Frequently Asked Questions

There are many advantages of using OneFile eportfolio over a traditional portfolio...

• Progress and assessment can be continued in between face-to-face visits
  
  
• Visits won't be wasted because the learner has forgotten their portfolio
  
  
• OneFile automatically re-references assessments against the matrix sheets  saving the assessor time
  
  
• Units cannot be completed until they are 100% complete.

• OneFile is endorsed by City and Guilds, Edexcel, OCR, EDI and ABC Awards.
  
  
• OneFile is the only endorsed e-portfolio by EAL (EMTA)
  
  
• OneFile is currently being used by centres using other awarding bodies such as Asdan, Awards UK, ILM and CACHE - their respective EVs have all seen OneFile working and are happy using the system.
  
  
• If you awarding body is not mentioned please Contact Us and we can help
  
  
• We are currently working towards Investors in People and ISO9001 (July 2010)
  
  

• You need no more equipment than you using at the moment to view this page.
  
  
• Supports all modern internet browsers including Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and above; Safari 2 and above; Firefox 3 and above.
  
  
• Works on Windows (XP and above), Mac OSX and popular Linux distributions.
  
  
• OneFile has been designed with slow connection speeds in mind so we have avoided the use of heavy graphics and animations.
  
  
• Works as a standard HTTPS website (port 443).
  
  
• No plugins required.

• Fully compatible with the new QCF. We can build bespoke qualifications by combining selections of units from other qualifications
  
  
• NVQ, SVQ, Modern Apprenticeships and Technical Certificates
  
  
• Functional Skills, Key Skills and Basic Skills
  
  
• BTEC and 14-19 Diploma
  
  
• Your in-house qualifications and company induction programmes
  
  

OneFile will support any other qualification where the learner has to demonstrate competency. Please see the current range of qualifications offered on OneFile. Additional standards and qualifications are loaded into OneFile for centres free of charge.

Yes! There are various levels of integration:

• PICS: Off-the-shelf support for linking OneFile with the popular MIS. Please contact Pellcomp if you are already a PICS and OneFile customer and you would like this setting up. Please note we do not currently charge for this service.
  
  
• Maytas: We are able to provide enterprise-class integration with Maytas using additional software. Please Contact Us for details.
  
  
• Bespoke integration with your MIS: We will work with your IT staff and create a set of 'web services' that will integrate with your management systems. This will give you the ability to pull learner progression data down from OneFile without having to leave the screen of your MIS.
  
  
• Moodle: We are currently planning single sign-on ability with Moodle and the ability to transfer documents between the two systems. Please Contact Us if you are interested in this integration.
  
  
• From your website: We can create a 'seamless' transition so that your learners and staff can log into from your own website and straight into OneFile, negating the need for them to visit our website to login first. We can achieve this by designing the look and feel of OneFile around the theme and branding of your website.
  
  

• Licences for OneFile are purchased in advance on a "per-portfolio" basis.
  
  
• Key Skills and Technical Certificates are inclusive of a single e-portfolio, so a candidate studying NVQ Child Care and Key Skills for example will only require one licence.
  
  
• The highest licence price starts at £35 and the minimum licence number you can purchase is five. Discounts are available on larger orders or based on the accumulated volume you have already purchased.
  
  
• Licences are not time-constrained and are not recurring. You pay once per portfolio and it will stay on our system for at least 5 years (in compliance with the Awarding Body or the SFA - 6 years).
  
  
• No additional licences are required for any other users such as assessors, verifiers and employers - a Centre may add as many of these additional user types as required.
  
  
• We do not charge for inputting your qualifications into our database.
  
  

• The OneFile software and data is hosted in the UK on our privately owned equipment and is located at Synergy House, a facility owned and managed by UK Grid at Manchester Science Park. It is only a 5 mile journey from our offices at One Central Park.
  
  
• Synergy House provides a high availability Internet connection that will burst on demand to support a high volume of concurrent users. It is manned 365 x 24 x 7 by fully trained support staff, and security is controlled through swipe cards and ID badges. You can read more about the facilities at Synergy House here.
  
  
• Our enterprise-class servers are provided by Hewlett Packard (HP) and are supported with their premium 4 hour response time service level agreements, 365 x 24 x 7.
  
  
• OneFile Data is stored on our expandable Storage Area Network (SAN) at Synergy House where RAID-6 technology is deployed to provide an extra level of comfort in the unlikely event of two simultaneous hard drive failures. The data is continuously backed up to our secure SAN facility at One Central Park, where our Disaster Recovery Site is located.
  
  

• We provide telephone and email technical support during the office hours of 9.00am - 5:30pm, Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays.
  
  
• Email support can be accessed by using the Contact Us facility on this website or by accessing the 'Help' icon when logged into OneFile.
  
  
• We have a dedicated technical support team and aim to get back to you as soon as possible. This is usually within the same working day though our Service Level guarantee is a response within 10 business hours.
  
  

• The OneFile database is backed up at the Synergy House Data Centre in full every 24 hours and backed up incrementally every 15 minutes. The backup-files are continuously replicated to our Disaster Recovery Site (DRS) at One Central Park in a warm-standby.
  
  
• Uploaded portfolio evidence files (documents, photos, movies, etc.) are also replicated continuously to the DRS, but as they are uploaded rather than every 15 minutes.
  
  
• As a precautionary measure, anything deleted from the portfolio is held under a 30 day retention policy at the DRS.
  
  
• Database and files are help in HP Storage Area Network technology on RAID-6 arrays with hot-spares to minimise the impact of unexpected hard drive failures.
  
  

We have a multi-layered approach to security:

Physical

• The server and network equipment is housed in our own private, lockable cabinet at Synergy House Data Centre in Manchester
• A secure door entry control system with swipe card entry gives customer access only to the relevant areas of the Data Centre
• IP based Closed Circuit Television is prevalent throughout the Data Centre with internal and external monitoring stations
• On site 24 x 7 Security within Synergy House operations centre

Network

• An industry-leading hardware firewall with built in Gateway Anti-virus and intrusion prevention technology
• Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections between the Data Centre and our offices
• Secure Sockets Layer 256-bit encryption between the Data Centre and your connecting computers (prevalent throughout the entire site and not just the login screen)

Software

• Access to learner's portfolios is controlled by a Centre Manager who is responsible for assigning only the assessors, verifiers and employers who need access to the portfolio
• A detailed audit log to track user sessions and activity
• Optional IP restrictions to prevent your users logging into OneFile from different locations
• Skills Funding Agency approved password enforcements (minimum password length, lock-out after 3 invalid attempts and change after X days)
• Data deletion using Eraser software

We are able to offer two types of demonstration:

• Face-to-face at your premises; or
  
  
• Over the internet using our desktop-sharing software. This can be done to an individual or simultaneously to multiple people in different locations, also using teleconferencing.