TPRO:

• is easy to use e.g. adding and editing a record is simple
• enables people to compile records collaboratively if required (and has an automatic locking and unlocking system for editing, to prevent people from accidentally overwriting each other's changes)
• supports ongoing professional development e.g.
  - enables supervisors to support beginning teachers effectively
  - enables individuals to maintain their professional development records easily
• has a comment feature which allows for discussion on a record
• supports workflow e.g.
  - a senior staff member can work on an appraisal record in private before making it visible to other authorised users (such as the person being appraised)
  - an appraisal record can be reviewed by a manager before it is finalised
• supports automatic versioning of content i.e. automatically keeps track of changes to records and makes it easy to see who has done what and when
• provides a Rich Text editor which allows users to create or modify pages using standard formatting tools
• provides clear navigation and search facilities that are more useful than just a simple textual search e.g. the user can find items by author or content created recently

• TPRO access permissions are assigned according to an ECE service's particular protocols/requirements e.g.
  - in some ECE services, staff are allowed to edit their own responsibility records
  - in other ECE services, staff are only able to view their responsibility records
• TPRO allows non-standard information to be created e.g. an appraisal template/page
• TPRO supports various usage scenarios e.g.
  - a teacher moving to a new ECE service
  - a teacher working part-time in several ECE services concurrently

• TPRO uses an open source Content Management System that has an excellent security record (as measured by MITRE's CVE, which is the main source for tracking and naming security issues). Note that security audits of the Content Management System make use of relevant information from the Open Web Application Security Project
• TPRO has granular security e.g. viewing/editing rights can be defined per folder, and a particular record in a folder can be hidden from other users when required.
• Appropriate physical, electronic and procedural safeguards are maintained to protect the security and privacy of information e.g.
  - TPRO is hosted in a data centre which has a rigidly controlled operating environment and multi-level security features
  - TPRO utilises robust firewall technology
• TPRO has system and security requirements for its use clearly documented in the User Guide; Trend Technologies recommends that all TPRO users adhere to these. It is important that security best practices are followed by all users on an ongoing basis.
• Trend Technologies employs highly professional and trustworthy people

• Trend Technologies takes all reasonable measures to provide high service availability each month e.g.
  - TPRO uses reliable, proven technology based on open standards
  - System monitoring is employed which provides alerts if there is a problem, so that corrective action can be taken
  - Data backups are performed daily
  - Where appropriate, redundant network and server hardware is used to increase fault tolerance
  - Highly reliable power is imperative for data centre operations, and the entire electrical system has built-in redundancy
• TPRO is standards compliant e.g. compliant with US Government Section 508 Accessibility Guidelines and the World Wide Web Consortium's WAI-AA accessibility rating
• TPRO uses a well established Content Management System that many developers (including usability experts) have contributed to
• The application server used by TPRO was created for use by organisations with characteristics such as the following:
  - large number of contributors to collaborative projects, with contributors located at different sites and using different platforms,
  - strong requirements for flexibility and security, with the need to define local roles with different permissions to view, write/edit and approve different parts of projects,
  - scalability to large numbers of content items.

• Comprehensive, easy-to-follow TPRO User Guide
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Service Desk
• Centralised TPRO maintenance, updates, upgrades and data backup