Change of strategy positive for imJack

DIGITAL educational networking and media business imJack today said its strategy of selling its platform to schools directly had been mainly positive.

The Leeds-based business also said it had introduced a further revenue stream by persuading businesses to become sponsors of schools to assist them to take the imJack platform and to help the students with their career choices.

ImJack has been forced to change its business model after it was hit following a government decision to withdraw match funding through the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) in June.

“Despite the withdrawal in matched government funding, the company started selling the imJack platform direct to schools in June and has been encouraged by the amounts invoiced up to the beginning of the school holidays in mid-July,” imJack said in an update today.

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It added: “Since the beginning of the school holidays in mid-July, activity has been limited but sales have now resumed following the start of the new school term and the directors consider that the company’s product offering is being well received. The company intends to further update the market on progress within the next six weeks.”

ImJack’s product enables students to communicate by instant messaging, video conferencing and real-time collaboration by way of secure file transfer or whiteboard.

In May, imJack announced that it had secured approval for all schools applying for redesignation to be offered the ImJack platform.

Each redesignating school taking ImJack’s platform was entitled to matched government funding through the (SSAT).

However, the coalition government has withdrawn the funding in respect of schools applying for redesignation funding for the year 2009/10.