
    • Seamless integration between the LMS, EMS and SIS modules
    • Real-time, effective chat support helps me not only with urgent needs but also to work through possibilities for increasing how we use the product.
    • Feature upgrades monthly that respond to voiced needs from users
    Incentivized
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    WatchGuard Technologies
    • Easy to setup
    • Quick to setup and use
    • Works consistently
    • Easy to reset token's when someone gets a new phone
    • Website is secure and requires MFA to sign on
    • App can enable MFA requirement to open and approve a push notification
    • App is easy to use
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Blackbaud
    • Forms - lack of conditional questions
    • Gradebook -lack of links to assignments
    • Not being able to customize displays, for example, Grading tab - we just finished 1st semester and teachers could only see the current quarter but not the 1st one which is still part of the first semester. Lack of customization in assessments.
    • Scheduling- even though re-running generating schedules, we're still getting a high number of unscheduled students. Lack of being able to limit the number of scheduled classes in a row for teachers.
    Incentivized
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    WatchGuard Technologies
    • Email support is SLOW unless I want to allow a stranger to access my production firewall. That is never allowed here, so our hands are tied in terms of being able to get support in less than 48 hours.
    • Again, support takes far too long because you refuse to employ any staff that works in US time zones during normal business hours.
    • There has to be another option besides: 1) you take full control of my systems or 2) I wait on SLOW email support that isn't that great.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Blackbaud
    It is a solid product. We have some issues with the capabilities of the website building components and the out dated technology behind its communications software but overall Blackbaud Education Management Software services to combine numerous functions into one product.
    Incentivized
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    WatchGuard Technologies
    Today to ensure our ISO 27001 certification it is important that we maintain this solution. Today it is part of the way any employee within the organization works, we no longer have any other way of working and it is the simplest way to ensure that access to the workstation is done with MFA.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Blackbaud
    Blackbaud EMS is very usable from my perspective. I am a power user and get lots of valuable functionality. It is, however, a complex system. Sometimes necessarily complex to accommodate flexibility for diverse customer needs. Some complexity seems unnecessary and/or hold-over functionality from earlier versions; nice to see this type being evolved away from over time. It is valuable to receive regular updates to the system along with good release notes of what changed and notices of significant changes in advance.
    Incentivized
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    WatchGuard Technologies
    After initial setup, it practically runs itself. Onboarding new users is fast and easy as it should be. The AuthPoint mobile app is small and simple to use. The only reason I do not give it a 10 is that I frequently get complaints from end users that the AuthPoint app is "constantly downloading". In fact, it's not downloading anything and that what the users are seeing in the app is a timer for the 6-digit code that changes every minute.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    WatchGuard Technologies
    Has rarely been unable to use; if that were the case, it was operator error
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    WatchGuard Technologies
    No apparent problem besides a couple of times that systems weren't working
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    Support Rating
    Blackbaud
    Decent support however the chat feature can take a great amount of time out of the workday. If for instance you are waiting for someone to respond in the chat and there is a fire drill, if you are not responding within a few minutes, you are disconnected and have to start all over again. It would be great if you could submit your problem and then whoever has the most experience, can respond. The training in the Blackbaud University is good but also time-consuming - a 3 hr training in the middle of a workday is a lot to ask. I like the 90-minute sessions. It would also be great to offer a shorter webinar to update on any changes implemented. Other than the email I subscribed to, there is no information on how these updates actually work.
    Incentivized
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    WatchGuard Technologies
    WatchGuard support is always quick and reliable. They have urgency levels that you are able to select when creating your support ticket, and they respond in accordance to the severity that you have set. I have never had an issue with getting someone on the phone in the same business day, even for very low priority issues.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    WatchGuard Technologies
    It was an Onsite demo at the ditributor with the benefits of Watchguard Authpoint. Was very nice to see the abilities of the product. This Demo was a few years back, since then Authpoint changed allot. It is very nice for partners that you can get this demo without any aditional cost.
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    WatchGuard Technologies
    We use the online training for all our employees. There are both sales and technical trainings available and there even is a technical certification. You can use this for the Watchguard Partner Program which can give you aditional benefits. Every now and then you have a webinar that discusses multiple Watchguard products.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    WatchGuard Technologies
    the first time it takes more effort. It is helpful to already understand how each authentication type works. Then it's much easier to understand the MFA solution that you implement. It is useful to check the release notes from time to time and update the key parts of the Watchguard Authpoint. Authpoint Gateway, Logon App, RDWeb... Also, it's useful to set up notifications when something goes wrong or sometimes check the statistics of how many requests are being approved/denied, etc.
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    Alternatives Considered
    Blackbaud
    Blackbaud K-12 is very similar. I feel like I would be trading one set of issues for another so it's kind of a wash. We are very much hooked into the Blackbaud website with our Google SSO, SmartTuition, and Schooldoc integrations. It would be difficult for us to transition. That is the main reason I haven't really entertained other web firms.
    Incentivized
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    WatchGuard Technologies
    I would slot Authpoint (as a product) as better than ESET but not Duo. ESET has the same limitations as Watchguard in the OTP support. It also is an on-prem installed console rather than a cloud, which increases cost and maintenance requirements. The duo now supports standard OTP for admin accounts, so it can be managed by a team. Duo support however leaves a lot to be desired and gives Watchguard the edge
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Blackbaud
    No answers on this topic
    WatchGuard Technologies
    We are a medium-sized company. We don't need rapid scaling.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Blackbaud
    • Negative - The rollout is brutal. Blackbaud said it could happen in 6 months, but that is definitely not a reality. It will take well over a year, and one complete school cycle to actually integrate everything correctly.
    • Positive - The amount of time saved in data processing has allowed our office to become more involved in other areas of the school.
    • Positive - The ease of having everything in [one] place, from inquiry to application to contracts and course registration, has been a HUGE benefit to our applicants and their families.
    Incentivized
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    WatchGuard Technologies
    • We currently have 300 users on Authpoint, and most of them use insecure passwords. Authpoint gives us peace of mind that we don't have to police individual employee passwords.
    • In line with the comment above, with so many people in our organization using insecure passwords, I'm sure that Authpoint has already saved us from many potential security breaches.
    • Security breaches can cost a lot of money. Preventing them saves the company money and helps to achieve our bottom line.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Blackbaud Education Management Solutions Screenshots

    Screenshot of Topics pages help organize units of learning throughout the year in the Learning Management SystemScreenshot of Blackbaud's education management solutions come with strong reporting tools to get the information you need quicklyScreenshot of Schedule view makes it easy for teachers to manage their daysScreenshot of Blackbaud Enrollment Management System Admissions Checklists help applicants track their progress in the admissions processScreenshot of Blackbaud's education management solutions come with strong reporting tools to get the information you need quicklyScreenshot of Keep track of all the key information about your students in one place

    WatchGuard AuthPoint Screenshots

    Screenshot of The AuthPoint console in WatchGuard Cloud: users, groups, protected resources, and blocked tokens at a glance.Screenshot of Authentication activity across every protected resource: successful and failed logins, denied push notifications, and which users are active.Screenshot of New users are set up by scanning a QR code from a welcome email. No manual token distribution.Screenshot of The AuthPoint mobile app on first run. Users activate their token in a couple of taps.Screenshot of The app holds every token a user needs, including third-party accounts like Microsoft and Google.Screenshot of Approving a login with a push notification, the method most users rely on day to day.