The Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) certification program was developed and is operated by The Open Group on behalf of the Schools Interoperability Framework Association (SIFA) to validate conformance to the SIF Specification. It is a voluntary program that focuses on educational software applications that are SIF-enabled and communicate with a SIF Zone Integration Server.

Benefits

The certification program benefits both customers and vendors by:

• Providing assurance of conformance and interoperability
• Reducing the costs and risks of getting certified.

Under the program, vendors warrant conformance to a specification. This warrant ensures that products conform to a specification, remain conformant throughout the life of the product’s registration, and any non-conformance will be promptly fixed. All current certified products are listed in the SIF Certification Register.

Certification Process Highlights

• The SIF Certification program is administered on behalf of the Schools Interoperability Framework Association by its designated Certification Authority, The Open Group.
• Vendors will be granted a license to use the trademark in connection with their product when this product has passed the applicable certification test suite(s) and they have formally agreed to all the required terms.
• The Trademark License Agreement must be fully signed by both the vendor and the Schools Interoperability Framework Association in order to have a product certified.
• Vendors must enter into a Certification Agreement for each product registration. A certified product is subject to re-certification on a periodic basis as stated in the SIF Certification Policy.
• All product information supplied to the Certification Authority will be treated as confidential, as required by the Certification Agreement.
• The Certification Authority may, from time to time, request proof that a certified product remains in compliance with the requirements outlined in the conformance requirements as per the SIF Certification Policy.

Useful links

• The Starting point for the SIF Web Certification system
• The Guide to SIF Certification
• The SIF Certification Policy
• The SIF Trademark License Agreement
• The Current Set of Product Standards
• The List of Currently Authorized Test Suites
• The SIF Certification Register
• The Problem Reporting System and Database
• Frequently Asked Questions
• The Conformance Statement Questionnaires